Marvel Legends Beta Ray Bill figure review – BAF Smart Hulk

Beta Ray Bill has been one of the more enduring alternate takes on a popular character. He’s got a great unique look that’s well suited for figure form so it’s a little surprising it’s taken Hasbro so long to whip up their take on the character.

Packaging:   Beta Ray Bill is big time enough to get his own logo, which is a little surprising. I wish Hasbro did more than one portrait on the packages though as repeating it three times is a little overkill. The bio is solid giving some basic information on his costume and powers, which is all that’s needed with him.

Everything is neatly arranged in the tray and it’s one that’s stuffed with goodies.

Likeness:  Let’s get the obvious out of the way here first. Hasbro opted to go with Beta Ray Bill’s modern comic outfit. It’s far less flashy, colorful or interesting and seems like more of the test run for a movie costume. This is the one major downfall of the Marvel Studios’ films as that influence has a significant impact on character presentation even in the comics.

While in all ways that matter for a cool figure the original costume is superior, this modern outfit isn’t bad. There’s enough original sculpting to show the effort Hasbro put into this look making it turn out pretty well.

Easily the highlight is the head sculpt as it’s got BRB with his sunken eyes and mouth open showing off his teeth. The helmet came off nicely with the winged ear pieces reflecting that overall majestic look of the costume.

The shoulder pads look cool and the six circles along the pads and torso show some uniformity with Thor’s classic costume. The chest piece is designed like armor plating although the rest is like regular clothing. We have to go to the arms for anything with a little flair and that’s with the wraps around his wrists. They look good and avoid having a perfectly symmetrical sculpt.

I wish the cape were more dramatically raised like the early outfit though as it’s pretty flat against his sides.

Paint:  BRB had more issues than I’ve come to expect with this line as the teeth paint was pretty sloppy throughout. I liked the pearlescent work on the chest plate, but it didn’t turn out as nice on the shoulder pads as they look too flat. There’s not much else paint wise on the figure.

Scale:  Beta Ray Bill is pretty much the same size as the original Toy Biz version and he matches up nicely with the Unworthy Thor. He seems a little slighter, but otherwise he looks just fine.

Articulation:  BRB has a smooth body allowing for some great poses. Of course the cape limits the flight stand options, but otherwise he’s all action and ready to bring the hammer down.

My figure’s right hand is pretty loose at the swivel so it doesn’t do a great job of holding Stormbreaker without twirling down.

The coolest addition is the mouth joint so you can convey different levels of intensity just from rearranging the mouth.

Beta Ray Bill has:

• Neck
• mouth
• ball-jointed shoulders
• bicep
• elbow (double-jointed)
• wrist
• wrist hinge
• torso
• waist
• hip
• thigh
• knee (double-jointed)
• ankle

Accessories:  Beta Ray Bill comes with his hammer, Stormbreaker. Thor “borrowed” the name for the hammer, but this is BRB’s hammer and it’s faithfully replicated here with the round bottom and bladed edge. I wish the handle had some sort of color or a wash so the gold wasn’t so pristine.

Finally, Beta Ray Bill comes with two heads for the Build-A-Figure Smart Hulk. One is a more somber, serious expression while the other is somewhat smirking. They’re good, but I think an overall neutral expression would have been ideal.

Worth it?  I got Beta Ray Bill for $20, which is a reasonable deal for a figure of this size with a good amount of original sculpted parts.

Rating:  9 out of 10

My preference for the original costume aside, this modern version of Beta Ray Bill is an excellent figure and a worthy addition to your Thor or galactic display.

Where to get it?  I got Beta Ray Bill from Hasbro Pulse, but you can also order him from Amazon or get the entire Smart Hulk wave at Entertainment Earth.

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