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When Thor returned from the darkness of Ragnarok, he found a world far different from the one he’d left behind.  He therefore resolved to concern himself more with Asgard and its people than with the problems of humanity.  Even so, the closeness he felt with the mortals of Earth led him to bring his kingdom to the mortal realm so that his fellow gods might learn what it was like to live among them.

Greetings, Comic Attackers, and welcome to another fun-filled installment of my favorite action figure column and yours…Gotta Have It! Figure Edition!  In honor of this past Wednesday being Avenger Day and the arrival of Marvel Comics’ Heroic Age, I have decided to bring you an in depth look at Hasbro‘s Marvel Universe: Thor!

Yeah?  Well MY god has a hammer! – Nick Fury

Product Line: Marvel Universe (Series 2, Wave 2, #012)
Company: Hasbro
Released: February 2010
Packaging: Blister Card Packaging
Where to Buy: Pretty much any retail store with a toy department.
Price: US $7.88 (Wal-Mart)
Points of Articulation: 23
Height: 3 3/4″

Paint Job: Ooooooh!  This one is pretty!  It looks exactly like Olivier Coipel’s Thor from J. Michael Straczynski’s Thor #1!  Using a mixture of charcoal gray, silver, black, khaki, and light blue, this Thor looks absolutely beautiful!  His long, textured blond hair and textured, flowing maroon cape top off this damn fine looking piece.  There are no colors bleeding to where they shouldn’t be.  I’m impressed!

Sculpt: Thor is a thick, heavy figure!  He is as heavy as he looks.  The grids in his armor are exactly that.  This sculpt is meticulous in detail.  Each feather on his winged helmet is a feather on its own and his hair is nicely stranded.  WOW!

Durability:

This isn’t Thor.  It’s Reed Richards and Tony Stark’s stupid ass clone!  Want to put him in a heroic pose?  Better not lift Mjolnir up too high!  *POP!*  Want him to look both ways before crossing the Rainbow Bridge?  *POP!*  Luckily they pop back on with no trouble so there’s no permanent damage, but damn!  This Thor had a huge head of steam built up, leading into this category.  Admit it.  You were drooling.  So was I!

Poseability: Because Thor’s limbs pop off, his poseability is somewhat limited.  With that thick, awesome cape he is top heavy and rarely stands up on his own.  He has 23 points of articulation, tying Nightwing for the most on any action figure I have ever reviewed.  Sadly, they can’t be fully taken advantage of.

Accessories: As pictured and as expected, Thor comes with Mjolnir.  Like the Daredevil in this series, Thor comes with a “Top Secret” envelope.  Inside the envelope is a letter to Tony Stark from Dr. Lauren Dean, on H.A.M.M.E.R. stationary.  It says that the weather satellites that Stark set up to track Thor are working.  They have located Thor somewhere around the Midwest.  She expresses that they are trying to communicate with Thor on Tony’s behalf, even though Thor doesn’t want to talk to him.  Tony needs Thor’s help.

There’s a sticky note at the bottom of the letter.  It’s to Karla (Moonstone/Ms. Marvel) from Norman Osborn.  He tells her to have Ares and the team ready to track Thor.  He also tells her that he will be attending meetings in Latveria.

Also in the envelope is a card containing the full box art by Mike Deodato Jr.  On the back of the card it has his Superhuman Registration Act information on it.  Also, his vitals and a brief description of his powers and skills.  It also classifies him as an immortal.

Thor also comes with a display stand (thankfully) that you can put him on so he doesn’t topple over when you want to display him all in one piece, with pride!  On the stand, it also has his name and collection number (#012).

What’s Awesome: The paint job and attention to detail in the sculpt on this action figure is beyond awesome.  I can’t lie.  The fact that they are using Deodato art on the packaging and inserted card, is pretty cool too.  Cosmetically, this Thor is mighty!

What Sucks: Well…I don’t think it needs repeating.  You’ve already seen the graphic picture.  I hope you had your children leave the room.  Also, something I haven’t mentioned yet, Norman Osborn tells you to join H.A.M.M.E.R. on the back of the box by going to furyfiles.com.  Like with the Iron Man figure, the website is not operational.  It is only the website from the first series and no longer does anything useful.  Hasbro has dropped the interactive ball on their latest action figures.  That’s sad.  At least it doesn’t go to marvel.com this time.  Functionally, this Thor is wimpy!

Overall: 2 out of 5.  This Thor only gets two thumbs up.  I’m really disappointed in it.  Marvel Universe: Thor…gotta have it?  Proceed with caution.  I only recommend getting this figure if you plan to keep him in the package where he remains a thing of beauty, or if you don’t mind having him grace your shelf with a boring pose on a display stand.  This Thor is a LOSER!  I’ve rewritten the lines:  “No, Sarah, I won’t take it back.  I won’t take back what I said about Thor.”

Aron White
aron@comicattack.net