Of all the Marvel Films movies, my favorite is still Thor. However, the toy line that was
launched with it was hit or miss with me. We got some great figures, like the Battle
Hammer Thor and Secret
Strike Loki, but we also got some real clunkers like Shield Bash Marvel's
Odin and Asgard Defender Heimdall. The line was also plagued with assortments
that were full of re-colored figures.
Cosmic Armor Thor was one of those re-colored figures, arriving in June
of 2011 with Wave 4 of the series, along with Staff
Strike Sif and three other re-paints. Except this one is GLOW IN THE DARK!
Yeah, that’s not such a big draw for most collectors. An adult toy
enthusiast is likely to turn out the lights once to look at the six discs on
the figure’s chest glow green, and then forget about the gimmick altogether. I
know I didn’t remember that they had a coat of luminescent paint until I
re-visited these photos in my back log. Honestly, I bought this one just
because it was included in the recent clearance sales (down to Php 200.00 from
about Php 500.00) and I hadn’t yet bought a movie Thor with a cape. This one
had a cape, and also a very nice, darker color scheme than the standard red and
blue.
He also comes with a clear version of the 1/18th scale movie
Mjölnir. Oh, he also comes with a
huge purple dildo, but we can discuss that some other time. Mjölnir is the
real accessory here. The great thing about this version of the hammer is that
the head is made of a translucent, soft plastic that refracts light pretty
spectacularly.
I didn’t use any Photoshop or special lighting set ups for the above
photo. It’s simply the sunlight coming in through the window and striking the
hammer head, which bounces it around. I just had to find a good angle. I’m sure
the same effect could be achieved with some artificial light sources with some
patience.
The hammer is pretty good considering its small scale, with some nice
detailing, and a strap that actually fits over his hand in his grip. However,
it is made of very soft plastic. You’re like as not to find it warped to some
degree over time.
The movie line of toys fielded several nice figures. Though the
aesthetic of the film was very different from that of the classic comic, it was
very distinct. The high level of detail in the costumes gives the sculptors
some great places to hide joints on these things, so the Thor: The Mighty
Avengers figures have better than average articulation than most 4” figures.
The Cosmic Armor figure borrows its mold from the Sword Spike Thor in
the first wave of the series which featured a swivel-hinge neck, swivel-hinge
shoulders, swivel-hinge elbows, swivel wrists, a mid-section crunch joint,
swivel-hinge-swivel hips, double hinge knees, and swivel-hinge ankles. Notice
the proliferation of swivel-hinge joints? These give the figure superior flexibility
in terms of posing, and are almost as good as ball-joints in some modern
Transformers. It also means that the figure is extremely sturdy. It’ll survive
some pretty rough play.
Another great thing about this particular figure (and the others that
share its shape) is the fact that the cape is somewhat removable. It’s a
separate piece from the figure, but it is glued to the figure’s back in certain
places. A little wiggling and some judicious cutting and prying will get it
loose.
The figure still looks best with the cape, but I love having the
choice. The cape has enough sweep to it to keep it from being completely boring
so it’s still a good choice to display him with it, but while posing, it’s
simply easier without the blockage.
There were basically three Thors released in the line. The first was
the Battle Hammer Thor, which looks a
lot like He-Man with bare arms and head. The second wave also had the Hammer Smash Thor which featured him
with his helmet on. The sculpting on the head with the helmet really bothered
me, but the work on this one is much better. It looks nothing like Chris
Hemsworth, but like the Avengers
Battle Hammer Thor, I think that’s actually a plus. The face looks as if
it’s almost human, rather than a mannequin.
I any case, this was a great buy for only Php 200.00 (about $4 or $5
US), and a nice addition to my little Thor collection. If you’re not a stickler
for comic/film accuracy, this is a great figure for both enthusiast and kids
alike.
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