REVIEW: Sideshow Collectibles/Hot Toys: Thor - Asgardian Light Armor

Figure collectors everywhere: make room on your shelves for the new Sideshow Collectibles/Hot Toys: Thor - Asgardian Light Armor figure. The exceptional quality and detailed design set this figure apart, and will make it a focal point of any collection, especially fans of Marvel's Thor: The Dark World. Sideshow was kind enough to send us one to take a look at and tell you all about it!

Packaging: The exterior box packaging makes a strong first impression. The thick cardboard is textured and heavy, designed to look like Mjolnir with beveled edges and Asgardian-style filigree in the border. Tucked inside the package, before you unveil your figure, is a list of the creative team responsible for this scale-model work of art, and with a figure this impressive it's great to see a team get credit for their hard work and talent where it's due.

Aesthetic: This is where the Sideshow Collectibles Hot Toys New Thor Model sets itself apart. The likeness to Hemsworth is remarkable, and they managed to capture his facial features without any of that slightly-off, hollow stare that some life-model toys unintentionally achieve.

The Asgardian light armor is something else entirely; it's beautifully depicted. The care and attention to detail is apparent and incredible. The depth on the chest armor was carefully engineered with several layers of material, with the gold-bronze bolts painted into place. The shin and forearm pieces are attached separately, giving the figure's look even more depth and weight. Even the cape and the boots were designed with a gradient (the cape is darker at the bottom), making them look wet and worn, like they've seen days of action in battle.

Mjolnir is another feat with this figure. The piece has gravitas and heft to it. The metallic finish, bevelled filigree edges and intricately painted handle are all beautiful. Even the base for the figure to stand on-- a pile of crushed, disheveled stones-- is crafted to complement the overall look of the figure, with highlights, shadows and texture all worthy of being paired with such an exceptional model.

Posability: The figure can be flexed and posed in myriad stances, including all the iconic, god-like stances from the film. The movement is very human, without excessive flexibility in joints that aren't typically flexible. The figure comes with four complete sets of hands, and he can be posed reaching, clenching his fist (or throwing a punch), holding Mjolnir or with his hands open and relaxed. The figure is also balanced, and can stand on his own without the assistance of his support bar in select poses.

Overall Value: This figure is stunning. The likeness to Chris Hemsworth is uncanny, and the overall presence of the model is impactful. For $229, it would be a great addition to any figure collector's shelf.

To see more photos of this figure, and order it from Sideshow Collectibles, click here!