Review of Gladiator Thor - Thor Ragnarok
Deluxe Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

It's hard to believe how Marvel has translated the concept of the comic book into film. Many movies all in the same universe, with the same characters, interacting across movies and with the plots of each intertwined and affecting the others. It really is quite impressive, and it continued this weekend with the release of Ant-man and the Wasp, the latest installment in the MCU. And yes, it was a lot of good fun.

I've never been a big fan of the Thor films. While some have been okay, others are in my bottom when it comes to the MCU. It's not the fault of the character or the actor, but rather the writing and script. That is, until Ragnarok.  Maybe it was the addition of the Hulk, maybe it was the strong supporting characters (including Goldblum as the Gamemaster and Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie), or maybe it was just Hela, one of the better MCU villains so far. In any event, it's a Thor movie I can get behind.

There were lots of great costume designs too, and that means Hot Toys has plenty to work with. I really didn't think I needed another Thor figure, but the Gladiator Hulk was just too damn cool to pass up...and you really need a gladiator Thor for him to square off against. So I broke down and ordered them both...

The Gladiator Thor came in a regular and deluxe version. I'm checking out the deluxe tonight, which has a couple extra accessories and will run you around $260 depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***
Nothing unique here, but the outer cover of this shoe box design is quite attractive. The inner cover card is pretty boring though, and there's not much else to set this package apart. It's collector friendly for the most part, but there's quite a bit of plastic you'll need to cut off his body parts, put there to avoid staining and damage.

Sculpting - ***1/2
We all know what a Hot Toys head sculpt will look like - super realistic, super detailed, and generally, super accurate.

This one hits on all cylinders. They have the skin texture down to a science, with perfect subtle variations in the lips, around the eyes, and in the eyebrows. The hair is very detailed, and while this shorter cut is a bit easier to match than some wilder styles, they've nailed it with plenty of minutiae in the stranding. There are two nits with the hair, however. First, the edge where the hair detaches from the top of the head (which allows the helmet to fit) is a bit more obvious than usual. And second, the beard hair is sculpted up pretty high on the cheeks, although it is not painted darker. These two hair related issues pull down the score slightly for me.

There is a slight squint to the eyes, giving him a tough, determined expression. The detail work in the beard is good as well, but the sculpted facial hair does give the face a bit of an extended or elongated look.

He's a sixth scale figure, and comes in just a bit over 12" tall as you'd expect. He'll fit in fine with the rest of the Hot Toys MCU, and should look great posed across from the Hulk.

Paint - ****
Hot Toys has done wonders with just about every aspect of the sixth scale market, but it's the paint where they really created their greatest competitive advantage, and it's the one area where they remain king.

The hair lines are all a subtle transition from skin to hair, whether it's the beard, eyebrows, or along the forehead. There's actually more hair that's skin colored on this portrait than we usually see - notice the hair up along the cheeks - and I'm torn on whether it works. I ended up docking them slightly for it, but I think it's more of a sculpt issue than a paint issue. I don't think the hair should have been sculpted that high up onto the cheeks, and perhaps not painting it was the wiser choice.

There's almost no bleed or slop around the piercing blue eyes, and the detail work on the armor and accessories looks great across the board.

Articulation - ***
The underlying True Type body works well, but there is some restriction from the suit and fake skin.

The head and neck are a two piece design, but the jawline is well hidden. Even with the two piece design I couldn't get a lot of tilt and lean action though, thanks to the thick neck skin.

The skin also restricts the arms a bit. It covers the elbows, and improves the look of the figure in general. But it does mean that deeper elbows bends are out of the question, and some collectors will be concerned about the long term effects of bent poses on the material.

You can turn the torso a bit, but the forward/backward and side to side movement is non-existent thanks to the armor.

The shoulders and wrists work fairly well, and the hips, knees, and ankles all work good. The two piece boot design allows the ankles a good range of movement, but this is another figure where the leg articulation was looser than I expected.

Accessories - ****
Just a reminder - I'm checking out the deluxe version, with a couple extra accessories. I'll make note of which ones these are as we go along.

He has several extra hands to augment the pair of relaxed hands he comes wearing. There's a set of tight fists, a set of gripping fists, and a set of wide splayed hands. These all swap easily, and the scale is a little better than usual.

