Hot Toys | Thor: The Dark World | Thor

I thoroughly enjoyed Thor: The Dark World. I thought it was even better and more exciting than the first one which I liked very much. So when Hot Toys announced they would be releasing figures from the movie, I was excited for 1) I didn’t care for the Avengers Thor outfit and preferred the new one, and 2) I’d have a chance to get Loki which I passed up the first time.

When I picked up Thor from delivery I couldn’t wait to open it and free the figure from his plastic prison. I have the Avengers version, but there was something about it that I just didn’t care for. It’s not that it was a bad figure, it just didn’t resonate with me. So when I opened the box, expectations were a little higher, mostly because I really like the outfit.

The figure looks exactly like his real counterpart on the screen. The head sculpt is nice and is easily recognizable as Chris Hemsworth, but I just don’t care for the open mouth look. From a technical perspective I applaud them for the more difficult attempt, but I always prefer a more neutral expression because it’s just easier to use in any environment.

Let’s get to the outfit. I’m going with my past experiences with pleather. To be honest I hate the material a lot and can’t wait for someone to invent something better. As it ages or depending upon the local climate, the material tends to eventually crumble into a mess. Not only does it leave crumbs but it also leaves stains on your hands and everything else. It’s just a messy situation. I’m hoping that the material Hot Toys uses is of top quality and the disaster won’t happen, but only time will tell. Otherwise, the outfit is nice and fairly accurate. I love the tailor job that Hot Toys does because they understand they are working on a miniaturized scale which is what a lot of other companies forget. My next gripe is the cape. While it drapes nicely, I’m not a fan of pillow case-style capes. I think a single layer of heavier material would have been nice to allow you to get a nice billowing effect. Lastly, I’m not thrilled with the arm sleeves. I think if the arms were sculpted it would do away with material issues and articulation issues. I imagine over time the arm sleeves will crack or break.

The paint job is what you’d expect from Hot Toys. Quality. The work done on his armor is also very clean and very precise. This is a category that is also going to be high for this company.

Hot Toys has great base bodies that provide some of the more realistic position of the human form. So you know what you’re supposed to get. From there, it gets limited based on the design of the outfit. As mentioned above, those arm sleeves make it a bit harder to pose Thor’s arms. There are ratchet joints inside to help accomplish the tougher joint, but it’s still an issue when the instruction manual advises not to keep the figure’s arms in bent poses. His head is also slightly restricted because of the hair, but not too much. And below the waist he can be posed just fine.

Thor comes armed with Mjolnir which is made of die-cast metal and quite heavy. I strongly advise not letting the hammer drop on your toes because you’ll probably be going to the hospital. He also comes with the usual assortment of hands as well as a black cloak that he used in the movie, and finally a stand. He doesn’t really need much more than that because he’s Thor. I can’t really think of anything else he could use but it might’ve been nice to get a few more things.

Time will be the real measure, but for me he feels just a smidge fragile. The pleather scares me, the arm sleeves worry me a little, and I’d prefer he not hold Mjolnir for too long because I don’t know what kind of stress the weight might have on his arm. It’s all circumstantial but I just refuse to take the chance. He’ll just have to remain neutral when he’s on the shelf.