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Thor (Shock Strike)

July 23, 2012 | By Errex More

Even though I like Thor as a character, I didn’t get any of the movie-style action figures made of him back when his solo movie came out last year. I did consider getting the casual version of him, but the priority of getting that version never really rose above other concerns.

So, when the Avengers line finally was announced I planned on finally getting a Helmsworth Thor, only to be stopped cold in my tracks by the reports of limited articulation.

Still, after giving the other Avengers a try, I kind of warmed up to the idea of purchasing an Avengers Thor to complete my movie-inspired set, and for that purpose I went for the one I’m reviewing today, Shock Strike Thor.

The sculpted costume is very detailed, but not exactly the same as it was on the previous figures. There are some coloring changes, of course, bur there are also more seams and panels than before. Thor comes with a big red rubber cape glued to his back, sculpted in long flowing billows. The level of quality on the head sculpt is rather uneven. On one hand, the face has a pretty good resemblance to actor Chris Helmsworth, but the hair-sculpt looks pretty basic.

Thor shares the same articulation model that fellow Avenger Captain America, consisting of:

• Ball jointed neck.

• Pegged hinge shoulders.

• Pegged hinge elbows.

• Pegged hinge hips.

• Upper thigh swivels.

• Double hinged knees.

The hair, in combination with the cape, restricts the range of the neck, and the lack of wrists is still a sore point for me, but as a whole, the rest of the joints work very well and feel solid enough for me.

As with the other Avengers, the paint operations were kept to a minimum of colors by casting each piece in the final color of plastics, which in the case of Thor are dark blue for the legs and torso, silver for the arms, red for the cape and tan for the head.

This doesn’t mean that the paintjob is simple though, as there are still several small paint applications on each area that tie the whole look together, all of them applied very neatly.

Thor comes with his hammer Mjölnir, made from a rubbery plastic and decorated in brown and silver. He also comes with a spring-loaded launcher accessory and the corresponding projectile.

The launcher contraption is big, clumsy and molded in blue translucent plastic. As if it wasn’t conspicuous enough, someone decided to add blue lightning-like pieces to it, along with a clip to attach it to Thor’s wrist. The projectile is shaped like Mjölnir but with a trail of blue flame/lightning behind. Overall, the thing works, but definitely is not much of a bonus.

Shock Strike Thor turned out quite all right in the end. The diminished articulation smarts a little bit, but I have to concede that it works fine with characters like these that sport heavy rubber capes, and the level of detail is satisfying.