[Trivial Psychic]

Finally picked up Beta Ray Bill to finish up the Professor Hulk wave, so here's some thoughts on the final 2 figures of the wave I've yet to cover...being Beta Ray Bill and Loki. I'll have some thoughts on Professor Hulk at the end as well...

Beta Ray Bill: This figure seems to be a hot point of contention, because many people seemed to want an update of the original figure (which I feel still holds up fairly well) but for me personally, as someone with no attachment to any one particular look of Bill, I dig the simplicity of this one. While the figure is very plain from the waist down, I do like how the upper torso and figure overall was handled. It's a streamlined look that's pleasing to look at.



Some notables on the figure, I really like the paints on Bill, and mine were very clean. The body mold uses a bunch of newer parts, and has a good heft to it, and I love how the cape is implemented, especially at the shoulders. I'd like to see Hasbro do this with future caped characters when possible. The four fingered hands are a nice touch, as are the subtle washes in the plastic on the arms. I had a frozen bicep on mine, but I was able to free it up by using hot water and disassembling it. The articulated mouth is awesome, and I really want to see this type of joint used with Venom figures going forward, as it allows Bill all sorts of personality, and when coupled with the comically oversized hammer, can give off just a hint of insanity. Very good and fun figure...and if you can get past the contemporary look, one of the best in the wave.

Loki: Now this figure was contentious to me. Not that there is anything wrong with classic Loki, and there's definitely a need for one on our shelves, but for me, I've grown attached to the excellent one that Toybiz put out back with the original Onslaught wave, so for me, I already have my definitive Loki. For others, the definitive Loki is the one from the Walmart exclusive Thor releases (another Walmart exclusive I never saw in store...now imagine that?)



Now that doesn't make this one a bad figure, as there's a couple of positives to be had. I really like the choice of colored plastics that were used here, although this figure suffers from the same shiny/dull mismatching that has plagued the last two waves in particular. The gold is vibrant, making use of that swirly plastic that gives off an almost ethereal look to it. The body used here is a good choice (Grim Reaper) giving Loki a nice size, and the scale print is done fairly well, although I would have preferred sculpted ones. The head captures the look of the classic version of the character, but it's not one I'm feeling. I'm not sure what it is...if it's the underbite, horns, or wind swept hair (which I wish Hasbro would make articulated...it's not hard...) something about it just looks off. It also sits a little high which is off, but it allows for some great head tilt giving it some more personality.

Some spell effects would have been nice, but Loki comes with a sword that's reused from Angela, which was a good looking sword then, and still is. Plus we have thousands of those effects as well, so it wouldn't be hard to swipe a few from other figures.

All in all, a solid look for the character if you can get past the headsculpt and missed out on the previous versions, though I feel it fails to top either of those originals.

Professor Hulk: ANOTHER contentious entry, though honestly, it only has one minor flaw...otherwise...this figure rocks. That flaw is a serious miscue (or intentional oversight) by Hasbro, and that's the lack of an angry headsculpt, and the redone articulation at the neck makes using older headsculpts impossible. It's a major bummer, because this figure does everything else right. The sculpt on all ends is great, with a ton of texture, and while the paints are minimal, they work in making what is essentially a green piece of plastic pop. The articulation on this guy is VERY good...and we get double jointed elbows on a BAF for a change! I mean...look at that....



Hulk could drop an elbow on someone that would make Randy Savage proud.

Despite the no show of an angry Hulk head, the other two headsculpts are good, though the smirking one outshines the sad/blah Hulk face by a mile. I probably won't be using the sad one at all. Hopefully Hasbro will release an additional angry headsculpt for this figure as a pack-in in the near future, because it's simply too good of a figure to not do it. They can give us a Lilandra and Reese head without proper figures for them...so how about you take a cue from the Red Onslaught a few years ago and support this great figure you DO have Hasbro?

Of course, that would end up making this an end-all/be-all Hulk figure, and knowing Hasbro, they can't have that now can they? I'll be definitely on the look out for a custom headsculpt in the meantime. I'm sure it will only be a matter of time before we see one. It still doesn't overtake Kingpin as the best BAF of the year, but it leapfrogs Molten Man into that #2 spot.