2011
16.07

 

They’re here! After years of fan clamour DST finally produce some of the most requested Marvel Minimates ever… The Avengers! The first pack up for review are gods of Asgard, half brothers, and sworn enemies; Loki & Thor. Oh and if you were wondering why this wave follows wave 14 (X3) and where are the wave 15 reviews? Wave 15 was the Ghost Rider Movies wave which due to poor preorders got cancelled (or rather is “on hold indefinitely” to use marketing speak) and is very unlikely to see the light of day. However waves get solicited months in advance so they can’t change the numbering, so we got wave 14 and now wave 16.

Packaging

The packaging is the same shape as wave 14 and this appears to be standard Marvel Minimate packaging now. As previously noted the box is much larger than before, and has a backer card that finishes in a ‘J’ hook meaning it can be hung on pegs in toy stores. The box has the Art Asylum and Avengers logos on the hooked section of the card, and the Marvel and Minimates logo on the top section of the box.

Box art consists of photographs of the toys from the waist up. The toys aren’t posed as dynamically as on previous waves of Minimates. The background could be described as eye-catching. It could also be described as headache inducing. I think the packaging designers are trying to go for colours that stand out from the crowd. They succeed.

As with wave 14 the back of the packaging is new and shows a large picture of all the figures in the wave including the variant.


 

The Figures

Loki

Loki1 

The first Minimate in this set is Loki, Asgardian trickster god and Thor’s arch-enemy.

Facially it could be anyone. Loki’s a trickster god and would have been better having a knowing grin on his face. Think the C3 Mini-Flyer Flash. That’s the sort of expression Loki needs. Either that, or a big insane grin a’la the Joker. As it is Loki looks haughty and imperious. A good look for an Asgardian god, but come on, this is Loki! The helmet is well realized and goes a long way toward catching Loki’s signature look. A nice touch is the ponytail out of the back of the helm.

Loki5 Loki4

Loki’s cape is a re-use of the White Queen cape from wave 9. It looks fine if not a little bland in comparison to the characters usual mix of gold and green on his cape. The body itself is quite simple.

Loki2

Loki’s appearance hasn’t really changed that much over the years and DST have gone for a classic look here. The only detailing is the chain-mail on the chest. Other than that this is a stock Minimate with yellow decoration on arms and feet.

Loki’s only accessory is a goblet. But hey, the guy knocks back a helluva lot of mead. A goblet makes perfect sense. As is standard on all Minimates he also has C3 feet and a peg hole in his head.

Loki3

Overall, a shame about the face detailing, but it’s still a nice Minimate, and it’s always good to have a new villain.

MMC Score – 6 out of 10

 


 

Thor

Thor1 

It’s THOR! At last one of the most requested Minimates ever makes his debut. People have been clamouring for Thor for years, since the Marvel Minimates line began, and now, 16 waves later, he is here, and it’s clear a lot of thought has gone into creating this figure.

Thor5 Thor4

First lets look at the face detailing. The helmet is well crafted but I’m fairly sure it should have white detailing on the ‘wing’ sections. Thor’s hair is part of the helmet and the whole thing works quite well. The face is a bit… small. The features look tiny, his eyes are too close together and the mouth is too small as well. Thor looks like more like he’s about to pout and flounce off in a big huff rather than laying down some righteous thunder and lightning on your puny butt. I experimented with swapping out heads from other blonde haired Minimates and have to say that Aquaman from the DC line has just the right size features and expression to suit Thor. That’s always been one of the strengths of the Minimates – don’t like the head? Replace it with a different one!

Thor2

The body detailing is excellent. Thor’s armoured chest plate is well detailed and the cape is an integral piece with the chest block. Something I hadn’t noticed until writing the review is the paint spatter on the back of the cape, very disappointing. I believe the belt is new as it appears to have Thor’s wing motif. It’s clear this figure is where the money’s gone in the wave. The boots are also new and well detailed.

A point to make, and it’s the same with all of the Avengers wave figures, is that there are no problems with any of the limbs. Recent waves of other lines particularly DC but also Battlestar Galactica have had incidents of knees snapping at the joints. Thankfully this wave of Marvel figures appear not to have such problems.

Thor3

Thor comes with his signature accessory. Mjolnir, the enchanted hammer. I was disappointed that the hammer didn’t at least have the impression of writing on the head, but that’s an extremely minor grumble. Thor’s boots have the C3 foot holes, and there’s the usual peg hole in his head.

In conclusion, almost a perfect Minimate. Almost. The weird expression and sunken nature of the features detract from an otherwise excellently realized Minimate. 

MMC Score – 7 out of 10

 

Review and pictures by Stewart Kay

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