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Review of Loki - Avengers sixth scale action figure
Hot Toys
Date Published: 2013-05-22
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3.5
out of 4
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Introduction
After seeing Iron Man 3, I'm all the more excited for the upcoming Thor and
Captain America films, if for no other reason than they lead into next summer's Avengers
2. I can't wait to see what Joss Whedon has in store for us.
Hot Toys continues to crank out the exceptional figures for the Marvel films, and their latest release is Loki, brother of
Thor and antagonist of the Avengers. He might be a 'puny God' to the Hulk, but he's a damn cool villain for the rest of us.
This Hot Toys release is selling out at many retailers, which is a bit of a surprise considering the price point of around
$220. That's no small potatoes, but considering the popularity of the film and the lack of villains on the shelf, his
popularity is not all that surprising.
Click on the image below for a Life Size version
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Packaging - ***
While the score here is a little lower than usual, it's not because it's a poor quality package. It's just not particularly
exciting, and certainly not particularly complicated. There's an outer slip case with a basic design, and an interior window
box. Everything is packed safely, and it's all collector friendly too. But this is a $200+ figure, and the packaging really
doesn't seem to reflect that.
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Sculpting - ***1/2
We've grown accustomed to outstanding portraits from Hot Toys, and that means our expectations are always high.
The likeness is solid, but I think the rather blank expression hurts him just a tad. There's a slight curl to the lip, but
it doesn't go far enough to get the smart ass, over confident attitude of Loki across. It's clean and neat, but lacks a
little life.
I do love the work on the hair though, with the extremely detailed fine stranding and curled edges on the long locks. It's
a look that's designed to look best with the helmet in place of course, but even without it's a workable style.
The sculpt work on the hands is also solid, allowing him to do some very specific poses and work with the various
accessories.
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Paint - ***
While we usually assume that Hot Toys + Paint = ****, that's not the case this time, at least for me.
When I pulled him out of the box, I was struck by the less than lifelike appearance of the skin tone. It actually looks
better in photos than in person, where the slightly darker skin tone and heavy shading give it a more toy-ish look than
normal.
That's not to say it's bad, and the general quality is great. No slop here, and the bright blue eyes look fantastic.
But Hot Toys has to reach their own exceptional bar every time, and here it seems they missed by a smidge.
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Articulation - ***1/2
The underlying body has all the terrific articulation we've become accustomed to - if you'd like to see some of the new
bodies, check out this review.
I did have to dock it a bit though, largely because the tighter upper body outfit tends to restrict the shoulders, wrists
and elbows. This makes some of the upper body poses a bit tougher, but fortunately, the lower body, including the ankles, is
fairly unrestricted.
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Accessories - ***
There's not as much here as I'd hoped. In fact, I misspoke in a recent podcast, saying the Tesseract Container is included -
it's not. It is pictured in the instructions, which is what threw me, but that's only to tell you that the hands to hold it
are included, not the container itself.
Along with those gripping hands, there's the relaxed pair he comes wearing and 5 more. These allow for various specific
poses, as well as working with different accessories. They swap easily enough, although it can be a bit tricky with the
handcuffs.
These are the handcuffs used to hold Loki for a short period in the film, and they are nicely detailed, including a metal
chain between. They don't open - you have to remove the hands to put them in place, then pop the hands back on. I found it
easier if you removed the wrist peg with the hands.
There's also the 'muzzle' they put over his mouth, and this fits nicely in place and looks great. His captured look isn't
one I'll be using in the display, but it's a nice option to have.
He comes with four weapons - two of the very small daggers, as well as two versions of his scepter, one short and one long.
The scepters are particularly impressive, with the clear blue ball and a terrific paint job overall.
I'm counting the helmet and cape as part of the outfit, so more on that in the next category. That leaves just the standard
display base, which is a nice add but you probably won't need.
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Outfit - ****
My favorite aspect of this character is his detailed outfit, although I do have one nit to pick.
The underlying vest, pants and shirt look terrific with detailed patterns, and are tailored to fit properly all around. The
armor sculpt is terrific, and the scale is just right. Nothing looks too bulky or out of place, and the overall impression
is dignified and powerful.
The soft green cape attaches to the shoulder armor cleanly, much easier and more tightly than what we saw with the original
Thor, which is a welcome change. However, be careful - the cape is only held in place on the plastic tabs with some very
thin thread, and I could see it breaking free with rough handling.
The two best features are the helmet and the boots, both sporting excellent sculpts. the boots are two piece, allowing the
ankles to have their complete range of movement, and the sculpt is detailed and fairly accurate.
The helmet looks great, but is another of those difficult pieces to get in place. It's actually a two piece assembly, and
the bottom must be removed from the top for you to put it on his head. Once the lower jaw section is on, you can pop the top
horned piece in place. It's a delicate operation though, and I suggest you don't do it too many times. I assume most people
will prefer the helmeted look, so once it's in place I'd suggest leaving it that way.
So what's that aforementioned nit to pick? It's the green color - in the photos, it looks nice and dark, but in person
that's not the case. For me, it's much more leprechaun than I remember it, almost enough that Loki could stand in for the
Lucky Charms dude. It's not a huge issue, which is why he's still getting a full score here, but it's worth noting.
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Fun Factor - ***
As always with a Hot Toys figure, this isn't a toy by any stretch of the imagination. Still, the adult collector can have a
lot of fun posing and displaying this character, especially with other Hot Toys Avengers.
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Value - **
This figure is going to run you around $220. That's an awful lot, and appears to be a further extension of the rising costs.
There's no extra head sculpt here, no extra costume, and only a handful of extras. Just a few months ago this figure would
have been $180 - a year ago it would have been closer to $160. As much as I love Hot Toys figures, prices are getting out of
hand.
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Things to Watch Out For -
Obviously, you need to pay attention to the instructions with the helmet, and take care putting it on and removing it. I'd
also take a lot of care with the cape attachment, and try to get the ends of the cloth hidden within the armor.
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Overall - ***1/2
Most of the aspects of this figure thrill me, especially the costume. He's going to look truly amazing standing next to the
other Avengers, including Thor, Black Widow and Captain America. He also has me pacing the floor in anticipation of the
Hulk, who could very well be the figure of the year.
But I still have to point out that the price on these figures is getting out of hand - at $220, this guy has reached the
level that was previously held for their deluxe figures that include PERS, as well as extra head sculpts, extra costumes,
and occasionally diorama pieces. This guy, while cool, has none of those. At some point, collectors are no longer going to
be able to buy the key figures they want, and sales may begin to slip. That time doesn't appear to be here yet - Loki is
selling out at many retailers - but I can't imagine that the trend can continue unabated.
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***
Outfit - ****
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2
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Where to Buy
Online options include these site sponsors:
- Sideshow is sold out, but you can get on th wait
list. He's $220.
-
has him at $230.
- or you can search
ebay for a deal.
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Related Links -
Hot Toys has done a number of Avengers figures so far, including Black
Widow. Other key Hot Toys Marvel figures include the recent Iron
Monger, Hawkeye, Nick
Fury, the Mark V, the Secret
Project version, the MKVI, the very cool War
Machine, the hot chick Black Widow, Whiplash,
the Mark III figure, Mark
II figure, Mark I figure, and additional Tony
Stark men's suit. There are also guest reviews of the Battle
Damaged Iron Man and Mech Suit Tony Stark.
You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case
any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.
Discussion:
Want to chat about this review? Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be
discussing it!
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This product was provided for the review by the manufacturer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.
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