BOB SHARE

Id like to begin with a standing ovation, a standing ovation and three cheers for fella who plays Loki in Thor and of course, The Avengers.  Thats right, Tom Hiddlestone.  There was only one of you and yet you more than held your own against the Mighty Avengers ensemble.  Aw heck, in fact Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansen, Sam L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner--all of you deserve a long, long round of applause.

What can I say? Its been 9 days since I first caught the movie, and 5 days since I saw it a second time and Im still buzzing.  And as I write this, Im plotting a 3rd and possibly a 4th viewing. (One of these schemes involves sneaking in on free tickets to What to expect When You Are Expecting and then peeling away to catch The Avengers.  Heheh.)

Hes no coward all right-he called the Hulk a "Dull Creature."

So why review this older Thor figure when there are other, newer figures from the Avengers line?  Well, because most of the 3.75 range is under articulated (See Ultimate Thor, Gamma Punch Hulk) and because Joss Whedon is a god in the movie heaven that is Hollywood.

Hes made me wanna go back and review every single Marvel Universe, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America and and Marvel action figure I havent put in front of the camera and blabbered about.  And I just might.  So who better to start with than with Loki, the ultimate deceiver, played by a man who just steals the scene when hes in it?

When Secret Strike Loki was originally released a year back, there were already pictures of a King Loki to come, so I held back, thinking that Id be able to easily pick this figure up on clearance.  And its turned out to be true!  I got Loki here for S$10!--only for the price to be slashed to almost half that a week later. -__-

But heres no regrets, because after all the lack of PoAs from the Avengers line, this Thor movie figure has turned out to be quite a gem!

Like: That this is Loki before he fashioned himself king of Asgard.  Reminds me very much of the rogue in a Dungeons & Dragons party, which Im sure was a idea for Loki in the beginning.

Like: That though the likeness of Tom Hiddlestone isnt spot on, it does capture the spirit of him.  Slicked back hair, deviously sharp and thin eyebrows, pointed chin, and sneaky eyes, sharp nose, and just a hint of a smirk in his mouth.

Dislike: That the neck hinge is left an unpainted dark green.  It makes him look like he has a soul patch from certain angles.  Ive seen other Hasbro 3.75" figures use beige hinges, so they dont get away with this at all. :(

Like: The articulation.  Hindsight is always 20/20 and at this point where it looks that Avengers toy line wont be as spry as most Hasbro 3.75" brands, I fully appreciate the PoAs this guy has.

The head especially deserves special mention for its ball-hinge assembly and flexibility.


Like: The throwing daggers.  hes got of them and they fit nice and tight in both of his gripping hands.

Each is a different design!

Like: The paint on his face.  The eyes are soooo deviously scheming! As mentioned above, the eyebrows are very well done, neat and sharp.  But heres the clincher for me--the painted mouth!  Its just a hint of beige on the lower lip.  Its a little detail but one that just grabs you, just like Hiddlestones on screen wide-eyed intense look to eerie laugh.  Gosh, it just send shivers down my spine!

Like: The detail on his clothes theyve picked out in paint. Theres the gold on his belt and coat buckle just above it, the buckles on the back, the shoulder and waist trimmings, and a lighter gold under his collar.


Theres a lighter green theyve used for his sleeves, collar and parts of the upper torso, and theres the lighter brown of his shin guards.  Im glad they made the effort to paint these parts.  It shows what a little paint can do to bring out the best in a sculpt!

RATINGS

Told you he was a great actor!

Aesthetics: 8/10 - Not a spitting image of Hiddlestones Loki but close enough.  I think the outfit has been translated well from silver screen to plastic.  All they needed to add on top of the tooling on the base body was his coat tails.  And he sure rides on them to look good!

Poseability: 8.5/10 - Hes got everything you need in a 3.75" figure minus the frills, like rocker ankles, an extra waist swivel, and additional wrist hinges.  But yes, those are bonus PoAs and hence more on the "wants list" rather than the "needs."

Also, the coat tail piece on my Loki isnt glued on or has come loose.  The downside is that Ive got to reposition it every time I pose him.  The upside?  He doesnt get in the way of me posing him first, then repositioning it to fit the pose. ;)

Night at the opera, anyone?

Fun: 9/10 - You could pop the head off this guy and put him on a body with a suit, creating Loki in "disguise" or King Loki without helmet or even Loki as any other hero in the Marvel Universe!

All this even before you actually get down to playing/posing him.  Being highly articulated, Loki can handle the "scheming" posing easily.  But if youre looking for a scrap, be it in an ill-advised foray into Jotunheim or a toe-to-toe with his half/adopted brother, Loki can handle it.  Well, at least until he runs out of trickery and ends up getting pounded like a pancake.

Loki magics himself to look like Thor. Really.

Value: 8/10 - Even though I missed out on getting him on deeper clearance, I still think hes very value-for-money.

Great tooling, great articulation, very few unpainted/bare parts, and the right amount of the right accessories (daggers) means great value.  He even comes with a dud "triple bladed" sword with a split-blade gimmick.


Theres very few figures in the Thor movie line that arent great value, big friggin weapons or no.  Its a pity they stopped at three waves. :(

Overall: 8.4/10 -

With Ultimate Thors "spear" and Heimdalls Sword

Just like the movie has re-ignited my desire for all Marvel figures 3.75", this figure has reminded me of how good the Thor figures are and rekindled my hope that the next few new waves of Avengers figures will be better articulated, even if its just one or two characters. (Oh please, please, please let be true.  Better yet if its more than just a select few.)

But even if my wish doesnt come true, at least theres this guy on clearance--and hell be useful in multiples because thats Loki 101: mirror images FTW! (At least initially till he gets roasted by Thor or blasted by Iron Man.)

