by Loran
Larger 3.75” figures tend to be pretty hit or miss. Once in awhile, you can get something great like the Resolute/Rise of Cobra sculpt for Roadblock from G.I. Joe; a great interpretation of the character that gives him the proper height amongst his teammates. Other times you end up with the drones from Iron Man 2, which, as much as they may try, just don’t work. Sometimes too much of the budget goes into making them big and not necessarily good. As the old saying goes, bigger isn’t always better. Thanos here seems to fall somewhere in the middle.
I’m not 100% sure as I’m not as well-versed in Marvel figures as I am G.I. Joe or Transformers, but I believe Thanos uses the mold made for Juggernaut. I initially thought he used the mold for Hulk (yes, I still don’t own a decent Hulk yet), but I was wrong. Juggernaut was a better mold choice regardless, as the Hulk body would have been a bit TOO big. Only a handful of parts seem to be shared between the two; just the torso and the upper legs. I’m sure the amount of reused parts between the big guys is what allows Hasbro to keep making them and keep them at the same price point as the regular figures.
The sculpting on the figure impresses me with some of its subtle nuances. I like the printing on the boots, like actual shoes. I actually never realized how common this was on modern figures of this scale because mine usually get thrown right on their stands for display. The big guy made it nice and noticeable.
The headsculpt is great, and I love the black eyes. However, at a distance, it can look like his eyes are normal eyes… and it looks kinda weird.
All of the muscles are highlighted with a black wash that doesn’t painfully stand out. Typically I hate seeing this done on figures this scale but it actually works here, so props for that.
While I know they’ve become standard practice on these figures (a little too late, I think), I find the inclusion of a stand for Thanos to be a bit… pointless. His bulk gives him a low center of gravity and he stands pretty well on his own. When he’s on it, he’s either covering half of his name or his figure number! Heck, he can’t even stand on it with both feet without looking ridiculous! It actually makes him LESS balanced!
As for a much more useful accessory, the Infinity Gauntlet is quite awesome. It swaps out of the left hand without much force needed and breaks up the typical “angry fists” look Thanos and most other large MUs have.
Articulation is a mixed bag here. I’m amazed he has all the standard Marvel Universe joints, but the actual articulation gets lost in the bulk. This is really noticeable in the arms. Including a bicep swivel that high up on such a large figure simply doesn’t work.
Despite some flaws I do recommend Thanos. Like most large MU figures you really get the bang for your buck, and I think the Infinity Gauntlet alone makes him worth purchasing. Come by FPNYC and grab yours today… he might just spare you if you do!
