Aquaman might be one of the DC Universe's most popular characters, but a lot of fans are still stumbled as to why there are already three renditions of the lovable king of the sea after only seven waves into the DC Universe Classics line. Despite the almost entirely unknown costume and previously released figures, Mattel still sent this fellow to retail shelves as the least unique DCUC toy yet. It's a good figure that doesn't particularly do anything wrong, but Aquaman could really benefit from including at least something besides paint that we haven't seen before.
Name: Ocean Warrior Aquaman
Line: DC Universe Classics, Wave 7, Figure 1
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: Early 2009
Price: Retail: $11.50-$13.99, Online: $12.99-$17.99
Scale: 6.25 in.
Accessories: Trident
Collect & Connect Piece: Atom Smasher's Upper and Middle Torso
What is there to say about Aquaman's sculpt? He uses the most basic possible sculpt, with no extra details to speak of. This simple "buff" body style is a pretty good sculpt, but it's something we've seen quite a few times before and it doesn't exactly grab the eyes anymore. All the same, it does fit the character's costume and build quite well, so I can't complain too much. The proportions all look fine, and the muscles are accurate enough for a super-strength-endowed guy. Both of his hands are sculpted open with nice details in the fingers and gloves. He also has some clothing wrinkles around his trunks, although I don't think they work as well for Aquaman as they have on other figures, just because it's a full body-suit. The bare-crotch syndrome strikes again, and it begins to bother me a little more each time (and it's weirder to say "bare-crotch" each time too).
The trident that's included is also identical to the previous release, which is actually a good thing, because it's loaded down with details , textures, and a beautiful sea-inspired design. The prongs might be a little warped coming out of the package, but you can easily adjust them to your liking with some hot and cold water. Similarly, the head sculpt is exactly the same as it was for Wave 2's Classic Aquaman, and that's not a bad thing either in regards to quality. I love this head, with a perfect expression for Arthur, really sharp features, and flowing, water-swept hair. This figure's left ear is a bit wonky, so it may have been a mold release issue, or possibly just a pile of paint; it's hard to tell.
Sculpt Score: 8 / 10
Aquaman may be a complete reissue in regards to sculpting, but his paint job has a lot of details that must have been quite difficult to get right. In the end they got all the flowing lines and colors just right, but messed up in other areas. All of the strange camouflage style designs on his costume actually came out quite smooth with clean edges and crisp points. It was important to get this right, and they didn't skimp, so I'm pleasantly surprised. Lines even match up relatively well across different pieces of the figure, which has been a problem for a couple past figures. His trident doesn't end up nearly as well off in regards to applications, because the darker bronze color is just randomly slopped over details of the sculpt, often going way past where it needs too, and coming up way short of where in should in other spots. It's clear where they placed their priorities, but seeing high quality overall would have been nice.
The colors are kind of garish
together, although they did the best they could with the costume
design. This is just an ugly costume, and they matched it quite well,
meaning it's an ugly figure too. If you like this look for Aquaman,
then you'll love the figure. His face is well done, with a lighter skin tone that the previous releases (which is a positive to me) as well as clean eye and eyebrow applications. The hair is a mild red underneath with a light blond dry-brushed on. This was well done for my Classic Aquaman from Wave 2, but with this figure the brush effect is too sparse, resulting in an almost red headed Arthur, especially around the hair line. One last problem of note is some slop that's present on his shoulder and peg-hole in his back.
Paint Score: 7 / 10
It's nice to see a totally sculpt-unrestricted DCUC figure, and Aquaman is just that. He benefits from a full range of motion for every single joint, and it works to great effect, allowing you to place him in some dynamic poses with personality and grace. Another nice fact is that nothing is broken, and each point of articulation is just tight enough without being a pain to move. I'm happy that his neck gets a great range of movement, so you can add all of the fish-talking head positions you need to. This is probably the best set of joints I've gotten on a DCUC figure yet, and I couldn't be more pleased. Mattel has really started to make forward strides in this department. Just to be specific, he has the following types of articulation: ball-style shoulders and neck; swivels at the wrists, biceps, waist, and thighs; hinges at the abs, elbows, knees, and ankles; and finally the swivel/hinge combo hip that functions like a ball. I think the articulation looks reasonable with the sculpt, only his shoulders coming off a little large.
Articulation Score: 9 / 10
A lot of people might disregard Aquaman as a lame character that just doesn't belong next to Superman and Batman, but I'll argue that he has survived this long for a reason. Even if that reason is just to give future marine biologists someone to look up to in their youth. Given all that, Aquaman's popularity is reliant on people recognizing him, and without that bright orange and green that's he's so famous for, he immediately loses some appeal. This toy strays from the classic Aquaman that so many people love, offering instead an ugly costume that almost no one knows. This makes him a toy that has to work to be enjoyed, instead of one that has to work to be boring. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot here to make him fun.
He has a great articulation model that is awesome for either play or display, and he also includes a pretty big accessory that looks great when posed a number of ways, and should also prove deadly to Black Manta in any battles you stage. The packaging has a little biography information as well as some nice photography and artwork that will add a few minutes of entertainment, but in the end I can't see anyone devoting a lot of attention to this fellow just because of who he is and how he looks. I imagine most people will be purchasing him simply to complete their collection, or in order to build the Collect & Connect figure, not out of a desire for the toy. The C&C element does add some fun, because assembling that huge Atom Smasher is a blast, and only possible with Aquaman in your possession. All things considered, he's really a pretty a good action figure for fun, but an ugly design and lack of recognizability limit how far you can take that.
Fun Score: 7 / 10
This toy should range from $12-$16 depending on where you can find him, which is an okay, if slightly elevated price for 6" figures in the current market. I certainly don't feel bad paying $13 for a figure that's decently sized, includes a big accessory, has high sculpt/paint standards, and also includes a Collect & Connect piece to build another big figure. I think Aquaman is a fair deal for any collector interested in the DC Universe or interested broadening their collection with a classic character in a rarely seen costume. The packaging is nice with lots of information and interesting visuals, and the quality of the figure is much higher than those of past waves. I don't forsee any breakage or severely loosened joints because everything feels superb right now. The only real negative here is that I just can't see a lot of use out of this character, because he doesn't fit naturally into many displays, and won't be excessively fun to play with either. These are the two ways to really determine how much worth you can place in a figure, and he doesn't do well in either category, which does lower my perception of value.
Value Score: 7 / 10
Summary
8 - Really simplistic visually, some small but well done details, trident accessory is super nice, face looks great, ear is wonky, crotch doesn't look like it belongs on a human body.
7 - The costume lines are really clean and smoothly curved, colors are ugly but match the character design, skin tone is natural, hair is too red, clean facial details, some slop and mess on body, accessory looks like someone fell asleep painting it.
9 - Great use of the standard DCUC articulation model, a lot of points, easy to pose/play with, looks good with sculpt except for shoulders, all the joints work well, could always be more points.
7 -
A classic character that won't be appreciated due to strange costume, articulation is lots of fun, includes a great accessory to make him effective in play, C&C is fun to collect and assemble, packaging isn't bad, no action features.
7 - Price is a bit too high, well made figure that's durable, includes accessory and C&C piece, not much fun in the long run, most people will buy just for C&C piece.
Overall Score: 75 / 100 - This is a Good Toy
Aquaman has an effective and simple sculpt, accurate paintjob, and a great articulation model, all at an okay price.
P.S. This could be the figure I'm giving away this month, just leave a comment for a chance to win (if it's the one).
-The Articulated One
