We left Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie as the ruler of New Asgard at the end of Avengers: Endgame and she will return in Thor: Love & Thunder with the title of King Valkyrie, sporting a new look armour and cape - a combination of the black and white armours she sports in Thor: Ragnarok. How King Valkyrie fits into the overall narrative is as yet unclear.
This review is written ahead of the movie release and is done so only with the information to hand via the packaging of each figure and the teaser trailer from late April 2022. I will update these reviews once the film has been released. This review may contain minor spoilers but only in the context of any information provided on the package or visually on the figure.
The Love & Thunder King Valkyrie uses the standard Legends box with no specific accent colour and rather a strong use of the blue through red scheme we see in the movie logo from the box front. The name King Valkyrie is significant to the conversation between Thor and Valkyrie at the end of Endgame. The two side panels carry a mirror image of an armoured Valkyrie and this is repeated again on the reverse. Beneath this is the checklist for the Korg BAF and to the side of the image is the background text which does give us a little bit more info as to the context of her role in Love & Thunder.
"When a dangerous new visitor threatens the livelihood of New Asgard, King Valkyrie is forced to take up her sword once more to defend her people."
Valkyrie is an entirely new sculpt for her updated Love & Thunder look. This new armour retains aspects of the two different armours she wore in Ragnarok with a jet black base and contrasting crisp gloss white panels across the chest area and into the smaller skirt. Like Thor, she sports circular silver panels down the chest panels and at the fastening section of her cape. Further detailing on the sculpt includes straps and ringlets on the legs - although these are sadly unpainted. The dagger you can see in her right boot is a sculpted piece only and cannot be removed.
All of the paint is neat and well applied. There is also a good level of coverage from the white considering it is over a black base. The only issue is on the two white panels on the shirt piece which do go a bit murky at the end.
Valkyrie is wearing a bright azure blue cape, cast in plastic and fixed on Valkyrie's shoulders. It features a more dynamic shape as though blowing slightly in the wind which adds character vs the static capes we sometimes see.
The head is a new sculpt of Tessa Thompson and the overall likeness is good, but like Star-Lord from the same wave it looks better from certain angles - particularly the side rather than from face on. The photo-real face print is applied to the eyes and lips to enhance the realism.
The hairpiece features a lengthy braised section that runs the full length of Valkyrie's back. Within this are sections of blue braid, while the overall finish is simply left as the base colour for the hair and with no added paint decor.
Valkyrie comes with her Dragonfang sword, and this is a new version of the sword and is a big improvement on the very soft versions released previously with Valkyrie figures. It features a pearlescent green-hued blade inlaid with some sculpted patterns just ahead of the guard. The guard itself is painted silver, as is the pommel and between them sits a bright white grip.
The Dragonfang fits only into the right hand of Valkyrie, with her left hand having been sculpted in an open gesture - no spare hand options are included which is a shame. When not in use there is no scabbard as such but the blade will slot into one of the straps at Valkyrie's hit and sit in place. This is not overly secure so be mindful if you use this for display purposes.
There are 18 points of articulation across the figure in total and the entire body is pinless as is now standard for Legends releases and this enhances the look overall, particularly on the uncovered arms. The arms head and torso have a wide range of movement and options but without alternative hands, the weapon posings do tend to be via the right-handed single grip only unless you can prop the left hand in position. As seen on other 2022 releases, the shoulder articulation is very tight and with a heavy ratchet that does make movement a bit harder and you do have to watch for putting too much stress on the bicep joint.
The legs too are fully mobile, just difficult to execute in most poses due to the plastic cape. Valkyrie stands well enough on her wedged heeled boots but you may need to turn the thigh swivel out slightly which does cut across the line of sculpted thigh detail.
Like others in the wave, it is not immediately clear if Valkyrie is a good likeness to her onscreen Love & Thunder appearance as we have only seen Tessa Thompson in a single teaser scene so far where she is wearing a business suit of sorts. It does look pretty accurate against a solitary set photo and an image shared by Thompson herself during the production of her costume - so we do look to be on safe ground.
Like many of the other Love & Thunder figures, Valkyrie's design is bold and bright with that blue cape standing out against the usual red colouring we see associated with Thor and the golden armour of Asgard itself. The likeness is good, without being spectacular, and the paint execution is crisp across most of the armoured detail. Articulation is also good, and the Dragonfang has had a very impressive upgrade from the very soft version seen previously. My only ask would have been a second pair of hands to allow for some display options.
All in all, it is good to see another Valkyrie figure so soon and within a wave that appears to have brought together most of the Love & Thunder protagonists in short order ahead of the movie release.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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