My First Toy Review Of The Year
I’ve been a fan of Aquaman for a very long time. I have fond memories of watching Aquaman as part of the Super Friends cartoon. I also remember his horrible harpoon hand, the cool but short-lived blue stealth suit that he had in the comics, and how he was often the butt of superhero jokes. With the recent DCEU films, Arthur Curry has become bigger and burlier. Jason Momoa’s performance as the half human/half Atlantean (along with Geoff Johns’ work on the character in the New 52) has all but erased the image of a soft, hapless hero in orange and green.
There have been numerous action figures of Aquaman released over the decades by a number of companies including Kenner and Mattel, but McFarlane Toys’ most recent entry is one of the best….and worst figures of the bunch. The DC Multiverse figure from McFarlane Toys came out as a result of the release of last year’s Snyder Cut of Justice League. Like all of the other figures in the line, Aquaman features amazing articulation. Unlike some of the other figures, he isn’t hindered very much due to armor or poor design. His long hair gets a tad in the way when attempting to turn Aquaman’s head but every other part has complete motion.
Like every other figure in this line, Aquaman comes with a collector card and a base. He also comes with his trident and no other accessories. Sadly, McFarlane didn’t include a second head or a second pair of hands to go with this figure. You get the big guy, his trident, a card, and the base. That’s it. The trident that I received was bent somewhat and I’m still working on shaping it. It’s also too large for Aquaman’s hands but I’ll get to that in a minute.
It should be noted that the detail on this figure is great. From the etchings on his armor to the amazing designs on his belt, Aquaman’s armor looks wonderful. The likeness to Jason Momoa is pretty good as well. I like the fact that they captured the scar over his eye. While the likeness isn’t perfect, it’s definitely one of the best resemblances in the 2021 JL figure line. He’s also just slightly taller than all of the other JL 2021 figures which, if I remember correctly, is accurate to the film as well.
As I mentioned earlier, Aquaman’s hand is too small to hold his trident properly. I had to fight to get the staff in his hand and it resulted in the paint on the figure rubbing off onto the trident. Also, when I finally got the trident in place, Aquaman’s thumb sticks out at an awkward angle and it also makes posing the arm tough since the trident naturally wants to lean forward in the ill-fitting hand. That’s a big misfire in my opinion. Couple that with the lack of additional accessories and a warped trident and this figure is both good and bad.
I will say that this is a good looking figure. I just dislike the issues that I’ve mentioned. It could have been so much better had McFarlane taken a little more time with the details on the figure itself. It would have been great to have at least one more accessory or a set of hands as well. For fun I’ve decided to include a photo of the JL figure alongside one of the budget figures from the Aquaman film. Both have their own merits and, to be honest, I really dig that budget figure a lot.
Thanks for checking out my post. I’ve only got Flash left to complete the JL 2021 figure line. I’m also hoping to get my hands on a Wonder Woman figure to finish off the group. For some reason I just haven’t been able to find a WW figure that looks like Gal Gadot in the face. Hopefully McFarlane has something coming along soon to remedy that.
Ken's Alternate Universe! 