The cape is supposedly removable - more on that in the outfit section - and there's a couple extra large buttons for the chest plate. I don't expect too many people will remove the cape, but having an extra or two might be useful nonetheless.

He also has a number of weapons. There are two swords and two daggers, or that's what all the marketing materials say. Actually, they are one in the same. The two 'daggers' are merely the shorter versions of the swords that fit in side the scabbard. This scabbard is held on his back with a magnet (not all that well, unfortunately), and these shorter versions fit neatly inside. When he drew the swords, he snapped them out to a longer version and that's the swords you're getting.

The deluxe gets two more bladed weapons - the Einherjar Swords. The long and short sword have intricately sculpted hilts and a beautiful paint job. These two extras are well worth going the deluxe route.

The regular release also has the large mace, properly scaled and with a nice overall sculpt. The deluxe adds in one more weapon - the Sakaar Rifle. This large, silver gun fits neatly in a two handed pose, thanks to the tight grip hands.

I'm also going to count his helmet as an accessory, although it could go in the Outfit section as well. The wings on either side are articulated, as they were in the film, so they can fold out of the way when putting it on. The helmet itself is a two piece design, with a front and back section. To put the helmet in place, you take off the top of the hair (held in with a magnet), and put the helmet together over the head. It is possible to force the assembled helmet on, but you could scratch the paint, so I'd recommend sticking with assembling the helmet around the head.

To protect himself against the onslaught of the Hulk, he has his large shield. It looks great, and while it's big, it's also hollow. That means the weight of the shield won't interfere with various poses, or cause him to topple over.  I'd recommend attaching the gripping hand to the shield handle first, removing the forearm armor on his left arm, and then sliding the shield on and attaching the hand at the wrist.

Of course, he also has a basic display stand with the movie logo, but it's really just for consistency. He should have no trouble standing long term on your shelf.

Outfit - ***1/2
I've already mentioned the cool helmet, and the rest of the costume looks just as good.

The armor is a bit restrictive, but the fit is tight and the sculpting is quite good. I don't love how high the knee pads tend to sit on the legs, and the tailoring on the pants could be a smidge better, but overall the costume looks great.

A highlight is the tattered cape. It hangs off the belt and one shoulder, and looks good right out of the box.  I have seen the marketing materials say you can remove it, but I'm not sure how you'd manage that at the side of the belt, where the attachment looks a bit more permanent.  You can pop the 'button' off the belt at the shoulder though, so removing it might have been in the initial plans.

The two piece boots are also a big plus. They still maintain the look of the on screen boots but allow for much greater ankle mobility.

Fun Factor - ***
To be honest, this isn't a character that's great on his own in this category. Sure, you can pose him on the shelf, but without the Hulk to battle, he's a bit lonely.  However, once the Hulk shows up, you'll have an amazing display, and you'll spend hours coming up with the best combo fight stances for both characters.

Value - **
You're getting a lot of goodies here, no doubt about that. But $260 is a lot for a figure, even a deluxe figure, and while the helmet gives him two 'looks', it's not as good a value as a figure with two portraits.  I had to dock them slightly here, even with the excellent quality.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. Through out the review I had some tips for assembling some of the pieces, and if you follow them you should be good to go.

Overall - ***1/2
This is a really nice figure - great sculpt, paint, costume, and accessories.  It's another Thor, who you probably already have more than enough of, and the specificity of the look might be a turn off for some. Unless you're picking up another Ragnarok figure, like the Hulk or Hela, you probably won't need this guy.

For me, it's why I have to have him.  I love the one off characters, so you knew I'd be buying the Valkyrie and Hela. And the Hulk is such a terrific design, that I couldn't say no to him. And if I'm going to have three very Ragnarok specific characters on the shelf, I have to get the specific Thor too, right? If you understand this logic, then you're a perfect candidate for my new self help group. We meet on Tuesdays.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Hot Toys Thor figures include the Roadworn version, the version from Dark World, and the Dark World Loki. Also worth mentioning is the first Hot Toys Thor, as well as their first Loki. And don't forget his dad, Odin!

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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