Thor! (and Enchantress)

Thing about Thor is this: he's one of the original Avengers, he's (arguably) as strong as the Hulk, he wields arguably the most powerful weapon in the Marvel universe, and he can also control weather, especially storms and lightning.  But somehow he's always not a main player in most story lines.  He may have (had) his own comic book, but he never seems to be anyone's favourite for a leading role. Well, until the upcoming movie at least.  And even then it's so that they can make an Avengers movie after that.  Maybe that's why it's taken so long for a Marvel Universe 3.75" version of him to appear.  But appear it has and boy have we all been awaiting his arrival! (Ok, most of us.)

And here's the bonus: Since it's a Secret Wars 2-pack (Wave 3) he comes in, he's accompanied by the lovely enchantress...or so we think!

I have to admit, Secret Wars Thor (or classic Thor) is really a blah character to me.  I was always more interested in the Hulk or Spiderman, or even Captain America.  Thor was just some dude with a hammer that spoke funny and had a funnier costume.  Seriously, who runs around with six dinner plates on the front of his or her tunic?  His hammer, though, was awesome.  And which kid wouldn't want a mighty weapon that would return when thown and can call down lightning?

Hasbro haven't failed to recapture the fantasy of the hammer in this toy, and despite it size, you can make out the inscription on it:

Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.

It's the one accessory that comes with this 2-pack and it's a (necessary) bonus too, considering most Marvel dudes come with a grand total of zero accessories.

Thor himself is brilliantly represented in his classic guise, bringing to mind one of the two versions of the Norse god I'm familiar with--Neil Gaiman's from 1602 (The other being the Ultimate Thor).  And this was the first thing 1602 Thor says when he makes his first appearance:


I am Thor of the Thunders--
Mighty My Mjolnir:
Fighter of Frost-Giants,
Stronger than Storms

I think that pretty much sums up our boy here.  But sadly, the same can't be said about the Enchantress.

Look at her packaging art:                                                          And just look at how she turned out!


Hmm.

Let's take a closer look in the review...

Like: Thor!  He's really classic accurate, right down to this lantern-like jaw and winged helm.  Gotta love those classic boots and knee pads as well.  The guy is muscled like a maiden's fantasy (Thanks, George R.R. Martin!) and has got the deep blue eyes and long blond locks to back it up.

Dislike: Enchantress.  It's almost as if this is what she would look like if she were an ugly, wicked witch who had to charm everyone into thinking she looks the way we think she looks--blond, elfin, and beautiful.  And this is her with the spell worn off.  Either that or she's had some really bad plastic surgery.  Just look at those eyebrows!  They obviously don't have the best plastic surgeons in Asgard.

Like: Thor's Hammer.  Mjolnir is tiny but extremely detailed from the inscipttion down to the leather grip and strap.  Pity that the piant on it doesn't match up to the sculpt--it's a bit flat, even for a classic figure's colours.

Dislike: Just look at the sculpt on Enchantress.  It's a mess under her arms, her skirt is an extra piece of molded rubber that really looks odd resting on her hips and makes her look, well, like she's wearing a rubber skirt.

Like: That both the figures have waist articulation.  So far, only Captain America and Spiderman have them on the figures I own, so it's nice to see that they added more to figures to make them poseable.

Dislike: that the Enchantress has no bicep or elbow swivels!  How the hell is she going to do those intricate hand movements to cast spells?  It makes her really tough to pose, considering that he leg/hip articulation is limited by the rubber skirt, and her head can barely move because of her voluminous hair.

Like: That Thor's cape pegs into two holes in his back.  This means it comes off anytime you want it to as well.  Why?  So there's no more cape getting in the way when you don't want it to.  Another plus is that it also gives Thor that 'raised cape' look that he always seems to have, like he starches his capes or something to make them sit higher above his shoulders.  They should have done this with Magneto from Wave 2 as well, instead of making his cape just hook over his head.

Dislike:  The paint on these two figures leaves much to be desired.  Thor's got yellow paint all over the front of his helmet, and has a dot of silver on his hair as well.

The hammer, as I mentioned before, is a little flat.  And while they do have the inscription on there it's not 100% clear  His wristbands have a bit of red/black overlap but they're not too bad, as is the yellow paint on his boots.

