I’d honestly had my doubts about the Kotobukiya Marvel NOW! Avengers ArtFX+ statues line, but whatever skepticism I had was washed away by the highly-impressive Kotobukiya Hulk ArtFX+ statue that I reviewed earlier this week. I’m on a veritable high at the moment when it comes to these 1/10th scale Kotobukiya Avengers statues, and that’s why this was the perfect time for Kotobukiya to debut the official photos of the fifth statue in the series: the Kotobukiya Thor ArtFX+ statue is now up for pre-order!

I can’t really feign surprise that the Kotobukiya Thor ArtFX+ statue is the penultimate entry in the Avengers ArtFX+ line, seeing as how I was in New York City at New York Toy Fair 2014 when the painted Thor prototype was debuted, and thus saw him for myself in person months ago.

Of course, the real excitement for me is the anticipation of the actual pre-order for a piece, so with these official photos now released by Kotobukiya, I’m psyched that the destined day when I can secure a Kotobukiya Thor statue of my own should be right around the corner!

While the Kotobukiya Hawkeye statue that was the previous entry in the line failed to impress me, the Kotobukiya Marvel Now Thor is vastly better overall than that Hawkeye was. From sculpting to the pose selected to the paint deco, this Thor Kotobukiya 1/10th scale statue is simply a superior piece (sorry, Hawkguy–I love you, anyway).

Unlike the poor Hulk Kotobukiya statue, which didn’t really feel “Marvel NOW!”-themed at all, this is unquestionably a statue of Modern NOW! Thor, clad in his black tunic and silver armor. I know this isn’t the iconic costume for Thor that most are accustomed to, but I’m psyched to be getting a modern Thor statue of this scale and quality for a low price of around $55-$60.

The Avengers Now Thor Kotobukiya statue will stand around 8.5″ tall (to the tip of his helmet), so Thor’s going to be one of the taller entries in this Kotobukiya Avengers statue line (just the way he should be), while remaining accurately a hair shorter than the massive Hulk statue.

Pre-orders are now available for the ArtFX+ Thor Kotobukiya statue, with an expected release date of October/November 2014.

I can’t wait to add this God of Thunder to a near-complete Avengers Kotobukiya ArtFX+ statue lineup in the fall! What about you, fellow Marvel collectors?