Aquaman's one of those guys who never got to be taken seriously for the most part. Many associate his character to be rather lame, and it doesn't help from all the comedy skits that poke fun of his powers from the likes of the Superfriends show. Yes, a campy, toyetic show it may be, the other characters didn't feel as compromised as Aquaman was (okay, Darkseid simping over Wonder Woman is a thing, but come on, now!); this meant that a live-action version was definitely going to aim for a different tone from what casuals think of when they see Aquaman, but much like the 90s comics, Aquaman was a badass in the Snyderverse, from his brief yet memorable scene in BvS to his characterization of being a loner with a grudge at his Atlantian nature is everything that makes him worthwhile if you ask me. Even his solo movie had some form of way of keeping him badass in spite of him being treated the same way he was in Josstice (with the last part of his solo movie being the strongest act if we're being honest). Now let's take a look at what we've got for the Snyder Cut's king of Atlantis with McFarlane's version of him!
Here we have Aquaman in-hand. His suit captures the way it looks on-screen, with the appropriate paint applications of green and bronze applied over the mesh of the patterns with an appropriate wash to give it a worn look. The shoulder The more vibrant parts of the suit include the belt as well as the boots and part of the gauntlets. Honestly, color scheme works well if you ask me, as it manages to have a good balance between looking familiar while being brand new (especially compared to the later suit looking too close to the comic lore even if it is decent in my opinion). The shoulder pads are made of PVC, but one of them is sadly warped somewhat out of the box. I hate it when that happens.
Head sculpt is better in-hand than from the stock images, and while the facial likeness to Jason Momoa is good, it's not 100% perfect, and my copy's eyes are not aligned that well. It's not horrible but it is noticeable in some areas. His articulation is the same as with the other guys in the line; his head can move around decently in spite of his hair, his shoulders move front and back, in and out (on both a butterfly joint and a shoulder swivel come hinge), bicep swivels, double-elbow bends, and wrists that swivel and hinge at two points (as well as having the wrists have the ability to both move in and out or up and down). There are two torso joints for the diaphragm joint as well as the abs, hips that move front and back, in and out, swivel at the thighs, bend at two points at the knees, and the ankles can swivel, hinge, and pivot (with some hinderences). The waist piece is once again made of PVC material, which allows the sculpt to not look broken up from his articulation while also keeping its range of motion smooth. His staff can be hend on his hand, and while it's not painted, its materials at least give it a metal feel (if a little too pristine compared to his suit).
Here he is with his Mattel counterpart, as he is one of the few characters in the wave to not have a variant. The Mattel version was sort of decent for what it is, even if he lacks articulation and has knees that feel too stiff for his own good. I like the color of his quinlet better, and I just noticed that Aquaman's staff from the McFarlane version is thicker than it should be. Also makes it too bendy for my liking, but it is manageable. That being said, he's better at being articulated than the Mattel version and can easily hold the staff with both hands...well, posing it is the easy part but getting both hands to hold it isn't as easy.
Here is Aquaman in-between Batman and Superman, and it's nice to see his outfit stands out more from the black and grey/silver of the World's Finest. He looks great with both of them if you ask me, and I have no complaints whatsoever when it comes to the aesthetics or way he scales with them (though I think Batfleck should be taller). Overall, Aquaman's another solid figure with some minor issues that I can overlook for the most part. He's well-poseable, has good paint apps, and his accessory is decent enough. I wish he had alternate hands and some water effect pieces, but I can't really get what I want (which mainly goes for the slightly off-painted eyes). Thankfully, he more than makes up for it if you ask me.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
No comments:
Post a Comment