Marvel Legends Thor Ragnarok Wave Review

I’ll admit it. I’m behind. In an effort to get caught up, I’m reviewing this whole wave at once. It won’t be a traditional review, but rather a lot of pictures with some random thoughts attached to them.

Work is killing me (I know, it’s shocking I don’t review action figures for a living) and I am getting edits I need to get done on my novel, and it’s a pretty tight deadline. While this is good for me, it’s bad for this blog, at least short term. On deck currently, I still need to do Figuarts Spider-Man, Revoltech Venom, Mafex Rogue One Darth Vader, Gold Dress Harley and Joker, Marvel Legends Gamora, Nebula, Rocket, Starlord/Ego two pack, Netflix Daredevil and DC Icons Deluxe Cyborg and the rest of the JLA 7 pack.

Whew.

I try to stay a few weeks ahead but as I mentioned, work has depleted my finished reviews and this is the last one I’ve photographed. I’ll get caught up, but for now, let’s take a look at the Thor Ragnarok Wave.

I shot all of these in the same morning and apparently, my aperture was off because I really had a hard time finding pictures I liked. Almost all of these figures, especially the MCU ones all have one negative thing in common: their capes. While looking good, they are a constant source of frustration. They either fall off when you touch them or won’t stay on in the first place. I’m going to list these in the order of least liked to most liked. Let’s get started.

Young Thor

At first, I thought this was “Unworthy” Thor, as he was recently sold in an SDCC exclusive pack. He comes packed with his trusty battle axe, Jarnbjorn. The axe is nicely detailed but it’s hard for me to get behind a Thor without a hammer. The figure is ok. However, the right arm will not go completely at his side, making it hard to pose him in a relaxed pose.

His… sash… limits some mobility in his right arm.

This is as far down as his right arm will go.

Jane Thor

This may as well have been a tie with young Thor. A character I just don’t pay that much attention to in the comics. However, I cannot deny that the details on the whole figure and in particular, her helmet, look really good. She will fit in nicely with my Modern Marvel Shelf.

Nice articulation when her cape is not falling off of her.

Hela

This figure should have been higher on my list. Hasbro is REALLY getting better at their facial sculpts, particularly on their MCU characters and this is no exemption. The unmasked head looks really close to the images I have seen in the trailers for Cate Blanchett. However, it ranked low primarily because I simply could not get her to stand on her own without a LOT of work. The cape falls off and her deer antlers (???) pop out. Maybe that is by design but be careful, it doesn’t take a lot to get them to pop off and I am betting they are easy to lose.

Ares

This is essentially the Build A Figure Hasbro released several years ago. So much so in fact that his left leg popped off like a BAF. I never owned the original, but I’ve never been that big of a Marvel Ares fan to pay the aftermarket prices on him. Fortunately, Hasbro saw a need and filled it. I have to admit, just based on pictures, I like the BAF better. The details on the arms, the armor, the size of the skull and crossbones on his chest and his pupils all look better to me. However, this single release is just fine for those of us simply looking to check off the Ares box.

Don’t fire until you can see the whites of their eyes… oh.

Mine had several bad paint app splotches out of the box.

The knife, while cool looking, does limit his leg articulation.

The detail on this axe is stellar. I also wished I had noticed his helmet while filming.

Loki

He doesn’t have a weapon and depending on the light, he’s either a dead on likeness of Tom Hiddleston or John Travolta having a stroke. Regardless, I did not have an MCU Loki prior to this so I am pleased with the addition to my collection.

Thor

His articulation is hampered by his shoulder armor. He does not have Mjolnir which seems like a sin. I know he has it in the start of the film because Hela destroys it. His helmet does not come off. However, I like him better than both my Figma and Figuarts Thor. It’s a really nice likeness of a character I enjoy a lot.

I really like the attention to detail on his leg and shoulder armor.

This reminds me of Boba Fett’s insignia.

Thor? More like Zorro.. Thor… that joke went nowhere.

Hulk

My first Marvel Legend MCU Hulk and it looks to be one of the best Hasbro Hulks. It lacks the articulation of the Figuarts or the life like qualities of the Figma. It’s significantly smaller than the MCU Select Hulk. Without a doubt, I love him. He was the big “get” for me in this wave and it looks like I was right. The likeness is a little off, but I maintain that’s a good thing. He looks close enough to Mark Ruffalo to be convincing but could just as easily pass for a comic Hulk. His helmet seems large but doesn’t really distract from the overall aesthetics.