Review : Loki
Marvel Select (Diamond Select Toys)
Wave/Series : Thor : The Mighty Avenger (MCU)
Released : 2010
Price : N/A
It is safe to say, that some 6 years after his release the Loki figure from Diamond Select is one of the hardest (or rather most expensive) figures for collectors to pick-up. He represented the first "villain" in the cinematic series - and one of the few villains released full stop in the 7 years or so the line has been going. He also fit into corresponding films like Avengers and The Dark World, making him desirable for collectors entering the Select collectors world at varying points.
This is my 3rd Loki believe it or not. The original was loose and smelled heavily of smoke, and this one was eventually replaced with a cleaner, but also loose and incomplete version. The missing Rainbow Bridge accessories always bothered me, so I never stopped looking for a complete version. so finally I have now picked up this version that includes the parts I needed. This therefore gives me a great opportunity to revisit the figure and give him the full review treatment.
Loki comes in the oversized blister pack that has become a trademark for Diamond's Select figures. At the point of his release, Loki was one of the figures that laid down the template for future figures - moving from the film wording logo on the left hand art panel to a full image of the movie character.
The box art is presented in a crisp blue colour, with the word Loki emblazoned in bright white. Above this sits the Marvel Select logo, and beneath it the log of the Thor movie. As mentioned the side panel contains a full image of Tom Hiddlestone as Loki from the movie and this is overlaid with the movie logo at the base. These logo's on the side would disappear as the line progressed.
Round the back and we get a promotional shot of the figure itself, alongside a couple of paragraphs explaining Loki's position in Asgard (and the movie) without giving much away about the plot. Underneath this and to the right is an image of the corresponding Thor figure with the text "collect them all". Fans may have been disappointed that the image of Loki shows the full Rainbow bridge diorama, with no mention that you will need to buy both Loki and Thor to assemble the two.
Out of the pack, Loki is packed into an inner clear plastic tray with his staff in hand. To the left as you look at him are the Sword and Pillar from the Rainbow Bridge.
Loki stands 8 1/2 inches from feet to the top of his horned helmet, Loki himself would be around 7 1/4 inches high. The likeness to Hiddleston is not the greatest, but there is a resemblance and it certainly looks better from the side rather than face on.
The face may not be the perfect likeness at this scale, the outfit is beautifully done. The helmet sits neatly around Loki's face, with the two horns sweeping backward from the crown. The armour in intricately captured across the chest area and down the arms. Underneath the armour sits sculpted material sleeves and these include the usual folds and creases, but with the armour straps sculpted on top. The trousers are a little plainer, with just a decorative panel to the side of each thigh.
Paint work across the armour is really neat, with no bleed or messy spots. The armour is a dull bronze colour and a purist may have wanted it to be shinier? The clothes are then a dark brown with a lighter muddy wash over top to bring out detail. Sadly this is applied over the armour straps which loses their definition.
Loki's cloak is plain, but striking green and is moulded in a rubberised material. The cloak sweeps naturally off the shoulders and thankfully is the perfect length for the figure (the one on Thor is a little long and can impact how he stands). The flesh areas are a flat flesh colour, with just a touch of pink on Loki's lips. The eyes are neatly done with clearly defined eyeballs. Above these the eye brows are a touch too heavy.
Loki comes with his spear, as seen in Thor and not to be confused with the sceptre used in Avengers. At 10 inches long, its an impressive piece and is painted in two tones of metallic paint. The top half is a bronze, similar to the armour on Loki, where as the staff part is nearer to a gold colour? All of the staff is washed to bring out the sculpted details.
Articulation, at this point in the Select timeline, was restricted - but Loki is probably one of the best of that era. The head is on a ball joint, but with the helmet and hair it can then only rotate and look down slightly when facing forward.
Shoulders are ball jointed and can move out to the side and more or less over Loki's head, something that the corresponding Thor figure struggles with. Elbows bend and rotate, but don't quite make it to a 90 degree bend. The wrists rotate and all of this will allow Loki to both hold his spear in one hand, planted to the floor - but also in two hands in a more dynamic pose.
The chest sports a joint, and this means you can twist Loki's top half to either side. There is no waist joint to speak of, and the figure has the old round ball jointed hips. These hips rotate and bend slightly, but no where near to letting Loki kneel or sit - plus his cloak would restrict that. The joints do however allow for some varying stances and don't seem to have the issue with loose joints that is apparent on some later figures.
The knees are double jointed, but as we mentioned above on a cloaked figure and with those hip joints, the knees will get little movement and are a tad unnecessary. The figure terminates with ankle rockers that do allow the feet bend forward and back but not to the sides and you will use the hip rotate to move the feet outward rather than the ankle joint. This can mean that on a wider stance, Loki can look like he is balancing on his out-steps not flat footed on the floor.
The other noted point is that Loki is a very heavy figure, he feels solid and well built compared to other figures in this scale and of this era. This allows him to stand really well and he would take some serious shelf vibrations to bring him crashing down.
Moving now to the diorama, the piece that has made me re-buy Loki....
Packed in with Loki are the Sword of Heimdall, and it's stand. The sword is an impressive piece, sitting at 6 inches long, and is a crisp design with well executed paint applications on the various metallic shades from the hilt down into the blade.. The stand/plinth is intricately detailed and painted in a white inner section, and then trimmed on the outside with gold trims. The sword fits neatly into the stand, and the whole thing will stand on it's own. It is of course designed to join up with the larger base section supplied with the Thor Select figure.
Thor's base comes assembled, and you would expect the Loki section to slot into the hole on the top. It is a little more complex, and some instructions wouldn't have gone amiss. In actual fact you have to pull the Thor part into two halves, and then line up the Sword Stand into the corresponding grooves - locking the two halves together around the stand.
Once built is is a lovely centrepiece for Loki and Thor to battle round, and the completist in me is happy to now have the full diorama on display.
Having now looked at Loki in his entirety from packaging, and with the full accessories, I am still going to hold with the score I gave him originally - a 4 out of 5. As a figure he only really suffers from a soft likeness and a few niggles on articulation. The fact that he regularly runs to £50+ on the secondary market shows how highly regarded he is amongst collectors.
