Marvel Select Thor Review!

Okay here's the start of my review. That being said, sorry if I faux pas!


Marvel Select, always a double edge sword. They either look great, and have horrible articulation, or they have good articulation and look like crap. I don't feel that they can blend the best of both words for the most part. Yes, there are some exceptions to the rules, but I'm generalizing.
Anyway, I'm looking at the Marvel Select Movie Thor. I've added some photos of the toy, as well as Chris Chris Hemsworth in the costume. I think they nailed his look. I love how this figure looks. The Hammer is great looking, and the paints help the overall look too.
But that's it, that's where my love of this figure ends. All that glitters is not gold. This figure would be good as a statue if it could properly stand, making it a great looking paper weight! I was worried about this just being my figure, but after seeing two of my friends as well as hearing other stories in reviews and boards, this seems to be the bane of this figure. It barely (if it does at all), stands properly on a base or stand with pegs in it's feet.

However the reason for this brings me to my next issue, ARTICULATION! It looks like this figure should be good, but it's clunky and awkward, and doesn't work properly. I don't think you are going to get too many dynamic poses out of this one. Especially when standing is such an issue.
I've seen customizers already dealing with the articulation problems by replacing the legs and hips for traditional ball joint hips and double pin joint knees. I don't think it's enough. If I could I would swap out the arms for DC Universe classic Aquaman's with the mail to get the ball joint swivel shoulders, the bicep swivel joint, as well as the pin joint elbows (I'd also have to work out something for the bracers and swap Aquaman's hands for Movie Thor's, blah, blah, blah!).
I also wanted to comment on the hammer. I found that a lot of copies of this figure has a bent handle for Mjolnir. This is because it's made with a really flexible rubber. I always look through stock to make sure the figure I grab is good for paint and etc. But I couldn't find one with a decent looking hammer. I ended up rectifying the situation by putting it in boiling water for 30 seconds to a minute, then holding it in place to shape while running extremely cold water over it. It's held shape since. I also did this to shape the strap to the way I wanted it to look.

Lastly I'll yap about the packaging. The look we have come to expect from Marvel Select with solid images on the side and back, that makes them look amazing for the collector who keeps them in the box and stores them on the shelf like books (I'm not that guy, I rip mine from their respective protective cases, so that I and the elements can ravage their visage!), but they do look good on the shelves that way. I will say this about the packaging, it goes back to what I was saying about Mjolnir. The packaging seems to crunch the hammer up in a way that bends it and causes it to hold that shape. Like I said, it's fixable, but not to the general consumer. It's not a huge thing, but enough to bug me.

It's a shame about this figure because it does actually look great.
Just like the deleted scenes from the movie, my Marvel Select Movie Thor is going to end up on the cutting room floor as custom fodder for a Thor with the ability to stand on his own, and just an overall better articulation.

On a side note: I posted this review on Figure Realm. I had a great reply from the well renowned customizer Stevid, with a good piece of advice. He posted:

Stevid - Sunday, May 29, 2011

You are right about the figure and that it doesn't stand well at all! First time I put him on my shelf with the rest of my Thor figures thinking I had him standing nice and strait and next thing you know he falls and knocks all the rest of the figures with him! What I notice you have to do is position his feet slightly down and have him leaning back a little and using the cape as a stand. But I have to say I do love the sculpt of the figure!

pulpyfiction - Sunday, May 29, 2011

I was going to talk about the cape but I was worried, I might be going on too much. Don't you think the cape is part of the problem too, like it's just too long? I think that's why it works as an anchor so well, but it doesn't help if you try to drape it right at the back of his feet. Like you're mentioning stevid, I think it only works if you drag it back and use it to hold the weight of the figure.
Good idea on the feet placement. That seems to be the only possible way to get it to stand for any time at all. Mine just won't even really stand unless he's pegged down on a stand. I've had some issues like yours where he's jumped and taken everyone around with him, only instead of a group of Thors, he took down my marvel movie avengers both actual released figures and custom! Argh!