Saturday, June 17, 2023

Action Figure Review: Aquaman (Flashpoint) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 


   Aquaman from Flashpoint is a Gold Label set exclusive to Target with a buildable Cyborg figure and so far they've released Aquaman and Project Superman with the Flash on the way. The fourth figure is still a mystery, so not only is it going to take the better part of a year to build Cyborg but it's highly unlikely all four figures will be on shelves at the same time and you kind of have to jump in without knowing all of the figures you'll be buying Cyborg. Considering his popularity with the Teen Titans and the Justice League, I could definitely see more collectors interested in Cyborg than interested in specifically a Flashpoint series. Aquaman was the first figure released and he's been out for a few months now. In Flashpoint, Aquaman and the people of Atlantis are at war with Wonder Woman and the Amazons, so they're all just messing up the planet for everyone. Let's take a look at this crazy looking Aquaman after the break...






The Facts:

Height: 7 1/8ths inches

Articulation: Hinged toes, double swivel hinged ankles, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, swivel/hinge hips, balljointed waist, balljointed mid torso, swivel/hinge shoulders w/ ballsockets, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, double swivel/ hinge wrists, and a ball jointed neck.
 
Accessories: Trident, strap, torso of Cyborg build-a-figure, collector card, and display stand.
 
Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars






The Positives:



* Aquaman's Flashpoint outfit is a pretty cool look. Instead of the classic green and orange he's wearing a much darker orange, almost red, with black and gold trim. It's familiar enough to be visually recognizable as Aquaman, but the colors are "off" enough to kind of throw you a bit, definitely coming off as more sinister and villainous. His shirt has an excellent sculpt with fish-scale like armor on it, and the gold trim is neat and clean all over.



* OK, so I'm not 100% thrilled with Aquaman's headsculpt, but there is a lot here that I do like. I mean, the detail is really good. His eyes are fierce, he's sporting some wicked scars, the paintwork is excellent, and you can even make out individual teeth in Arthur's mouth. That's crazy, especially on a mass market retail action figure. There is a lot to like here, especially if you're putting this guy in a battle pose.







* Here's a shot of the detailed fish-scale armor from the back and the gold Aquaman logo on Arthur's left shoulder. 



* Aquaman's fins are pretty cool, too. Well, the fins on his boots. He doesn't really have fins. Or does he? 🤔



* The articulation is good, as always on the DC Multiverse figures from McFarlane. Plentiful joints, a great range of motion, and durable construction. Aquaman holds his quindent well and just looks ready for action in most poses, especially with that crazy screaming face. 


* Some folks would tell you that this Aquaman doesn't have a trident, but a quindent Or a pentadent. You know, because it has five points rather than three. It's a really nice looking accessory with some sharp prongs and a neat texture on the handle. Can you still call it a trident? I guess. It seems like some folks have pointed out it truly has three major tines with the two on the far ends just being "wings" or decorations. 







* Aquaman is sporting a leather carrying strap which he can store his trident/ pentadent/ quindent in. It's a neat feature.










* Like the rest of the DC Multiverse figures you also get a very cool display stand.



* There's also a collectible card included, though I seem to have misplaced mine. 




* Aquaman comes with the body for Cyborg and, wow, he's going to be a pretty big, solid guy. Yeah, it sucks waiting so long to put him together, but I think he's going to be pretty sick when assembled. 











The Negatives:

* I've already mentioned that the detail on Aquaman's portrait is incredible with some really neat details. It's a very expressive headsculpt but sometimes, from some angles, it just looks really weird. That's kind of the double edged sword of extremely expressive portraits, I guess.

   If you like Flashpoint or Aquaman, this is a really cool figure. I initially passed him up but, the more I looked at him and the more I decided to build Cyborg, I decided I liked him quite a bit. Good decision, me! This guy is really well done, particularly if you dig the crazy screaming head sculpt. I do! He's a Great and a 1/2 figure and definitely worth snatching if you see him on the shelf.

 Usually the sales appeal of a Build-a-Figure is that it encourages you to purchase a whole set of figures, even some you're not interested in, to be able to collect and connect that final, larger figure. In all but a few instances build-a-figures are assembled by purchasing a group of figures all released at one time, but there have been instances where companies have spread the build-a-figure out over a period of time greater than a single series. Off the top of my head I can think of the Resident Evil figures from Moby Dick that each included a part of the Nemesis-T Type, the Diamond Select Ghostbusters, and even a few older Hasbro Marvel Legends and Mattel DC releases (the Iron Man 3 Iron Monger and the Suicide Squad Killer Croc come to mind). I've always found that breaking up the build-a-figure kind of kills the excitement a bit, as seen with the McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse Flashpoint series, so I imagine that quite a few folks will be scrambling to track these guys down later once they're all released.



  If you are looking for more Aquaman action figures I've also checked out the DC Page Punchers Aquaman, the Mattel BvS Multiverse Aquaman, the Justice League Aquaman, the Toys R Us exclusive shirtless Aquaman, the Super Friends Aquaman, the Funko DC Primal Age Aquaman, the DC Nano Metalfigs Aquaman from the Pack B 5-pack, the Flashpoint Aquaman DC46, the 20-pack Aquaman DC46, and the Justice League Aquaman DC57.

For more DC Multiverse reviews check out the following:
Harley Quinn (The Suicide Squad)
Impulse (Flash War)
The Joker (Infinite Frontier)
Kalibak (The Darkseid War)
Man-Bat (DC Rebirth)
Mister Freeze (Victor Fries)
Nekron (Blackest Night)
Nightwing (Titans)
Raven (Titans)
The Riddler (Arkham City)
Scarecrow (The Dark Knight Trilogy)
The Signal Duke Thomas
Two-Face (The Dark Knight Trilogy)
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1 comment:

  1. Barbecue17June 20, 2023 at 12:02 PM

    Haha. I kind of like it here, and since McFarlane has put out plenty of standard Aquaman figures I'm not going to swap it. He is pretty crazy looking, though, and it does match the story as best as I can remember.

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