Welcome to our review of the Marvel Legends 2017 release of Thor in his Gladiator gear from Thor, Ragnarok. Thor was part of the wave that contained parts to build the counterpart Hulk in Gladiator armour to face off against this figure of Thor. Also in the wave were Hela and Loki from Ragnarok as well as comic book figures of Lady Thor, Thor and Ares.
The figure went on to get a repack in 2018 as a best of MCU wave where the three Ragnarok MCU figures were repacked with figures from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2. Hulk remained the BAF but the parts were re-ordered with Thor moving from arriving with Hulk's head to coming with his Hammer.
Packaging 5/5
The standard black Legends scooped box packaging was offset with a very visual electric blue colour scheme for the Ragnarok movie figures. The colour was used on the backing card insert as well as the character name plate.
The side art, of Chris Hemsworth, was also adjusted to be presented in blue hue's only and looks fantastic. Round the back there is a blue glow to the figure image. To the side of the image is the usual brief few words about the figure.
""With his worthiness called into question, Thor must fight to preserve the legacy of Asgard and the godliness that he once claimed."
Once opened the figure comes out in an inner tray that itself is sat into the electric blue card back tray. Thor is not strapped in place, and is held in by the tray shape itself. To the side of the figure sits his two swords and the Hulk BAF head and helmet.
Paint & Sculpt 4/5
After a few attempts, it seems Ragnarok was the movie that saw Hasbro start to hit their stride with their Chris Hemsworth likeness. The face print technology was a big driver to this, but the sculpt and shape of the head is just as impressive.
The face print gives better definition to the face with shading around the eyes and nose and more realistic eyes. Beards also seem to be much improved under face printing. The head is finished with the red striping Thor is given prior to entering The Grand Masters arena.
The helmet, a nod to the original movie, is not removable. It looks great with blue hues to the panels and the rest of the helmet in silver. The plastic is a touch soft and the wings can arrive warped out of the box.
The rest of the body is a pretty faithful representation of Thor's outfit for the arena battle with leather effect paneled armour, again decorated over the top with red painted symbols. The armour pieces on the left shoulder and right shin are a metallic blue like the helmet. The shin guard is clipped on so can be taken off or used on the other leg if needed.
The cloak is tattered and hangs well having been plugged into a hole in the shoulder and again at the side. The earlier release of this Thor, as picked up for my son at the time, had an ill fitting cloak and a shoulder armour that popped off. So watch out for these if you end up with an earlier version.
If you do not like the cloak it can be taken off, leaving Thor with a visible hole on his shoulder strap and another one less intrusive on his hip.
All in all the figure is very well painted, particularly when you consider that red scrawl writing running the full length of the figure and down the legs and armour. The only area of criticism is the wrist straps where some of the inner strapping is not fully painted.
The stature is also more realistic than previous Thor's which often had exaggerated torsos and slimmer waists. The figure stands 7 inches tall, so this keeps Thor taller than other MCU figures as you'd expect from as Asgardian
Accessories 2/5
Despite the various options available that could and should have been packed with Thor, Hasbro made the decision to just include the pair of swords he initially wears on his back and uses later on in the battle with Hulk.
Like my experience with the cape and armour - the earlier release we bought of Thor had very soft almost flexible swords, but the newer set I got for my collection (and this review) had a crisper and straighter set of blades. They are cast in a metallic blue colour plastic with sculpted lining within the blade. The handles are a brown colour painted over the blue. I say brown, but I am pretty sure it is trying to be a bronze colour.
The swords fit snugly into either hand and with the articulation the figure has a wide range of poses available to it with the swords in play. Sadly when the swords are not being used Hasbro have not included the sheaths on Thor's back in which they are kept in the movie. This is disappointing.
Also disappointing is the decision not to include the Shield and Mace that Thor starts the battle with - and the kit he is of course wearing for that icon "yes! he's a friend from work" scene.
Articulation 5/5
Thor comes with the top range of movement with 19 points of articulation that starts with the head on a ball joint with a pivot allowing Thor to look round fully as well as looking up and down. The torso gets the t-joint ratchet joint to allow for an ab crunch, another crucial movement for posing Thor in an arena fighting stance. Below this to add the rotation is a simple rotating waist.
The arms are ball jointed at the shoulder with a full range of movement on the right. The left is a little restricted by that armour piece - it does slide in between the cloak and shoulder as the arm raises, but still stops movement all the way to the top. Below the shoulder joint is a bicep swivel and the crucial double jointed elbows which work really well for the weapon posing. We finish with pivot wrist joints.
The hip joints are also ball jointed and can swing out and to the side under that short skirt section which is a flexible rubber so not to restrict the legs too much. Hidden just under this skirt is a thigh swivel and we then get double jointed knees and a solid ratcheted ankle rocker. Thor stands perfectly well in a variety of poses.
Summary
Thor is a brilliant figure with a nice and vibrant colour scheme on the box, good sculpt and paint apps and excellent articulation. The downside is simply the accessories he didn't get, Hasbro leaving us a little short in recreating the arena scene with Hulk.
Had we got the Mace and Shield then Thor would be pushing a 5 out of 5 score. As it stands he is a 4 out of 5 for me.
