Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Action Figure Review: Superfriends Aquaman from DC Comics Multiverse by Mattel

 Last year Mattel quietly shipped Super Friends inspired versions of Batman and Green Lantern into stores. The end of the DC Universe Classics line had a number of Super Friends characters in it so these figures both tie into nostalgia and give figures like Apache Chief and El Dorado some other heroes to pal around with fighting the Legion of Doom! Recently Mattel has been shipping Suoper Friends version of Superman and Aquaman and I just had to pick up Aquaman. I might pick Superman up at some point (I kind of like the DCUC Super Powers Superman, so I don't feel overly compelled) but I knew I wanted Aquaman right away. There are definitely not as many Aquaman figures and the unique way that this Aquaman's costume is executed really works pretty well in person. I'm pretty confident that Aquaman and Superman only started shipping in 2018, so this makes him the first DC figure of 2018 I've reviewed. Crazy, huh? 2018 is the year of Aquaman! Let's check old good ol' Arthur Curry after the break...



 The Facts:

Height: 6 1/2 inches

Articulation: Hinged ankles, hinged knees, swivel thighs, H-hinged hips, swivel waist, hinged mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, hinged elbows, swivel wrists, and a ball jointed head.

Accessories: Trident, stand, and backdrop

Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars


 The Positives:


* Aquaman is a pretty cool looking figure that differs quite a bit from the older DC Universe Classics Aquaman figure. Rather than have a textured scaled shirt this version of Aquaman has a flat torso with painted on scales to capture the look of the animation. Using the scales sparingly on the torso looks quite good and the classic Aquaman belt definitely looks on point here. I'm really digging this guy.


* Aquaman has a simple appearance that fits the animated style. Simple dark eyes and simple "yellow" blonde hair. For this style, it works.


* Aquaman has his distinctive fins on both his gloves and his boots. It's a nice sculpted element that adds uniqueness to his design.

* Since Aquaman uses a fairly standard DC Universe Classics styled body, you know what to expect: It's a standard articulation model that is functional if not overwhelmingly impressive anymore. I mean, it's now over 10 years old. The figure is nice and sturdy and it's still fun to play with, however. I'm anxious to see Mattel finally update their standard bodies, though.


* I really like Aquaman's trident. It's not as cool as his super stylish and complex tridents from DC Universe Classics but it's also an improvement over the tridents from the movie versions.


 *   Mattel has been giving a few of their Multiverse figures these cool little stands that were first used in the Batman: Classic TV Series line. They're a nice way to display the figures on a shelf. This one is emblazoned with the Super Friends logo on the base. There's also a sturdy cardboard display card that features a shiny version of Aquaman on one side.



 * The other side features part of the Super Friends logo. Presumably, if you purchase all of the figures available you could spell out Super Friends.
 The Negatives:

* It's difficult to tell in pictures but the plastic that makes up Aquaman's upper and lower legs doesn't quite match. The plastics seem to be of two different qualities and two slightly different colors.
   I was quite surprised by how much I liked the Super Friends Batman and I'm also pleasantly surprised by how much I like Aquaman. This isn't a very complex figure but if you're sold on the older Hanna-Barberra cartoon series than you're getting exactly what you probably want. He's well done and makes for a nice refresh of a popular character. Aquaman is a Good and a 1/2 figure and a solid bet for Aquaman fans or fans of Super Friends.




   If you are looking for more Aquaman action figures I've also checked out the BvS Multiverse Aquaman, the Justice League Aquaman, the Toys R Us exclusive shirtless Aquaman, and the DC Nano Metalfigs Aquaman from the Pack B 5-pack.


If you're looking for more DC Comics Multiverse figures check out the following:

Batgirl (The Batgirl of Burnside)
Batman (Batman: Zero Year)
Batman (DC Rebirth)
Batwing (DC Rebirth)
Damian Wayne Robin (Robin War) 
Doctor Psycho (Collect & Connect figure)
Duke Thomas (We Are Robin)
Earth 23 Superman
The Flash: From Page to Screen
Jim Gordon Batman (Batman: Superheavy)
The Joker (Batman: Endgame)
Justice Buster
The Reaper (Batman: Year Two) 
Rookie (Collect & Connect figure)
Wonder Girl (Teen Titans)

Arrow
The Arrow

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Armored Batman (The Dark Knight Returns)
Batman
Batman & Superman (The Dark Knight Returns)
The Flash & The Atom (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns)
The Joker (The Dark Knight Returns) 
Mutant Leader (The Dark Knight Returns)
Robin (The Dark Knight Returns) 
Son of Batman
Wonder Woman

Batman v. Superman
Aquaman
Armored Batman
Bat Creature
Batman
Batman's Grapnel Blaster (Collect & Connect accessory) 
Batman Unmasked
Knightmare Batman
Lex Luthor
Superman 
Wonder Woman

DC's Legends of Tomorrow 
The Atom

The Flash
Reverse Flash (The Flash TV Series)

Justice League
Aquaman
Aquaman (Toys R Us Exclusive) 
Batman
Batman (Wal-Mart Exclusive) 
Cyborg
Cyborg (Wal-Mart Exclusive)
The Flash
Mera
Mother Boxes (Collect & Connect Accessory)
Parademon
Steppenwolf (Collect & Connect Figure)
Superman
Wonder Woman 

Suicide Squad
Batman
Boomerang
Croc (Build-a-Figure)
Deadshot
Diablo 
Harley Quinn (6 inch) 
Harley Quinn (12 inch)
Harley Quinn (Gold Dress)
Harley Quinn (Toys R Us Exclusive)
The Joker 
The Joker (Toys R Us Exclusive)
Katana
Rick Flag 

Superfriends
Batman 

Supergirl TV Series 
Supergirl 

Wonder Woman
Ares
Diana of Themyscira
Menalippe
Queen Hippolyta
Steve Trevor 
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman (Toys 'R Us exclusive)





6 comments:

  1. Fun take on the character! I like it and not one in my pretty big Aquaman figure collection. ;)

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    Replies
    1. I like him, too. This is definitely the Aquaman I think most people thought of first prior to the Justice League film.

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  2. How were the Multiverse Aquaman movie figures? I bought a loose figure (General Murk) off the Internet and he turned out to be a pretty good basic figure so I guess the boxed ones are better.

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    Replies
    1. You know what? I never bought any of them. They looked nice but I just didn't jump on them. With DC Multiverse kind of floundering right now I just passed them up.

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    2. Floundering? But I thought they were doing their bass?

      Seriously though, I haven't bought any of the Aquaman Multiverse movie figures, either. For some reason or another, the prices of all the action figures here in Metro Manila--DC, Marvel, Power Rangers--all went up by at least fifteen percent. Even the Hot Wheels and Matchbox vehicles hiked up their prices. I don't know if it's rising production or importation costs. How are prices there in your part of the U.S.?

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    3. Our prices in the US have largely stayed the same, although who knows what upcoming tariff issues might bring. We've had standard 6 inch figures from Hasbro and Mattel sitting at around $20 dollars for quite a few years now, at least 6 or 7 years. Specialty companies like Mezco and Super7 keep going up but mass market releases seem to largely stay the same with lots of opportunities for better deals through etailers.

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