[Jmacq1]

Got my set of series 2/3 from BBTS yesterday, and I have to say, Hasbro really seems committed to putting the bare minimum of effort into this line. The later series figures do have strong paint apps, but the overall feel is "cheaper" than series one. The only figure I'm now missing is Fandral (who for some bizarre reason didn't come with this set).

But anyway, while the figures do get some stuff right/cool, there are some really boneheaded design moves involved here that honestly just baffle me:

"Ice Axe" King Laufey: Surprisingly, Laufey is an almost all-new mold, not just a reuse of the Frost Giant. However, what would otherwise be an excellent figure is damaged by two things: One...he doesn't come with an axe! He comes with the same mace/club and helmet that the other Frost Giants do, and that's it. Seriously, Hasbro? You named the figure "Ice Axe" Laufey and couldn't be bothered to give him an Ice Axe even though you actually have one already molded (see the deluxe Frost Giant)? Secondly, the joints where the hip-balls plug into the torso are so loose that it's VERY hard to get him to stand up (though this may be unique to my figure, it struck me as a mold flaw and not an isolated thing because it was SO loose).

Hogun the Grim: His "non action feature" weapon is made of the softest plastic I've yet seen used by Hasbro, and the way his feet are sculpted makes it darn near impossible to get him to stand without using a figure stand of some sort.

"Asgardian Glow" Odin: The plus side to this figure is that this repaint looks vastly superior to the two other variants of Odin that are out there. Seriously, it's a nice looking figure and probably the best "default" Odin yet. The bad news? Still no helmet, still no spear (or any non-action-feature accessories), and he doesn't "glow" in any way, shape, or form. Between this and Laufey there seems to have been a serious disconnect somewhere, especially since this was originally listed as "All-King Odin" which would have been fine.

King Loki: It's the helmeted Loki we all wanted, and not a bad figure...except that Hasbro once again couldn't be bothered to sculpt Odin's spear. Seriously Hasbro...you could even have just sculpted the projectile that Loki's "launcher" fires to look like the spear and you would've pretty much been set.

The Destroyer: Probably the best fig of the lot. Loses a touch due to a lack of ball-jointed shoulders and no Torso articulation, but with an unobtrusive action feature, a nice sculpt, and being decently "beefy" in terms of size, you probably won't mind.

Volstagg: About the only figure in these two waves they managed to get right. No odd articulation choices, and comes with a decent non-action feature/movie accurate weapon. Rivals Destroyer for "least disappointing of the bunch."

Helmeted Thor: It's Thor, with a helmet. There are two versions. No overly significant flaws on either, though most will probably prefer the more movie-accurate paintscheme version, and the helmet-sculpted head just doesn't look that great.

Something all the figures seem to suffer from is a degree of blandness. On the movie screen these characters were colorful and really "popped" in terms of costuming, but somehow in being translated to 3 3/4" form a lot of that vibrancy is muted (except on the Frost Giant characters, and possibly the "Asgardian Glow" Odin). But between poorly-labeled figures, ultra soft plastic, and the lack of some key accessories it really seems like Hasbro only wants to put minimal effort into this line.