Thor The Mighty Avenger 3.75" Secret Strike Loki

I'd like to begin with a standing ovation, a standing ovation and three cheers for fella who plays Loki in Thor and of course, The Avengers.  That's right, Tom Hiddlestone.  There was only one of you and yet you more than held your own against the Mighty Avengers ensemble.  Aw heck, in fact Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansen, Sam L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner--all of you deserve a long, long round of applause.

What can I say? It's been 9 days since I first caught the movie, and 5 days since I saw it a second time and I'm still buzzing.  And as I write this, I'm plotting a 3rd and possibly a 4th viewing. (One of these schemes involves sneaking in on free tickets to What to expect When You Are Expecting and then peeling away to catch The Avengers.  Heheh.)

He's no coward all right-he called the Hulk a "Dull Creature."

So why review this older Thor figure when there are other, newer figures from the Avengers line?  Well, because most of the 3.75 range is under articulated (See Ultimate Thor, Gamma Punch Hulk) and because Joss Whedon is a god in the movie heaven that is Hollywood.

He's made me wanna go back and review every single Marvel Universe, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America and and Marvel action figure I haven't put in front of the camera and blabbered about.  And I just might.  So who better to start with than with Loki, the ultimate deceiver, played by a man who just steals the scene when he's in it?

When Secret Strike Loki was originally released a year back, there were already pictures of a King Loki to come, so I held back, thinking that I'd be able to easily pick this figure up on clearance.  And it's turned out to be true!  I got Loki here for S$10!--only for the price to be slashed to almost half that a week later. -__-

But here's no regrets, because after all the lack of PoAs from the Avengers line, this Thor movie figure has turned out to be quite a gem!

Like: That this is Loki before he fashioned himself king of Asgard.  Reminds me very much of the rogue in a Dungeons & Dragons party, which I'm sure was a idea for Loki in the beginning.

Like: That though the likeness of Tom Hiddlestone isn't spot on, it does capture the spirit of him.  Slicked back hair, deviously sharp and thin eyebrows, pointed chin, and sneaky eyes, sharp nose, and just a hint of a smirk in his mouth.

Dislike: That the neck hinge is left an unpainted dark green.  It makes him look like he has a soul patch from certain angles.  I've seen other Hasbro 3.75" figures use beige hinges, so they don't get away with this at all. :(

Like: The articulation.  Hindsight is always 20/20 and at this point where it looks that Avengers toy line won't be as spry as most Hasbro 3.75" brands, I fully appreciate the PoAs this guy has.

The head especially deserves special mention for its ball-hinge assembly and flexibility.


Like: The throwing daggers.  he's got of them and they fit nice and tight in both of his gripping hands.

Each is a different design!

Like: The paint on his face.  The eyes are soooo deviously scheming! As mentioned above, the eyebrows are very well done, neat and sharp.  But here's the clincher for me--the painted mouth!  It's just a hint of beige on the lower lip.  It's a little detail but one that just grabs you, just like Hiddlestone's on screen wide-eyed intense look to eerie laugh.  Gosh, it just send shivers down my spine!

Like: The detail on his clothes they've picked out in paint. There's the gold on his belt and coat buckle just above it, the buckles on the back, the shoulder and waist trimmings, and a lighter gold under his collar.

There's a lighter green they've used for his sleeves, collar and parts of the upper torso, and there's the lighter brown of his shin guards.  I'm glad they made the effort to paint these parts.  It shows what a little paint can do to bring out the best in a sculpt!

RATINGS

Told you he was a great actor!

Aesthetics: 8/10 - Not a spitting image of Hiddlestone's Loki but close enough.  I think the outfit has been translated well from silver screen to plastic.  All they needed to add on top of the tooling on the base body was his coat tails.  And he sure rides on them to look good!

Poseability: 8.5/10 - He's got everything you need in a 3.75" figure minus the frills, like rocker ankles, an extra waist swivel, and additional wrist hinges.  But yes, those are bonus PoAs and hence more on the "wants list" rather than the "needs."

Also, the coat tail piece on my Loki isn't glued on or has come loose.  The downside is that I've got to reposition it every time I pose him.  The upside?  He doesn't get in the way of me posing him first, then repositioning it to fit the pose. ;)

Night at the opera, anyone?

Fun: 9/10 - You could pop the head off this guy and put him on a body with a suit, creating Loki in "disguise" or King Loki without helmet or even Loki as any other hero in the Marvel Universe!

All this even before you actually get down to playing/posing him.  Being highly articulated, Loki can handle the "scheming" posing easily.  But if you're looking for a scrap, be it in an ill-advised foray into Jotunheim or a toe-to-toe with his half/adopted brother, Loki can handle it.  Well, at least until he runs out of trickery and ends up getting pounded like a pancake.

Loki magics himself to look like Thor. Really.

Value: 8/10 - Even though I missed out on getting him on deeper clearance, I still think he's very value-for-money.

Great tooling, great articulation, very few unpainted/bare parts, and the right amount of the right accessories (daggers) means great value.  He even comes with a dud "triple bladed" sword with a split-blade gimmick.

There's very few figures in the Thor movie line that aren't great value, big friggin' weapons or no.  It's a pity they stopped at three waves. :(

Overall: 8.4/10 -

With Ultimate Thor's "spear" and Heimdall's Sword

Just like the movie has re-ignited my desire for all Marvel figures 3.75", this figure has reminded me of how good the Thor figures are and rekindled my hope that the next few new waves of Avengers figures will be better articulated, even if it's just one or two characters. (Oh please, please, please let be true.  Better yet if it's more than just a select few.)

But even if my wish doesn't come true, at least there's this guy on clearance--and he'll be useful in multiples because that's Loki 101: mirror images FTW! (At least initially till he gets roasted by Thor or blasted by Iron Man.)

Suddenly I have an itch to go clear out those last few Loki's I saw on clearance...

Oh and guys, go watch The Avengers if you haven't!  You have?  Then watch it again!!! :)

Like I said, watch The Avengers already! ;)