REVIEW: Thor Invasion Frost Giant [REDUX]

Invasion Frost Giant | Produced by Hasbro | Released March 2011

Since the beginning of time, the Frost Giants have struggled to break through the walls of Asgard. Although they have always been defeated by its king, Odin, they have never been destroyed. They now wait and plot their return when they will be strong enough to rise up again and finally destroy the golden realm and its king.

Hot off the shelves comes our Invasion Frost Giant Review. You lucky people!

Invasion Frost Giant Review - REDUX

This Review was originally posted shortly after I'd purchased the Invasion Frost Giant and re-reading it the following day, I believe I may have let my disappointment overshadow the Review. That's not to say the toy deserves a better score - far from it - but you, as readers, do deserve a better Review. To that end, I've revisited this Review to add some extra information to help you make a more informed decision. Think of it as a Director's Commentary or a re-cut of the original with some additional scenes.

R: All such comments will appear in this form.

Packaging

The Thor line use a variation on the Marvel Universe/standard Hasbro single-carded figure packaging, with an airbrushed photo of Thor (from the movie) at the top left, cut-out to appear more dramatic and godly. The blister-pack features the figure's name written in what appears to be the Star Trek: The Next Generation font but the front print - like the Iron Man 2 toys - is not unique to each figure. That means if you find a bunch of these figures on the pegs - which is very likely - and you're looking for a specific figure - which is very unlikely - then you'll have to resort to checking each name/figure, rather than being able to simply look for specific artwork.

R: The packaging uses a standard glued-on blister-pack, which must be torn off or cut away should you wish to access the toy. There's also a brief bio of the character and a ''Collect Them All'' ad for the other toys in the range. Its functional and does its job, but I don't like Hasbro's re-use of standard packaging image ala the Iron Man 2 line.

Invasion Frost Giant

My comment above has probably given you a clue about the quality of this toy. It's really not very good at all. I don't want this to turn into me picking faults but I do need to explain why I find this toy so disappointing, so please indulge me.

The core figure itself isn't bad, on paper. The execution however, leaves a lot to be desired. For starters, his joints are horrible. They're incredibly stiff, yet the actual plastic used is very bendy, which makes for a horrible combination. His left elbow has virtually no articulation, thanks to the torc/bracer he's wearing (the two pieces prohibit one another's movement) and his ball hip joints - which should be good - just feel cheap.

R: Without a stand (see below) it's also very difficult to pose this figure, as he's very top-heavy, especially when he's dressed with his equipment. The joints also feel to be ratcheted rather than simply free-moving. Whether that's a design decision or a production issue I don't know, but either way, it makes posing him a nerve-shredding activity, due to the way the joints feel as if they're going to snap the moment any pressure is applied.

There's some nice detail on the sculpt - even if the paintwork stops when it becomes obscured on the card (in other words, only the facing-side of the figure has these painted details) -  and the face is quite lifelike (as in the movie counterpart, if you follow my meaning) but the rest of the toy is...  I'm sorry, but I really can't keep this up. It's just an abomination of a toy. Don't waste your money.

R: The figure's body is covered in raised tattoo/tribal markings, which add some depth to the sculpt and he has an asymmetrical design, thanks to the various torcs, bangles and armour pieces he wears. The face is sculpted with a fierce, angry look and is probably the best part of the model.


Things really fall apart with the paintwork, though. Not only is it very poorly applied, with numerous spots and sloppy edges, there are places where the painter has simply stopped halfway through, with the raised tattoos/markings only having been painted on the facing-side when he's boxed - i.e. the front. Take the figure out of the packaging and you'll see the paint simply stops. So in other words, the paint is applied just enough to make the figure look detailed when it's in the packaging. That's cheap and completely unforgivable.

Extras

A helmet that doesn't fit properly, an ice club that looks more like frosted cotton candy and a shield that doesn't stay in-place. And NO STAND.

Seriously, there's NO STAND with this toy. Words fail me on this. I know, the GI Joe vehicle-bundled figures are stand-less, but that's because 99% of the time they'll be seated in their vehicle. And I know the first Marvel Universe figures had no stands, but to release a toy these days with no stand is beyond cheap.

R: The Ice Club's handle is too narrow, making it slide through his gripped fist. As a result, the weapon doesn't look like a weapon at all, but more like - as stated - either cotton candy or some kind of ceremonial sceptre. 


The helmet on the other hand is too large and sits in a very precarious manner upon the Frost Giant's head. There's no kind of crown-shaped hollow or ''port'' within the helm to keep it in-place and so it tilts forward and back very easily.


As for the shield, this is the most mystifying part of all. Perhaps it's modeled on the ''shields'' used by the Frost Giants in the movie, but when somebody talks to me of a shield, I expect something that sits on the arm and is used to defend attacks. This shield is more like a spike or claw that fits over the figure's arm (very badly I might add) and, unless you elevate his arm, drops off. Given that the figure is a completely new sculpt, it wouldn't have been impossible to add some kind of torc/strap with a peg onto which a shield could be attached, rather than this oddity.


Whilst the clear plastic looks nice, the design and execution of the accessories is lacking.

Final Thoughts
My Invasion Frost Giant is currently lying on the floor. I'm hoping the dog will chew it.

R: I've since changed my mind about that. I'd hate for the dog to get ill or make a mess on our newly-cleaned carpets.

Scores

Sculpt	C
Paint	C
Articulation	D
Production Quality	D
Final Score	D

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