As for the Enchatress. **Groan**  She all painted on clothes except for her rubber skirt.  Her leggings are great, especially the circly patterns, but painted top?  Painted sleeves?  Coudn't they have added some tooling on the body so she wouldn't look  like she has body paint on?  Well, I guess Hasbro thought the one rubber mini-skirt was good enough...

And as if that isn't enough, her face!  Oh my goodness what did they do to her face?  First off it's a different shade of skin-tone for her arms and body.  Then there's the poor paint apps for the eyes and eyebrows, which make her look like she's just been embalmed.  And what's with the pin-prick like irises?  I mean, she seduces Thor and even the Hulk in Secret Wars.  She ain't seducing anyone like this!

Like: Thor's sculpt is really a sight to behold.  Bulging biceps and triceps?  Check.  Excellent head sculpt including winged helm? Check.  One closed fist and one open to hold Mjolnir?  Check.  Even the fingers on his open right hand have each been molded individually and his neck peg has been thickened so he's got a muscular neck (though it does reduce the ball joint to a swivel).

RATINGS
Aesthetics

Thor: 9.5/10 - Very, very pretty. (Verily.) It's just too bad that some of his paint apps can't keep up with the strong sculpt.  Also, I prefer his current costume, though this one is more iconic.

Enchantress: 8/10 - Not pretty at all. There are basic problems like a poor sculpt (underarms) to the paint really letting the sculpt down.  The torso, arms, and face come to mind here.  A pretty character with an ugly figure.

Poseability:

Thor: 9.5/10 - He's a bulkier than standards mold but he's flexible with an extra waist swivel and removable cape.  Loses points for the swivel-only head and the hip/leg joints, which would be as flexible as any of the smaller, regular super heroes if his mighty buttock muscles didn't hinder them from bending backwards more.

Enchantress: 7/10 - She's standard except for three main things: her lack of a bicep/elbow swivel, her hair-impeded head and her skirt getting in the way of her legs movement.  What's left, you say?  Not much.  Verily.


Fun

Thor: 9.7/10 - He's a classic and will look good next to Captain America and Iron Man. In fact, I'm waiting till I get the chance to, then I'll bust open and review all the Iron Men I've accumulated.  Once that happenes. I'll get a shot of the original three Avengers together fighting side by side against who else but the Hulk!

And for those who've seen Hulk Vs. recently, I can't wait to do a battle shoot with the Green Goliath and the God of Thunder one on one!  It could even be a sequel!  Heheh, watch this space...

Enchantress: 7/10 - She's the 3rd female character to be made into a MU 3.75" figure.  The first was Carol Danvers (modern and classic) and the second, Jean Grey. So that means shes also the first villainess.  But what a pity she's been so poorly executed.  It's rare that I play with a toy and feel demoralized. This, unfortunately, is one of those times.  Sucks the fun right out of it.  Verily.


Value

Thor: 9/10 - He's a bulkier than usual figure and comes with Mjolnir.  Him and the wicked witch also come packaged with issue 11 of the 12 part Secret Wars so Thor is there or thereabouts considering I spent S$30 (US$21.40) for the 2-pack.

Enchantress: 6/10 - Pulls Thor's value down.  I just can't see now how they made a D grade character like Enchantress into a figure and couldn't even bother putting in the effort to make her at least decent. In fact, she should be done absolutely fantastically to justify even wanting to produce her. She isn't.  In fact she's worse.  Such a pity.

Overall:

Thor: 9.45/10 - Throw, throw, throw your hammer, see it fly straight and true; Verily, verily, verily, verily it comes right back to you.

Maybe Mjolnir can't actualy do that but it sure looks like Thor can make it happen.  He loses some points here because Enchantress weighs him down (all together now!), verily.  I've seen single-packed versions of him in his new scale armour (I think that's yet to be released) and I would imagine those would be slightly more worth it, simply because you don't have to put up with a really bad looking Enchantress.  Still, this is the only time you can get classic Thor, and he's worth it.

Enchantress: 7/10 - She's a new record low overall score here on Chase Variant! :P  I'm really disappointed at how she turned out.  But it'll be a while before they come up with another reason to put her on the pegs as a figure, so I guess this is as good as it gets for poor ol' Enchantress (and all 2 of you Enchantress fans).