So Errol Flynn, Charles Bronson and a comic relief character from Shakespeare's Henry the IV walk into a bar.  In all seriousness, for those who didn't realize it the Warriors three were based on the above characters according to Stan Lee.  Despite some claims to the contrary, they are NOT based on any mythology and are intended to be (Semi) original characters.  With the Thor Movie these guys FINALLY appear in action figure form.  However they are a bit far away from their comic appearances:

A major part of this discrepancy is of course because these figures are based on the movie looks, which in turn were not exactly like the comic looks.  There are similarities of course but up front I will say that I would much rather have these looks than what we have:

No matter what though, this is what we have and considering these characters have never made it into figure form before I think in many ways we should feel fortunate to have them at all.  Yeah, I know that sounds like at typical "apologist" rambling, but honestly I doubt we would have the comic looks for these guys even if Thor had a comic line.  While I like the Warriors Three I am not above admitting they are not the popular characters in the Marvel Universe and most people have JUST been introduced to them in the Thor movie.  Hasbro knows this too and probably would avoid comic versions.  I seriously doubt we will ever see any other version of them again.  Face it, this is the FIRST time they have been put into figure form in any way, not Toybiz (who had a reputation for including some obscure characters in their 5 inch and Marvel Legends lines) nor even Mego ever came close to producing these guys.  I was actually semi-surprised we even got them in movie form at all.

Of course I got introduced to the Warriors Three through Thor's comic and have read their adventures for many years.  I do like them all, but I also feel they are more of a supporting group rather than stars.  As supporting cast they are very good, anything more really doesn't do much for me to be perfectly honest (OH, I'm probably hatin' again).  The fact is not every character no matter how cool they are can be a star, if that were the case Feral boy from the Road Warrior and J.J. Jameson would have their own movies.  There is nothing wrong at all with supporting characters, they give a chance for the star to express even more characterization.  However, it is a mistake to think all supporting characters can carry the story on their own.  The Warriors Three can work in an occasional solo story but long term they just cannot do that.  Nothing wrong with it at all.

When the press pics of these figures were released, they showed the figures with very gimmicky weapons:

One of the best parts about these figures I can report is the fact that the figures also come with extra, non-gimmicky weapons that are closer to what they would have normally.  Thankfully, these figures have options. 

Now on to the individual figures. 

Ironically Fandral is probably my least favorite of the Warriors Three but his figure is very, very great to say the least.  He is probably the closest to the comic appearance than any of the other warriors.  Minus the blonde hair he looks almost exactly like the comic appearance to me, just a slightly different outfit. 

His sort of cape is easily removable and of course he has a nifty rapier like sword which fits the character perfectly.  In addition he has a nice scabbard (but a bit oversized, however it could be worse).  The green color works great with Fandral as well.  Fits the character's comic look as well as movie look as well as making the character very colorful. 

Of course he comes with a super craptastic gimmick weapon that is-ah harpoon shooter?  Not sure what makes Fandral linked with harpoons but ok. 

I have to say if you like the Warriors Three then this is a great figure to grab. 

The next guy is kind of depressing, especially in figure form.

I have to note at the front that Hogun is standing on a stand, his ankles are fused and I have tried every technique I know and they are still stuck in a position that I cannot get him to stand up straight (A tad forward).  I am trying to determine if this is a QC issue or something in the design (that would effect all figures).  Once I know I will amend my rating (4.5 stars for the former, 3.5 stars for the latter).

Hogun is a pretty grim character any way you slice it.  His whole society is destroyed by Mogul of the Mystic Mountain.  Really not much is known about Hogun besides that.  It was speculated long ago that Hogun was actually Mongolian from me and some friends way back when, but there is nothing to back that up.  The main reason we thought this was the design of his helmet looked similar to many popularized versions of the helmets worn by Genghis Khan. 

One of the major points I like about Hogun is the nice dark blue that highlights the figure.  Also the figure has silver and gold highlights that really brings out the details of him. I really wish he had that signature helmet even though that is not how he appeared in the movie, it is almost iconic for him.  His gimmick weapon is a bit better than everyone else's as well.  It is a battle axe that splits to become hand blades and a handle that can be used as a short staff.  Most of the gimmick weapons have been very annoying and lame, this is probably the first one I have seen that I feel is semi-useful. 

Hogun is pretty great overall, he could have some improvements, and like I said I don't know fro certain about those ankles.  Still he is a cool looking figure that probably would enhance any collection, especially one that features Thor prominently.

So far two pretty great figures, so it would seem the Warriors Three have received some pretty great representations, sadly that is not the case necessarily. 

So the first big issue with this figure is the size, Volstagg is HUGE but this figure is no where near that:

Granted some of the issue is the movie design which (despite mentioning Volstagg's appetite) did not have the size of his comic counterpart.  Still he seems small even in comparison to the movie design.  Granted I have only seen the movie once, but I seem to remember Volstagg being a bit taller and in fact the figure is shorter than the rest of the Warriors three.

Granted there is also perspective involved with the above photo, but next time I watch the film I am going to double check this. 

Another major issue is a lack of girth (that's what she said LOL).  But seriously Volstagg in the comic is a pretty huge guy and in the movie (while not near the size of the comic one) appeared to have some fatness on him, but the figure looks to be a bit on the less than chubby size, which is a detriment when you consider the gut is part of the character's personality. 

In addition he has straight up shoulders like Destroyer, again no way to move the arms outward.  Sorry but I see no justification for this on a modern figure and is should have been a typical ball joint like every single marvel figure gets.  Also no ankle articulation, granted I am not a huge articulation whore, but with all that's wrong this is just another thing to point to.  WHEW, in other words there is a ton wrong here.  What's worse is that once you buy the first two Warriors Three you are kind of locked into this one. 

EDIT:  I am being told now that Volstagg does have ball joint shoulders that are well hidden, however try though I may I cannot get them to move in that way.  I am thinking I might have a fused set of joints similar to Hogun and his ankles.

However, he isn't all bad, the axe he comes with is actually very cool.  The mold is alright, just not for Volstagg, and even the most industrious customize would have trouble making a Punisher out of this figure (Heh, three hundred cool points if you didn't have to check Internet Movie Database to get that joke LOL).

This is the tough figure of this group, cause really with one comes all three.  For the most part he looks just alright in the background but beyond that he doesn't really fit the part of the third member of the Warriors Three.  The down side is he is possibly the only option we will ever have.  I don't hate him, but he should be so much better than he is in my opinion, even being based on the movie design.

So there you have it, the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Warriors Three.  Should you get them, ultimately that is an individual's decision, but I can't say I would recommend all three.  Two of them at least though.