This figure was kindly sent over to us to review courtesy of Hasbro UK
Released in 2021, the Infinity Saga range of Marvel Legends was a revisit of figures and characters from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its first three phases. It followed a similar ethos as the 2018 First Ten Years Sets and the 2019 sets for the 80th Anniversary, sitting outside the main Marvel Legends line with specific packaging and aesthetics.
Like many of the early MCU films, Thor (2011) pre-dates the Marvel Legends line as we know it, and while films like Iron-Man at the time did have a number of 6-inch figures released, Thor saw only a solitary Thor and a larger Destroyer figure released at the time of the movie. In fact it has taken us 10 years to get to a dedicated Marvel Legends release for Thor's debut movie, with this Infinity Saga release of Odin.
The All-Father arrives in a single figure squared-off box with side art depicting characters from the Infinity Saga in a metallic sheen finish. This artwork is slightly different on each side, but it is the same on all the Infinity Saga releases - there is no extended montage of images as we saw with the First Ten Years sets. The Thor logo sits top left with the Legends logo to the right-hand side. The Infinity Saga is the largest logo just under the window, with the character name beneath as simply 'Odin'.
The back of the box carries an image of the original movie poster for the 2011 film and a short piece of text that reads
"The king of Asgard, protector of the Nine Realms, and father of Thor, Odin has learned to appreciate peace over the centuries"
Odin, as far as I can tell, is a full new sculpt and is based on his fully armoured appearance in the original Thor movie. This includes a sculpted armored chest from which flows his red cloak, cast in a slightly softer plastic. The armour extends to the bracers on his forearms and his boots and the whole ensemble is given a gun-metal grey base with gold details added over the top - with a bright metallic bronze used where the cloak attaches to the armour.
Under all this is a quilted brown suit that makes up the legs and upper arms. This is cast in the base colour and carries no further paint applications. A softer plastic belt is wrapped around Odin's waist in the gunmetal finish with gold detailing.
The armour is finished with Odin's ornate horned golden helmet that I assumed was fixed but it turns out to be removable. The finish is not quite metallic, but it matches the gold used on the armour. It too is a slightly softer plastic and engineered along with the head itself for a snug fit.
The head sculpt for Odin is an excellent likeness for Anthony Hopkins and includes a fully sculpted beard as well as flowing hair which is slightly flattened at the side to allow the helmet to slip neatly and naturally into place. The head uses the photo-real technology to capture the lines and definition of Odin's face and his one good eye - while the eye patch is a painted piece and is a little lacking in full coverage around the sides.
There is then a second head included in the set giving a 3rd distinct look for Odin. This seems to be a tweaked version of the first head with a fuller hair section which means it does not work with the helmet so can only be displayed as it stands. It includes an open mouth in a slight smile, with Odin's teeth sculpted into the head. This is perhaps a slightly weaker likeness purely on the back of this expression. I can't tell if the intention was to make Odin look like he was smiling, or if this is meant to be a more grim snarling expression that would be more fitting for the All-Father.
The heads swap in and out easily enough although as seems to be common these days, the spare head is tighter on the first application, and then afterward the head fitted on arrival feels a bit looser - this may vary across sets.
Odin is packed with Gungnir, the Spear of Odin. It is cast and coloured in a base gold plastic that doesn't quite go far enough to make it look metallic. The details on the Spear are visible but need a wash or secondary paint application to bring out the detail and to come close to matching the metallic tones of the amour.
The Spear fits into either of Odin's hands, with both giving a sufficiently tight grip on the spear and combining for two-handed weapon posing. There are two further hand options included in the set with a gesturing left hand with a more open palm posture, and a clenched fist for the right hand. All of these are easy enough to swap in and out.
Odin's articulation is very much controlled by the shape and material used for his cloak, a similar restriction we have seen on Thor figures through the years. While the figure has a full 20 point of articulation count - including a pair of butterfly shoulders within the chest section - you will find the legs unable to do much more than wider standing positions without the cloak hitting the ground. Similarly, the shape of the cloak holds in the left shoulder in particular, leaving the right the only limb with a full range of motion.
That being said, Odin does have a fully pinless body which drives improved aesthetics, and this is Odin so all he really has to do is stand and look regal and imposing which the figure does really well.
Out of all the Infinity Saga releases, Odin is perhaps the one I was least looking forward to, but has since become my favourite of the full range! While he is a great figure with a couple of varying display options, he also represents the desire by the Marvel Legends team to drop back and revisit older MCU properties (that are not Iron-Man relates) and to bring us secondary and tertiary characters to expand our MCU display.
Odin has played a huge part in the MCU within the three Thor films and this figure also represents a base for a Thor 2 variant version with the longer robes, and even the more far-out possibility of dropping the Odin head onto a suited body for a Ragnarok version after he is trapped on Earth. I also hope this is not the last visit to Thor (2011) by the Marvel team and that there remains hope for The Warriors Three and perhaps a deluxe Frost Giant.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...