Action Figure Review: Major Arnold Toht from Indiana Jones: Adventure Series by Hasbro

 

   While Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny officially comes out tomorrow, I'm actually going to a showing this evening. We're pretty excited as it's a new Indiana Jones movie and it's going to be the first Indiana Jones movie my daughter gets to see in a theater. Of course, today's review is of Major Arnold Toht, one of the villains from Raiders of the Last Ark. Raiders is my favorite of the four films thus far and probably my favorite film overall (Ghostbusters is close) and I've always loved Toht. He's just such a creepy, wormy villain with a lot of presence despite not having many lines in the film. I actually still have a vintage Toht figure from Kenner's The Adventures of Indiana Jones line that I've had since I was a kid. Why did I end up with Toht alone? Who knows! I'm still not fully sold on this line, even with yesterday's reveals of figures from The Last Crusade and that excellent Grail Altar build an accessory. Still, despite some very solid looking releases, this line feels like such a hodgepodge of characters and a low effort endeavor on Hasbro's part, though it's possible that it's Lucasfilm/ Disney calling the shots. To be honest, I'm surprised that Toht made the cut considering he's a Nazi Gestapo agent. (Fun fact: Ronald Lacey, who played Arnold Toht, also played Heinrich Himmler in The Last Crusade.) He's a bad guy I love to hate who certainly gets what he deserves and I needed someone for Indy to punch. Ready to check out Toht? Then join me after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 5 7/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, swivel/ hinge knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, balljointed waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, balljointed wrists, balljointed neck, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: Two portraits, two swappable right hands, hat, coat, pistol, and two pieces of the Ark of the Covenant build-an-artifact.  

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars

The Positives:

* Another release in the Indiana Jones: Men in Suits collection, Major Arnold Toht comes wearing his black suit with the jacket closed, a white shirt, and a red and black striped tie. The tie seems to be a bit off, but this is still clearly recognizable as Toht, so I'm going to go with it. I really like the look of the figure. Rather than an actual Nazi pin Hasbro simply went with a white circle on his left lapel, which is perfectly reasonable. He's sporting his dark gloves, too. It's kind of a plain figure, yeah, but Toht really does manage to look pretty impressive and has the feel of a creepy fascist. Perfect for punching!

* Unlike the Indiana Jones figures in the line, Toht comes with a removable hat. It looks really good and fits him just fine. It's a nice feature. I wonder why Toht gets a removable hat but Indy doesn't?

* Toht's coat is also removable, just like the old Kenner figure. I do wish he came with his coat hanger. That would have been a fantastic addition. The coat is a bit pliable and it looks really good on him. He doesn't wear it with arms through the sleeves, so this is quite accurate. The right side is molded so his right arm looks right moving around, too, whether delivering a salute or wielding his pistol. There's some nice texture work on the coat to give it a more leather-like appearance. 

* It's entirely possible that I was sold on this figure because of Toht's alternate melting head. This is what happens when you commit atrocities against the Jewish people and then thank God is going to be on your side! This is a really creepy headsculpt and I'm actually amazed that Hasbro made it as gruesome as they did. It looks very accurate to the film with a great screaming expression on Toht's face and a mixture of blood and melted flesh. Nasty, but he deserved it. I wish Belloq came with an exploding head with flames, too. I wonder why he gets left out?

* The articulation scheme is very familiar here and pretty much the same as on the other Indiana Jones figures and most recent and non-armored Star Wars: The Black Series figures. Toht moves well, though he doesn't have the butterfly hinges for his shoulders, probably because of his buttoned coat. The hands are on balljoints here in the Adventure Series, which is different. He moves great, though, and is fun to pose in various menacing or expressive ways. 

* Another very cool extra included with Toht is an alternate right hand with the imprint of one side of the headpiece of the Staff of Ra burned into it. This is a great extra and definitely makes this figure even more versatile. Seriously, there really are a few really neat different ways to display this guy. 

* Toht also comes equipped with a Walther P38. This is exactly the gun he uses during he fight at Marion Ravenwood's bar and it looks pretty solid. It is a bit anachronistic, though, as it wasn't produced until 1938, two years after Raiders takes place, but that's true of many of the firearms used in the film. 

* The first full series of figures (Indy, Sallah, Marion, Belloq in the priestly garb, and Toht) all come with pieces to build the Ark of the Covenant. Toht comes with two pieces for the sides. It looks like a cool piece but since I'm not sure I'm planning to buy any of the other series 1 figures at this point I doubt I'll get around to building it.

* Toht's headsculpt is quite good and instantly recognizable. It's clearly Toht and Hasbro did a nice job with the sculpt and the paint.

The Negatives:

* Unfortunately, those glasses have lenses that are too thick. Maybe if Hasbro was making an action figure of Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys these would be OK. They should have left the lenses out and it would have looked a lot better. 

      Toht is definitely my favorite figure in this line thus far. Who'd have thought he'd turn out to be one of the best releases, right? He's quite versatile with a few different looks, a couple cool accessories, and a swappable head. If he'd only come with the fireplace poker he threatens Marion with and the coat hanger he'd have been perfect. He's still a Great figure and a nice addition to the line. I have two other figures to review standing by (both Indy variants) and there are a few upcoming figures I have interest in, but from the lack of pipeline reveals at yesterday's presentation it kind of seems like this line is already at an end. What do you think? Still excited about this line? Do you think there's a future for it? Considering how reluctant Hasbro seems to release most of the villains from the films or anything from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull it seems like they've kind of just hit a stopping point. 





   If you're looking for more of Major Arnold Ernst Toht I've also reviewed the 1/18th scaled Toht from the 2011 SDCC 30th Anniversary Set.

For more Indiana Jones: Adventure Series reviews check out the following:
Indiana Jones (Professor)