It looks like it’s going to be a great year to be a Thor fan. I believe we have a female “A Force” multipack being released this year with six figures, two of which are Asgardian in nature. A female Loki and FINALLY… a Sif. I know the female Loki from the Dark Reign storyline, of which I was a big fan. The story line spread across several titles and culminated in The Siege, if you’ve not read it, go pick it.
Lady Sif is a fan favorite character for which we have been clamoring. If we can’t get her by herself, than the multipack will do nicely. Not to mention we have a new Thor movie in November which will have at least one, probably two waves of Marvel Legends, as I covered here. I will finally get my MCU Thor, Loki and a Hulk, none of which I have in Legend form. Not to mention a very spiffy Hela. Also, Mezco just revealed their SDCC# offerings and everyone’s favorite Asgardian makes an appearance.
The “Marvel Now” Thor took a while to grow on me. For my money, the JMS inspired Thor is still my favorite look for the God of Thunder, but I appreciate the current version as well.
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Here I was with so many cool Asgardian figures, I thought, “I’ll take a group picture.” As it turns out, it was a cool concept, hampered by my inability as a photographer.
Odin was the BAF from the completely underwhelming wave of the same name. You can probably find him here for a decent price. I’ve had my Beta Ray Bill since he first hit stores when Toy Biz still had the helm. I always liked the concept of a “worthy” alien. Valkyrie is from the Hulkbuster wave and more than likely a figure I wouldn’t have if I didn’t get her super cheap. Angela is a new addition to the Asgardian mythos. I was familiar with the character from my Spawn days but she does fold nicely into current continuity.
If you don’t know who Angela is or how she ended up in Marvel’s stable, its kind of an interesting story. Also, if you know the origin of Image Comics, you’ll probably see Todd is being a hypocrite again.
The Enchantress is fairly “meh” for me, but she is part of the big ol’ Asgard community (do you think they have a Home Owners Association?) and can be picked up for a relative song and dance.
The Loki figure, I have to believe is a Chinese knock off. I say that because I picked him up on eBay for $20 when the actual figure seems to go in the $50 range. I could be wrong and maybe I just got lucky, but I have 43 years of empirical evidence that suggests I rarely “get lucky.” You can pick him up here.
The idea of knocks offs is a heated topic among collectors and one I could, and probably will, dedicate a blog to one day. Lord knows I was stung by several when I returned to the hobby. This particular knock off is of very high quality. The plastic feels solid in my hands and the paint and sculpt are excellent. There is no bad odor either (which can be a thing with knock offs due to the cheaper plastics used in the manufacturing process). I simply gave him my Marvel Now Thor sword, because Thor has a hammer, and I don’t care what you say regarding the matter.
Most of us have our own lines in the sand when it comes to knock offs. I am of the thought process that if a figure is no longer in production and you cannot find it for retail, I am ok with it. Once you can no longer purchase one, the money is going to individuals anyway, as opposed to Hasbro, or whomever. Again, if the figure can still be purchased or is still being produced by the original manufacturer, it becomes a lot more complicated for me.
Finally, and I can say this without any qualifying remarks, The Marvel Select Destroyer is the shining star of my Asgardian collection. Go now, he is still in stock, for retail, and you will thank me. What he lacks in articulation (and he has way more than one should expect out of a murdering set of walking armor) he makes up for with an amazing sculpt. Not just on the figure mind you, but also on the sword and the Odin head.
I am a big fan of the Marvel Select line. I’m actually surprised I don’t have more of them, but cost and space are always mitigating factors. Still, for my larger figures, such as the Hulk, Ultron, or the Destroyer here, I almost always gravitate towards the Select versions.
So there you have it, my Asgardians. What’s in your Thor collection, if you have one? Do you cross populate your Selects with your Legends or am I weirdo (I know I am, but I mean for this)?
Comment below and as always, thank you for sharing.
