2011 SDCC Exclusive: Marvel Legends Thor!

The recently-ended 2011 SDCC can only mean one thing to us collectors on the other side of the globe - them exclusive toys are gonna make their way to us finally! I was most impressed with (and truly wish I had the moolah to get) the Hasbro Star Wars "Death Star" VOTC 14-figure pack. But unfortunately I only had the dough to get only one item from the influx of SDCC '11 items that had suddenly flooded the local market here in KL, Malaysia. The funny thing is, I've read somewhere that there's a shortage of these exclusives in the States. Ain't that funny? I mean, they came from the States, which means that any shortages would definitely imply that Hasbro had something to do with the whole conspiracy to drastically increase the demand of US-based collectors for these items.....*phew* you get the drift? Anyway, conspiring theories are hard, let's just stick to what we know best....and that is 'geek-blogging'! Right, as you may already have guessed from the picture above, I got myself the Marvel Legends 'Heroic Age' Thor!

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Let's start with the obvious. Packaging's pretty cool and eye-catching to those familiar with the myth and legends surrounding the Norse God of Thunder. He wields a hammer called Mjolnir, and the packaging's pretty much done to portray that the action figure is packed within that hammer! Nice gimmick Hasbro!

At the back of 'Mjolnir' is the inscription that says "Whoever holds this hammer if he be worthy shall possess the power of Thor'! Pretty neat!

Here's an up close view of the figure in his 'tomb'. Can you just see the excitement on his face? Ready to be ripped open and face worthy adversaries and foes alike!

Here's a closer look at the hammer.

The 2011 SDCC sticker at the top left corner of the front packaging certainly added prestige to this exclusive item.

Ahh, here's a nice addition from Hasbro. They've actually given us an exclusive Thor poster to go with the figure. So that's what the handle of the hammer's for! There's a rolled-up poster inside folks!

Here's the poster for your viewing pleasure. I can't name the artist. Can you?

Upon releasing Thor from his cardboard/plastic cell, I was immediately surprised how heavy the figure is! Many have criticised Marvel Select Figures as being too light and hollow inside (kinda like Rotocast!) but this new ML figure is heavy! I love it....makes my task to pose the figure easier as it does not fall easily even by the slightest touch.

There are nice shadings on his helmet and tunic. I was made to understand that the upcoming normal variant of Thor from Jan '12 will not have these shadings. They look cool, almost giving Thor here that glowing-aura look......hence God-like!

Thor comes with his trademark 'wings' on his helmet and his silky-smooth blonde locks!

My only grouse of an otherwise all-round perfect figure is that the articulation is kinda sacrificed for the overall look and balance of the figure. Ah well, at least he's able to hold that hammer in his hand and lift it up pass the 45 degrees mark!

This 'glowing-aura' look is probably the main differentiating features that the upcoming Jan '12 Thor would not have. So if you wanna get this version of Thor, now's the time to do so before they vanish completely from the market or before our not-so-friendly neighborhood scalpers mark them prices up!

Sure, the cape's plasticky and all, but it does have that nice flow to it!

So in a nutshell, as far as this exclusive is concerned, what you're paying for actually are the 1) Aura/glowing/Godly-look i.e. cool shadings 2) 'Soul-less' eyeballs; and 3) a very-funked  up-electrified Mjolnir! He'll look good in battle-stance, e.g. posing him in 'battle-ready' mode as opposed to any Avengers group photo session....LOL.

Basically, this SDCC '11 Thor is an enlarged (albeit improved) version of the Marvel Universe Thor. I absolutely love the MU version so definitely I'm head over heels over this ML version too. If I may recall, Marvel Select has given us the same version of 'modern Thor' some years back but the word among collectors is that 'Select figures are way too light and doesn't really possess the 'feel' of a good super-hero figure. I don't know how true this is since I never had any of the 'Select figure in hand before to really judge for myself.

It's still a wonder why I didn't snap some shots of Thor with the rest of my older 'Legends' figures for comparison purposes. But I can tell you this, these new 'Legends figures will dwarf those 'vintage' (gawsh....has it been really that long already since the ML was first launched?) figures. I did however, took a shot of ol' Thor with the good guys of my MOTU Classics collection...and for some good measure I even threw in Scarlett and Duke from the 'Joe line for further size comparisons. As you can see, Thor is considerably bigger than the MOTU figures and that's telling us something! I mean, them MOTU figures are already within the 6"-7" size range. Personally, I love it that Hasbro has decided to upscale these Legends figures. I kinda like bulky figures.....gives me that sense of 'I've got my money's worth over here'!  =p

Anyway, this is the alleged new card for the upcoming Jan '12 Marvel Legends Wave 1. Can somebody verify that this is real? Nevertheless, from the list of characters slated for release, I'd only want Commander Steve Rogers and (a BIG) perhaps....that Ghost Rider. Getting that 'normal' Thor doesn't really rock my boat anymore since I've got him in his 'angry & agitated' mood already.....angry eyes, energy-bursting hammer and all!

VERDICT: This is a GREAT re-introduction of the Marvel Legends franchise reboot. Thor is definitely a must-get figure if you're thinking of collecting the upcoming line. If you have he patience and would rather settle for the normal variant, then I suggest you wait till Jan '12 to get him with the rest of the Wave 1 figures. As for me, I just can't help being suckered by that 'Mjolnir packaging' marketing ploy by Hasbro......hah!

Till then, it's gonna be some wait till Jan '12.......make mine Marvel!!!