Toy Review: Marvel Legends Maximum Thor Blows Us Away
by Tony Thornley
Hasbro’s Maximum Marvel Legends sub-line launched last year with the promise of a definitive premium figure with better sculpt, posing and accessories for a premium price. With the fourth release in the sub-line, Hasbro has finally, and firmly, delivered on all of those promises.
Initially, I found the Maximum line to be better than average takes on the featured characters. They were good, and in some ways even great, but I don’t know that I’d totally say they were the definitive take on the characters. Beyond that though, it was also the most that Hasbro had focused on capturing the style of specific artists — Todd McFarlane in the case of Spider-Man, and Ed McGuinness, Dale Keown, and Michael Deodato in the case of Hulk. (I haven’t purchased Maximum Deadpool and am unlikely to. I don’t need a Deadpool in my collection.)
In the case of Thor though, they nailed it.
This Thor design is specifically based on Olivier Coipel’s redesign of the God of Thunder that debuted in the 2007 relaunch of Thor. That volume — written by J. Michael Straczynski — found Thor rebuilding Asgard and the Asgardian pantheon following Ragnarok. While returning as a hero for Earth, he rebuilt Asgard in the most unexpected of places: Oklahoma.
It was an especially epic volume of Thor’s adventures (which is saying something for one of Marvel’s greats). One of the standout elements was Coipel’s redesign of Thor, into a look that combined a superhero costume with a more armored, warrior’s look.
Right away, in hand, this figure captures that look wonderfully. This is one of the best looking action figures I’ve ever purchased. This Thor is incredibly large on every level. He’s tall, he’s broad shouldered, and he is muscular. But he also is the embodiment of Coipel’s art. The figure is full of detail, bringing to life the Norse warrior-god looking like the regal hero he is.
I also love the accessories this figure included. Naturally, he came with Mjolnir, but in actuality, there’s two versions of the powerful weapon — one for the character to hold and one with a hand sculpted to it for Thor fly — and one additional handle. That means that Mjolnir itself has as much personality as the hero that wields it (though the hammer doesn’t include the infamous inscription). He also comes with three total heads, two additional pairs of hands, lightning effects, and best of all, Frog Thor. The last one is a mini-statuette but it’s incredible, and it’s so fantastic to see Throg cast in plastic.
The figure’s posing is really the only place I found any fault. Simply, the figure is very large. That means he’s somewhat big and hard to balance, whether flat or using a flight stand (which was sorely missed). Beyond that, this Thor looks great. He can pose in neutral museum poses great, but also action poses that look like the lightning is truly going to strike.
This is a stunning take on the God of Thunder, and an absolutely fantastic figure. It’s darn near perfect, and it actually makes me excited to see what could be next.
