Growing up, Beast was my favorite X-Men character because he was blue, and I didn’t have very high standards. He’s still up there today as one of my favorites because of the literary references he makes, the levity he brings to situations with his humor (although Brian Michael Bendis, who I normally like, is ruining him and those things are temporarily missing), and because blue is still my favorite color. Hank McCoy also known as Beast is one of the original X-Men, and has switched between that team and the Avengers since.
One of the most infuriating things about his character is the near constant design changes. After his first transformation, when he tries to cure himself from being a mutant, he looks as cool as he ever looked. They fuss around with it, and only manage to make it progressively worse until we get the weird cat thing that he is in the last Marvel Universe figure, which I refused to buy. This Beast model, of this figure, is the perfect design. The only 3 and ¾ inch Beast I previously bought was an extremely stylized one from the Wolverine and the X-Men cartoon.
Both figures demonstrate Hasbro’s inability to get Beast’s arms right. Why can’t they get the proportions down? One is much too long and the other too short. We need a Goldilocks Beast, with the arms just right. Other than that, though, the sculpt is good. The face looks great, and I like the little tufts of fur/hair (does Beast shed? Or get haircuts? I honestly have no idea, and don’t know if I want to find out) coming off his wrists. The feet are good too, and they’re considerably harder to do for a barefoot character.
The paint is simple. Blue, black, white for the eyes, and gold and red for the belt. Like a lot of Avengers Infinite figures, it’s got some paint outside the lines of his eyes. It makes me wonder what the factory process is like. If it’s a machine, how are the figures always out of position for that part? And if it’s people, why isn’t there better quality control?
The articulation is different from other Avengers Infinite figures, which is good for the hips, because they are still a ball joint but have a bigger socket to move in. The figure is also missing the chest joint. That’s good for look—the line on the chest that joint makes is unseemly—but makes him harder to pose because you can’t really shift his shoulders/upper body to balance him.
The figure didn’t come with accessories, a decision I’m totally fine with. What would have Beast come with? The only things I can think of is a computer or a book, but those aren’t necessities, especially since my collection is 90% 3 and ¾ inch figures so I already have those things.
The packaging is standard Avengers Infinite packaging.
Overall, I love the character and think this is the best action figure embodiment of him in my price range. I’d recommend picking him up if you’re into the X-Men or a fan of the character from his time with the Avengers.
You can get Beast for $12.99 at Big Bad Toy Store or for around $10 at Amazon. And you can also always jump on over to eBay and search for a deal on this Marvel Infinite Beast action figure.
