Superhero Times: a service of Action Online
San Diego Comic Con 2009 coverage brought to you by BigBadToyStore.com, MonkeyDepot.com, and YesAnimation.com.
HeroClix, for those of you unfamiliar with it, was a collectible miniature game from Wizkids utilizing characters from both Marvel and DC Comics universes. It’s a fun and dynamic game with hundreds of cool miniatures. If you listed your ten favorite comic book characters, at least nine of them are already in the game. Fan support for HeroClix was huge and sets were being released on schedule until Topps suddenly killed off the entire Wizkids brand in November of last year. This surprise announcement left fans in the lurch, especially considering the fact that the next Marvel set, Hammer of Thor, had been scheduled for release just months later. In the time since, various companies have attempted to take over the HeroClix brand, with no success. That was the state of HeroClix until I happened to check the exclusives banner at NECA’s Comic-Con booth.
Imagine my surprise when in the list of exclusives NECA had for sale I saw the Marvel HeroClix Hammer of Thor set special figure, Thor’s Mighty Chariot! This item was originally set to be the “Buy It By The Brick” figure; with the purchase of an entire box of boosters you can send away for it. Instead, Thor’s Chariot was an early sale at Comic-Con announcing the return of HeroClix. According to a NECA representative, the deal was inked so recently that there wasn’t even time to do anything with the packaging; that’s why it still has the Wizkids brand.
Thor is a very well-known character thanks to Marvel comics, and there’s even a big feature film in the works. Of course, originally he was the Norse God of Thunder, son of Odin. In addition to all of his incredible powers and weapons, Mjollnir being just one of them, Thor was known for his magical chariot – so much so that one of his epithets was "Thor-the-charioteer." Able to fly and transport the god nearly anywhere, the chariot was pulled by the twin goats Tooth-gnasher and Gap-tooth (called Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder on the card). One of the more interesting aspects of this arrangement was the divinity of the goats. On long journeys, the hungry god would tear a leg off of the goats for a meal, knowing full well that it would grow back as good as new. This brings a somewhat funny twist to one of the Mighty Chariot’s powers, "Caprine Appetite."
Thor’s Mighty Chariot comes packaged in a very nice box. 7 inches wide, 5 ½ inches tall, and 5 inches deep, the box features lots of logos and a photo and comic book drawing of the chariot. Since the Hammer of Thor set was produced before Topps ended the line, this book is still branded as Marvel HeroClix by Wizkids. On the front of the box is the photograph of the unit and its name, while the back side has an awesomely detailed image and a brief announcement of Thor, the god of thunder. It’s a simple, sophisticated package that looks great. Hopefully we’ll be seeing a lot more of these with NECA instead of Wizkids soon.
Thor’s Mighty Chariot sits upon a 4-square base, but has a huge presence. The goat-pulled vehicle flies into the air atop a massive cloud formation, streaming out behind the caprine hooves. The chariot itself consists of a bucket-like platform, two wheels, and long post leading to the animals. Thor stands triumphant in the chariot, cape billowing behind him and Mjollnir throwing off bolts of lightning. At the fore, Toothgnasher and Toothgrinder gallop into the sky, a heavy yoke around their necks providing the locomotion.
The sculpt on this “game piece” rivals what you’d find on many high end collectibles. The cloud is at the same time puffy and solid, with a bulbous mass giving way to trailing streams. The chariot is amazing, with fine sculpted wooden details, and dinged and dented metal framing. The goats look great with impressive musculature, deeply sculpted fur, and impressive horns. Topping off all of that is the awesome Thor, resplendent in his armored shirt, heavy belt with “T” logo, winged helmet, greaves, and more. Even the god’s cloak is neatly creased and notched along the outer edges.
The paint application on Thor’s Mighty Chariot is befitting the god. The cloud burst is, of course, white as driven snow. The goats are white as well, with fur that tends toward gray as it gets closer to their heads. Black horns and hooves offset the light colors, and their blue eyes and gold bits and harnesses look great.
The chariot itself has appropriately brown “wood” with metal fittings in silver and gold rivets. The thunder god is dressed in a mostly blue suit, with accoutrements in gold and silver. The cape is solid red, which shows up again with black on his wristbands. Thor’s blonde beard is a different shade of yellow than the gold parts, and the mighty Mjollnir in silver and brown shoots lightning bolts of metallic blue. All in all, Thor looks great.
In game terms, Thor is an absolute powerhouse. There have been several incarnations of the Norse god in the past, including the ultra-powered The Mighty Thor, but this one blows them all away. Clocking in at a massive 500 points, Thor’s Mighty Chariot has a killer dial. Fully 17 clicks deep, Thor has flight, duo attack, and indomitable right off the bat. Two attributes give the Chariot dual carrying ability and huge range, as well as free actions that can destroy walls or blocking terrain. Down the dial are massive powers including Charge, Running Shot, Super Strength, Quake, Poison, Invulnerability, Regeneration, Toughness, Super Senses, Enhancement, and Exploit Weakness, along with crazy cool Special Powers. All of this is spelled out in detail (and some really interesting descriptions and titles) on Thor’s included card. Finally, the chariot has the brand new keyword “Vehicle,” something sure to be interesting as new units are released!
Thor’s Mighty Chariot is all kinds of awesome, both as a miniature and a game piece. The sculpt is fantastic and it looks great. But best of all, it’s new HeroClix! If you’re a fan but didn’t make it to Comic-Con, don’t fret. Amazon will be selling this exclusive figure starting on August 15th (you can preorder now HERE). While no official announcement has yet been made at the time of this writing, NECA should be taking over the line and releasing the Hammer of Thor set before the end of this year. Check Figures.com for all your toy and collectible news, including updates on HeroClix!
CLICK HERE for more images of Thor's Mighty Chariot!
Review and Photos by Scott Rubin
Review Sample Courtesy fo NECA