Review of Hela - Thor: Ragnarok
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

We get a lot - a lot - of Marvel Cinematic Universe good guys from Hot Toys. There are no shortage of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and Black Widow releases. Even the Hulk, the various Guardians of the Galaxy, and even Hawkeye have multiple releases. But when it comes to the big bads, there's a lot less attention paid.

One of my favorite villains in the MCU is Hela, thanks to a terrific performance by Cate Blanchett and a killer costume design. In fact, I was pretty lukewarm on any of the Thor stand alone films until Ragnarok came along, and much of my love for the film has to do with Hela.

Hot Toys has been shipping her for awhile now, but I just received mine last week. You can expect to pay around $235 depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***
It's a basic shoe box design, with some spot glossing on the cover to add pop. I like the cover graphics, but I have to say that the interior cover card, which was once a nice extra, has become largely just a listing of names involved in the production.

It's all collector friendly, and you should have no issue removing her from the box without damage. There is some plastic wrap on her neck and back that you'll need to remove and won't be able to easily replace however. It's there to avoid staining, and I'm hoping that once it is gone, we don't see issues on the shelf.

Sculpting - ****
Hela's head dress is a striking visual in the film, and the one and only portrait you get with this figure has the finely sculpted 'horns' on the permanently attached helm. These are made from a very, very hard plastic, with zero chance of wilting or drooping over time. The head dress looks fantastic, and adds a lot to this figure.

The portrait itself is an excellent likeness of both the actress and character. The well defined bone structure and sharp lines create a realistic and accurate portrait, while the soft skin texture and evil glare add to the realism and emotion. Hot Toys has had a number of nice female character sculpts this year, but I think this might be my favorite.

But there is only the one portrait. A second portrait without the complex head gear would have been a much appreciated addition.

The hands are sculpted to work with the various accessories, and they look great. Swapping was a little tricky, but did not require heat or other help.

One complaint I know others have had is with the exposed shoulders. Yep, you can see the articulation at the top of the shoulders, but I'm fine with it. I tend to be more of an articulation guy, and while rubber skin can improve the look, it also greatly reduces the mobility. Your mileage may vary.

Paint - ****
As is almost always the case, the paint work here crushes it.  The makeup around the eyes, the perfect lips, the subtle skin tone, all add to the realistic appearance of the figure.

While it's usually the amazing work on the face, and in particular the skin and eyes, that set Hot Toys apart from the competition, this time I want to point out the subtle textured paint work on the helmet. The paint is quite glossy, but there is also a rough pattern to it, giving it a very metallic appearance. It's these small details that make a huge difference.

Articulation - ***1/2
The underlying body works really well, with most of the joints moving freely in the tight costume.

It starts with a terrific ball jointed neck. Yep, this is one of those two piece head/neck designs, and the seam is well hidden by the jawline. There's tons of tilt and lean movement, and you can give her all sorts of personality in every pose.

The shoulders are a little restricted by the costume, but not so much as they would have been with a skin covering. The elbows and wrists work great, allowing for both two handed weapon poses and single weapon stances.

The torso turns and crunches, while the hips and knees allow for short to mid depth stances.  The big drawback - and the reason for losing a half star - is the one piece, hard plastic boots. While the sculpt is great, the single piece design means there is no rocker movement at all in the ankles, making deeper stances look unrealistic.

Accessories - ***
She doesn't come with a ton of stuff, but what's here is well done.

There are four extra hands to go with the relaxed set she comes wearing. There's a tight grip set, as well as a wide grip. These are designed to work well with the other accessories, and swapping them wasn't too difficult. There's a couple extra wrist pegs just in case.

The tight grip hands work great with either the two deadly swords, or the large ax. The sculpts are great, and while the paint is basic, it's quite realistic.

Okay, there's technically one more hand, but it's permanently attached to Thor's hammer. Pop this right hand on, and it appears as though she is crushing his beloved weapon, just like in the movie. The hammer is plastic, so she can hold it high without her arm drooping or her falling over.

She can also hold a ball of flame in the wide grip hands. The translucent fire looks great, and sits comfortably in the palm of either hand.

She comes wearing a cape, but it can be removed. The shoulder armor is attached to the cape though, which means you need two extra pieces to put back when the cape is gone.

She also comes with a display base, complete with the logo and a support rod. Nothing exciting, but it's nice for consistency.

Outfit - ***1/2
The outfit is fairly basic - funky helmet, cape, body suit, boots.  But basic never looked so good.

I've already raved about the sculpted helmet, and since it's a permanent part of the portrait, I'm not counting it in this category.

The cape is removable, and flows neatly over her shoulders and down her back. Removing it and replacing the shoulder armor is fairly simple, so it's easy to swap between the two looks. Personally, I prefer her wearing the cape, but you might have a different opinion.

The body suit is nicely tailored with a little padding at key areas on the body. It fills her out a bit, but I think they could have gone with a smidge more to accentuate the curves.

The pattern on the suit is glued in place, and this style of applique is becoming pretty common. We see Mezco use it a lot with their One:12 series. Here, the lines are super clean and straight, with various areas of the pattern lining up with a nice symmetry.

I've already whined about the hard plastic boots, and they are the one area that pulls this score down a bit. I'm getting spoiled by well done two piece boots, and I've come to believe that just about any boot design can be handled that way.

Fun Factor - ****
I had a great time working with this figure, and I think you'll revisit her over and over again working on the perfect pose. Add in a Thor or another of the Ragnarok figures, and your options grow exponentially.

Value - **1/2
I've seen her as cheap as $225, and even at $235 you're pretty much getting an even value.  I think a second portrait would go a long way here, but due to the complex nature of the helmet I'm willing to cut them some slack.

Things to Watch Out For -
Don't put any pressure on the spikes of the helmet! You also want to take some care with the points, since they could draw blood.

Overall - ****
It's going to be tough to make a call on the Best Female figure in this scale for 2018. There's been some really nice releases...but I'm leaning toward Hela at this point. She's so interesting and unusual, and they really captured her essence in this sculpt.  She reminds me a lot of the very underrated Maleficent, and putting the two of them together on the shelf is going to be another option.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow has her for $235 as well

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
The perfect figure to pair her up with is the Ragnarok Thor!

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