Pros : Body and armour is well sculpted. Articulation is good for a big figure
Cons : Head is too small, and the figure may be short also. Skin tone looks wrong and is too glossy. Re-release announced which looks loads better.
I am writing this review AFTER the announcement of a new Thanos figure coming later in 2018, so will make reference to that new set throughout this review.
To get your MCU Thanos as a Build-a-Figure you needed to purchase 6 of the 7 figures from the Infinity War wave, which included the three comic book figures of King Cobra, Taskmaster and Songbird. The 7th figure, Iron-Man, did not carry a BAF part.
With all your parts in hand the assembly is a simple clip together and there you have it - the mad Titan himself.
The head sculpt on Thanos is a half decent likeness to Brolin as we see him on screen. It is however a bit too small for the body which is a shame. The head is also a bit too shiny and the wrong shade of blue. Worst of all is the weird smirk they've given him - which looks very odd from most angles. You can however angle the chin down and the look does become a little more menacing.
The other detail your eye goes to is the Infinity Gauntlet which is nicely sculpted with plenty of sculpted details including scroll work down the wrist segment and the infinity gems themselves set into the glove,
The costume is the un-armoured version that Thanos spends the majority of the film in. The arms are bare skin and like the head are a single tone blue. The chest piece has a shin gold shoulder piece and the front of the chest is textured like a modern chainmail. There is a skirt section that wraps round to a belt and this is an individual piece that slides up and down when the legs are articulated.
The legs themselves are plain grey and then we finish with some substantial boots, with more gold trimming.
As a Build-a-Figure, Thanos is a substantial figure and measures 7 and 3/4 inches high. This puts him a similar height to his lieutenant, Proxima Midnight. And a good inch and a bit higher than core characters like Captain America. For me this is too small for Thanos who looks to be quite a bit taller when facing down the main characters.
The Infinity Gauntlet is sculpted in a closed fist. We are getting an open / clicking fingers sculpt with the second release of Thanos later in 2018 as part of the 10 years of the MCU line.
While he is a big chap, the articulation on Thanos is pretty impressive with 19 points of articulation - consistent with a basic release.
The head is fully mobile on its peg with a pivot. There is then a larger than usual T-joint in the chest and the waist too rotates. Arms are ball jointed at the shoulder with a bicep swivel underneath and then leading into double jointed elbows. Both wrists rotate and are pegged, but while his right one moves easily, I am yet to get the Infinity Gauntlet hand to move.
The legs follow a similar design with ball joint hips, thigh swivels, double jointed knees and ankle rockers. With his bulk and flat feet there are no stability issues with Thanos.
My one gripe with the hands are that both are presented as fists. It would be nice to have an option for Thanos to hold up Loki by the throat. While it would have been nice to give the BAF alternative hands, the fact a revised version is coming probably put pay to any remote thought of Hasbro doing this.
I am going to go straight in and score Thanos BAF a 3 out of 5. While the body is pretty good and the articulation strong, the head is too small and the skin tone is the wrong colour and very glossy. My other issue is how frustrated I feel at how soon Hasbro has recycled this body into another general release. While I appreciate a lot of BAF's get recycled at some point - this one feels particularly cruel after collectors spent in excess of £120 to get hold of Thanos, buying three figures they may not need if they are an MCU only collector. I do hope the re-packed Thanos has enough points of difference and as a thank you to fans they keep the RRP as low as possible.
