At the time of writing, we have only seen a short teaser trailer for Thor: Love & Thunder and in this, we see Korg in an updated costume from the one he was wearing in Thor: Ragnarok and then in Avengers: Endgame.
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.
Korg is the build-a-figure from the April 2022 Thor: Love & Thunder wave with Korg split across 6 of the 7 releases (Armoured Thor does not include a BAF part). Once all the parts are collected, Korg is easy to assemble with each part snapping into place without much effort - even the thighs which are often more difficult due to the thickness of the joint you are trying to close.
Korg, from Love & Thunder, is now wearing a more Norse inspired outfit compared to his previous gladiatorial costume. Comparing the Teaser to the figure, and the recreation in the 6-inch scale is relatively accurate. Korg is bare-chested but has a fur wrapped around his shoulders and straps across his torso and arms, with leather studded bracers on his wrists. He is then wearing a thick brown leather studded belt with armoured side panels and a gold rams head buckle. The trousers are blue with a random triple diamond design with selected patches painted either full red, or red outline with a pink interior. The figure is finished with more fur around the feet.
The upper body is cast in the grey of Korg's rock-like sin with no other paint applied, not even a slightly darker wash which would have brought out the depth of the granite sculpt. The other parts are added as softer plastic accessories and these two are cast in the base colour with silver studs added to the leather armour and a wash to the fur to darken it, but only at the front oddly.
The legs are cast in glue with painted blue, red and pink panels all applied neatly, The knee pads are also painted with gold applied here, and on the armoured panels and belt buckle. Like the shoulders, the fur lining Korg's lower legs is cast in the base colour and has the darker brown wash at the front - but not the sides - the straps are also painted and this is the roughest painting across Korg with much of what should be dark brown missed and left in the base bone white.
There are likely some re-used parts from the first Korg figure, notably the chest. But much of the figure is new, including the head which now features a more closed mouth serious look for Korg.
Like the body, the head is cast in the grey granite base colour and has no paint apps at all other than the two small grey eyes beneath Korg's brow. Considering the details we get on other head sculpts, Korg feels a little short-changed in this area.
Korg should stand about 8-inches tall but upon assembling Korg, it is worth noting he has a very wide stance for some reason that doesn't quite look right - the hips do not seem to be able to come in far enough to straighten the legs. While this is a disappointing design flaw, thankfully there is a workaround with a bit of heat treatment. I used a tall mug full of hot water to first soak Korg's hips to a softer state, then emptied the water but kept Korg in the cup to continue to hold his hips in a straighter finish. He then went in the fridge for a bit.
This will give you a straighter leg look, but it can pull the thigh joints a bit wider leaving a notable gap. I've also noticed that in the week or so that I did this the legs are gradually working themselves back to that much wider stance.
Korg is armed with his club come blaster weapon, and this is the same one packed with the Ragnarok 2-Pack. It is very basic in its finish, cast in bronze plastic. It is painted in grey around the two end sections and the coverage is not quite to the end so you are left with an unpainted edge. The piece is also ever so slightly warped on arrival. While the basic shape is OK when you look at Ragnarok the piece needs much more detail and then more accurate base colours and applied paint app. We also do not know at this stage if Korg will wield this weapon in Love & Thunder, that will have to be seen.
Korg only has one set of hands and the right of these is designed to hold the weapon, with the left hand an open gesture that doubles as either a hand to cup the weapon - or as a wave which is very Korg.
Articulation is 18 points in total and the body is entirely pinless which does improve the look overall apart from the head which features a very visible pivot in the neck which serves to allow the head a wide-ranging movement. The arms can be raised, to a point, under the fur, which will move with the arms but not entirely. And watch out when you move the arms that the bicep swivel is a very easy joint to pop out. The torso joint works well enough but is also held back a little, this time by the new belt piece.
The legs are as mentioned quite wide in the hips, and the hips are tough to pose with the same issue as the arms that the thigh swivel pops out far too easily. The knees are double-jointed, a neat feature on such a bulky figure, and the ankle rockers are stable and flex enough to support the wider and shorter stance.
Korg looks a pretty accurate representation of the Love & Thunder appearance. Like the first figure he is missing a layer of darker grey over the granite skin areas to enhance the look and the depth of that sculpt. The costume is bright and well painted but will take some getting used to - especially the giant gold bling rams head belt buckle. For some reason, Korg is a little soft in certain joints and while he articulates well, I've not seen a BAF where arms and legs pop out and off so easily. There is also an issue at the hips which are engineered too wide and many collectors may wish to try and correct them.
With no context for the movie as yet, and based solely on the teaser footage then Korg is a sensible choice for the wave's BAF and you certainly won't be disappointed once he is built.
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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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