Iron Studios

Lore & Background

Iron Studios began with a partnership between distributor PiziiToys and Japanese company Kotobukiya. At the Brazilian toy fair ABRIN in 2009, they presented their first product: a 1/6th scale sculpture of Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna at his victory in the 1993 Japanese GP. A second piece followed, showing Senna's victory at the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix, both depicting him in his red McLaren uniform. In 2012, the third miniature of Ayrton Senna was launched, now in a black Lotus Cars uniform, and this was the first piece made by the newly created Iron Studios.

On December 13, 2012, Iron Studios announced a license agreement with Marvel Studios for the production of statuettes in Brazil. The first product under this license was Iron Man Mark XLII, based on the movie Iron Man 3. In September 2015, the company obtained licensing rights to some Warner Bros properties and invited artist Ivan Reis to create conceptual art.

Iron Studios opened its first shop on October 6, 2014, selling items from several manufacturers in addition to its own. Between May and September 2016, it set up a store in the Cidade Jardim shopping mall in São Paulo, displaying an exhibition of about 150 pieces. A branch opened in Shopping Eldorado, São Paulo, in January 2016 but closed in July 2018 for strategic reasons. Its first store outside São Paulo state opened on August 19, 2016, at Shopping Nova América in Rio de Janeiro.

Reader's Guide

Iron Studios holds significance as a Brazilian company that secured major international entertainment licenses—Disney, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Star Wars—for collectible statue production. Its use of Polystone, a high-density resin resistant to heat and humidity, along with real fabric or die-casting for details, defines its manufacturing approach. The company's history is rooted in a partnership with PiziiToys and Kotobukiya, which produced the first Ayrton Senna statue in 2009, leading to the founding of Iron Studios in 2012. Its licensing agreement with Marvel Studios in December 2012 marked a key step, followed by rights to Warner Bros properties in 2015. The opening of physical stores in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, starting in 2014, allowed the company to sell both its own products and those of partner manufacturers. The closure of the Shopping Eldorado branch in 2018 for strategic reasons indicates the company's ongoing adjustments in retail. Iron Studios' legacy lies in establishing a Brazilian presence in the global collectible statue market, producing licensed pieces in multiple scales and maintaining retail outlets that showcase its work alongside other manufacturers.

Did You Know?

• Iron Studios' first product was a 1/6th scale sculpture of Ayrton Senna at his 1993 Japanese GP victory, presented at the 2009 ABRIN toy fair.
• The company's first original piece (2012) depicted Ayrton Senna in a black Lotus Cars uniform.