Review of Thor Ragnarok
One:12 Collective action figure

Introduction

The One:12 Collective series by Mezco produces some truly cool, unique figures from lesser known licenses, and many of their comic book characters get the Mezco flair.  But they also hit up MCU and DCU characters, remaining more true to the on screen designs.  One of the MCU films getting special attention is Thor: Ragnarok.

They've already released their Ragnarok Hulk, and they have Hela coming soon. But you can't do figures based on the movie without Thor, whom I'm checking out tonight.

Packaging - ***
Like Thor's box, the slip cover is a bit more colorful than some releases, although they've stuck with the largely spartan design.  Inside, the plastic trays hold everything safely, and it's all collector friendly, requiring no damage to free the pieces.  There's no instructions, but you should be able to figure things out pretty easily.

Sculpting - ****
It's always important to keep scale in mind when discussion this line. These figures may sport the sort of detail you generally see in 12" figures, but remember, Thor here is just 6 1/2" tall.

Thor is the short hair, bearded variety in this film, and they've nailed Hemsworth in the helmet-less portraits. There are two without the helmet - one standard version, with grim yet determined expression, and a second identical portrait with blue 'energy' eyes. Both have excellent, detailed hair sculpts, a soft skin tone, and excellent work on the facial hair.

There's a third portrait, with the helmet in place. It's the same underlying sculpt, with the cool new helm and moving 'wings'. All three have a very interesting construction - they are actually two piece portraits, with a head and neck separated by a joint at the jawline, but the head and neck come as one piece in the box. In other words, there are three heads and three necks, all attached, and swapping happens at the ball joint in the torso.

There's a ton of small detail work on the costume as well. The hard plastic armor pieces, like the large chunk covering the torso, have a terrific texture and lots of tiny sculpted minutia. There's rivets and buttons and edging and lines, all adding realism and depth to the plastic armor. The excellent sculpting carries over to the accessories as well, where small details make them pop.

Paint - ***1/2
Sharp, clean lines and even coverage creates another terrific looking figure.  The eyes are neat and straight, and the hair edges are subtle. There's a ton of realism in the skin tone, and in the transition in color in the facial hair.

The helmeted head includes the red stripes along the face which continue on down the neck. This was an advantage of using separate necks for each portrait, and was critical to the look of the helmet adorned appearance.

The red markings on the armor look great as well, and small details on the various pieces are clean. My one nit is around the brass or bronze, where some of the edges are a little sloppy on the tinier spots and lines. It's not surprising - gold/bronze are tough colors to get even coverage.

Articulation - ***
As well articulated as he is, I found him less posable than I anticipated. Ironically, I found Hulk easier to pose with fewer joints.

The neck works well, with a ball joint at the jawline and in the torso. The rotating hinge shoulders, cut biceps, double pin elbows, and rotating hinge wrists all work well, allowing for plenty of realistic arm poses, especially with the weapons.

I did have a weird issue with the left wrist - a first in the entire series so far.  I couldn't get the hand to pop off, and as I pulled, the entire wrist post came out of the arm. That's normal for sixth scale figures of course, but not One:12. As I further investigated, I realized the wrist post and ball were inserted backwards, with the thicker, nubby end in the hand and the smoother post in the arm. Swapping this around was a lot harder than you might expect, but with enough heat I was able to get the bigger post inside the forearm where it belongs, and the hands swapped easily after that.

The torso lacks any real movement, due to the armor. The hips are pretty restricted too, and while the knees and ankles work as you'd expect based on past experience, the leg poses seemed fewer. Getting a natural look was harder, and I was a little worried at times that I might snap something.

I mentioned it earlier, but a unique point of articulation this time is on the helmet. The two wings on either side of the helmet move up and down, similar to the movie version.

Accessories - ****
Here's another One:12 figure that's packed to the gills.

He comes with not one but two extra heads, always a big plus. One is wearing the helmet of course, but the other has a less obvious difference. The eyes are painted with a blue fire, as though he's crackling with energy. They swap easily, and are a big boost to the score in this category.

He also has extra hands. He comes wearing fists, and you can swap in tight grips or wide posed hands. They swap easily as well, but stayed in place when I was posing him. Getting the larger accessories in the tight grips can be tricky, but patience pays off.

He carries his swords on his back, and there are two versions of the scabbards - one with the swords in place, one without them. These attach to his back via a small post. It might seem like it falls off too easily, but when you get the post fully inserted it will stay.

And yes, there are the two swords, fully extended. These are a little thin for my tastes, a little light weight, but at least you know he'll be able to keep them aloft for long periods without the arms drooping.

He also has the big club, with lots of sculpt detail. Combine this with the shield, and he's all set to take on the Hulk. The shield has two straps that wrap over the top of the arm, but the fit isn't particularly tight, and I found posing it more difficult than usual.

I mentioned blue crackling energy when I discussed the eyes on the one portrait, but there is also a big chunk of it in translucent plastic, perfect to fit over either arm.

And of course, there's the usual display stand. You can use this with either the large clear plastic support rod (great for jumping and flying poses) or with a simple foot peg.

Outfit - ***
While much of the outfit - the armor - is hard plastic, there's plenty of soft goods here too. The overall outfit looks terrific, but I had a few nits.

The thin red cape, attached tightly at the shoulder, is also tacked to his hip on the lower right side. This is a pretty thin thread, and I'm a little worried that it won't last...but so far, so good.

The cloth pants are a little weird. The fit, particularly on the left leg, is off, and as much as I tried to line up the seams and knee pad properly, I couldn't get the look I was hoping for.

Still, the overall appearance is banging. This is a terrific example of the value of soft goods mixed with sculpted plastic, and how much more realistic the final result can be.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
With a ton of accessories, you'll have plenty of display options. Add in the Hulk - and Helga - and your options go up exponentially. Every time you repose them, you'll revisit this guy as well.

Value - **1/2
The average price for a One:12 figure is $80 these days, and considering the amount of accessories included with this release, I'm good with that. As long as they can continue to provide value through the accessories and outfit, the $80 will feel acceptable.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. I did mention the small thread used to tack the bottom of the cape to his hip - take care around it. Otherwise, you should be good to go.

Overall - ***1/2
I'm a little disappointed in the articulation, or at least what I could get out of it, but overall this is a great release. He matches up nicely with the earlier Hulk, comes with a ton of extras, and has an excellent Hemsworth likeness for this scale.

I can't wait to get Hela and complete the Ragnarok set!

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ****
Outfit - ***
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is sold out on Thor, but still have Hela up for pre-order for $80.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Of course you'll want to check out their Ragnarok Hulk as well, and other recent Marvel One:12 figures include Iron Man, the Ronin Wolverine, the Special Ops Punisher, and Doctor Strange.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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