By Hunter Camp
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Thursday, May 5th, 2011 at 11:45 pm
Every year that a Marvel blockbuster makes its way to theaters, it’s a big hit. But the box office isn’t the only place where Marvel makes a smash — toy stores are also hit by the mighty power of Marvel, and this year is no exception.
I love action figures, but my favorite toys of the Marvel line have always been the sound effect toys. The toys that take an iconic piece of the movie of the year, add foam, and add sound effects. My personal favorites being the Thing and Hulk hands that were released a few years ago. And this year’s awesome toy is Thor Lightning Hammer, Thor’s mighty hammer Mjolnir, brought to us by Hasbro! And I gotta tell you, it keeps my love for these toys alive.
Let’s get some of the basics out of the way. Mjolnir is two shades of gray with a light, thin, rubber head with a hard plastic handle. A speaker is located in the handle that plays “thunder” sound effects that sound a bit more like thunder mixed with lightning at the same time. Although Mjolnir doesn’t play the “KRAKOOM” sound effect that Thor fans have come to know and love that I hear in my head when I read the comics, the sound effect is still pretty cool. The toy also comes with a plastic dart with a rubber tip that I assume is supposed to resemble the lightning that Mjolnir shoots forth by pulling a bizarre little trigger on the handle, while the ring around the dart lights up in a stunning blue. So, it’s fun and pretty safe.
Now that the technicalities are out of the way, let’s move on to the fun stuff. I did a decent amount of testing with Thor’s hammer, and BY ODIN, it’s fun! One of the tests that I ran was “How scared will my pug get?” I began to chase my dog around my living room while playing the “KRAKOOM” sound effect, and while he ran at first, he ultimately turned and attacked Mjolnir by scratching and biting, but the toy held up! There were no tears or scratches on the rubber head, so it’s pretty durable. I also played around with shooting out the lightning dart at various items in my house, and while I was hesitant about breaking my TV and windows, I did shoot it at my glass door and walls. Nothing bad happened! It shot pretty far at about 10 feet, which honestly surprised me, and it appears the foam rubber on the tip of the lightning dart does a lot to protect your house from the mighty power of Mjolnir.
Another test that I ran was “how much does it hurt when hit with Mjolnir?” The reason I performed this test was because kids are definitely going to hit each other with this, and I wanted to make sure it was safe. And it is. Sort of. The hammer head is extremely soft on the front and back of the hammer, but on the sides, you can feel the plastic handle all the way to the top, so some foam would have been ideal on the sides, but it still doesn’t hurt too badly, so if you see your kids hitting each other with this, make sure they’re not hitting each other with the sides of the hammer.
It does have some downsides, however. When I did my “how much is the replica like the movie?” test, it failed miserable. I slammed the hammer on my car, and it unfortunately didn’t explode, and I could really have used the insurance on that one. Also, if you throw it, it doesn’t come back to you like movie Mjolnir. I know this because I stood on my porch and threw it towards my yard and it hit the ground. Lamesauce.
Overall though, the toy is really cool, and a lot of fun, and while retailing at $19.99 seems a tad high, it’s worth every penny. I’m honestly surprised that it took the beating I gave it, but didn’t get damaged at all. I know with the Hulk hands, the foam would tear easily, and while they were fun, they weren’t very durable. So, pick these up if you like this kind of a toy. I’m glad I bought it, it’s fun to play with, and ultimately you get a cool piece of Thor memorabilia.
If you want to check out some pictures showcasing the packaging, look, and pug-to-Mjolnir ratio, they can be found here below.
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Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press
I want one!
Comment by Dave3 — May 6, 2011 @ 12:28 pm
Cool review! If you want to see the hammer in action, we’ve got some video here: http://www.timetoplaymag.com/toys/2467/hasbro/thor-lightning-hammer/
Comment by TJ Dietderich — May 6, 2011 @ 10:13 am