Suddenly I have an itch to go clear out those last few Lokis I saw on clearance...

Oh and guys, go watch The Avengers if you havent!  You have?  Then watch it again!!! :)

Like I said, watch The Avengers already! ;)

Poor, misunderstood Destroyer.  Hes not a bad guy at all--just an abused suit of magical armour.  Locked up by Odin, used by Loki, stabbed by Sif, hammered by Thor.  He even eventually got chopped up to become Agent Coulsens plaything.  And all just for obeying instructions.  Tsk, tsk.  Really.

But lo!  He gets an action figure!  Even Sif doesnt get one.  Or at least one that we can see long enough on the pegs to actually buy.  :(((((

To tell you the truth, I actually didnt see much of this guy around either.  In fact, I think my original intention was to get the Inferno Destroyer from the mythical Wave 4 instead of this one.  But when I didnt see any of that elusive wave on pegs, I moved to get this guy instead.  In fact, part of the reason I didnt open him up till now was because I was holding out on hope that Id see Inferno Destroyer sooner or later.

More than a year on, and Ive spotted All King Odin, Asgard Attack Thor, and Sorcerers Fury Loki, all of which are repaints of older figures.  No Inferno D, no Sif and definitely no King Loki.

As I mentioned in my previous review on Secret Strike Loki, watching The Avengers has made me really want to review every Marvel Universe and Marvel movie 3.75" figure I owned but passed up on putting up here.  Fireblast Destroyer is one of them.

Sure, its been more than a year, but what they hey, the toys still as good (or bad) right?

The wife and I managed to watch Thor and Captain America once more before we caught The Avengers on the big screen for the first time and I have to say, those movies feed into this summers record-breaking blockbuster seamlessly.  Though you dont really need to have caught the former two movies, it does enhance the experience of The Avengers.

And boy does it make me wanna take out my action figures and play with them. So thats just what I did with the Destroyer!

Like: The light up feature.  I cant get enough of it!  It looks great shining right though the torso, but isnt so great out of the head, even though thats translucent.

Dislike: That his head is completely unpainted.  Sure, its got to be translucent to let light for the unpainted neck post filter up and through his noggin, but they couldve at least done the eyes.  The way I see it, I think it would be best to paint up the eyes, give the head a black wash to fill in the grooves, and then paint the top of the head silver.  Hm, I might just have to get round to doing this now that Ive mentioned it...

Like: The paint on his body.  Hes molded in silver plastic and given a black wash all over for that metallic effect.  And it works well!

Like: The size of this beast!  He towers over all the other figures from the line as he should, sending the chills down my spine when I have him side by side or face to face with the other figs.  I know.  Its weird.  ;P

Like: His articulation.  Despite having only swivels at the shoulders and no chest or waist joint (to facilitate the light up feature), Fireblast Destroyer is really flexible!  Double-hinged knees, unhindered legs and ankles, and large feet allow him to take lots of stances to support his towering height.  Because hes got long limbs, his elbow swivel hinges also rotate all the way and do 90 degrees easily.

Like: Those mean spike on his arms, legs, sides and shoulders!  In fact, the entire sculpt is done really well.  Its a simple design, but sometimes even the simple ones a botched--especially the simple designs. ;)

Dislike:  That he doesnt come with any accessories.  An eye blast effect like the one Crimson Dynamo had would be great!  Luckily, I have an extra lying around. ;P

He could also have come with maybe part of Odins Vault and been made a Deluxe figure, like Heimdall, who comes with part of the Bi-Frost.  But I guess a mini-playset and a light-up feature wouldnt have costed out.

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 8/10 - I like it a lot despite the unpainted head.  I know the Inferno Armour repaint with its yellow eyes and black armour looks very much more menacing, but that head is solid and doesnt let light through.  Also, it isnt movie-accurate.  Fireblast Destroyer is and has the potential to look more so if you paint the head up a little.


Poseability: 7.5 - Suprisingly, hes very spry!  Nevermind the lack of shoulder hinges and a chest joint, the light up feature makes for some really good photos.  Too bad it cant remain lighted without your finger on it.

But otherwise, Destroyer can go on one knee, both knees, balance with his weight backwards or forwards, and looks great in battle.  I love the strong characters that have great balance and can be posed lifting.  They also look great taking a punch because they can hold a   "semi-fallen and reeling" pose.


Fun: 8/10 - Just pushing the light up button consumes hours of fun.  Haha ok, maybe less than that but its the first thing you wanna do when you pick Destroyer up. The next thing is to have him blast someone but that isnt possible, so well have to stick to the ol imagination--or borrow an eye blast from Crimson Dynamo.

Value: 7/10 - My only gripe with this guy is the obvious lack of accessories.  That being said, the tooling, sculpt, paint, and action feature are well worth it in my book.

I would say go for it on clearance but youre probably not likely to see it any time soon in the discount bins.  Get him anyway if you see him being sold for more than retail?  Most probably.  But only if its not too much more.  Then again, you might have some luck trying to bargain down the price because poor misunderstood Destroyer, destroying property every where he goes.  No one wants him around not even in plastic form! ;P

Overall: 7.7/10  - I cant tell you enough how much more fun Im having opening Thor movie figures compared to the Avengers ones that Ive got.  And a great deal of that is due to the better articulation in the Thor line.  So I guess it reminds me of how lucky we are to have had superb articulation for a bit before some of the Captain America and subsequently the Avengers line. And you know its superb when figures like Fireblast Destroyer, which have less PoAs than other figures in the line, turn out to be more fun to pose and play with compared with the current offerings.  In fact, this figure is good enough that if I saw Wave 4s Inferno Destroyer, Id just get that too!