Action Figure Maniac Reviews: Mattel: Batman v Superman: 6 Inch Aquaman

DC Comics Multiverse: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: 6 Inch Aquaman
Mattel
Retail: $19.99 @ Target

It seems all of my lamenting about not being able to find Mattel’s Batman v Superman 6 inch Aquaman was for nothing! I found him, and then I found him again, and again. He’s everywhere now!

Aquaman comes in the second wave of 6 inch BvS figures from Mattel. The other two are ‘Nightmare’ Batman and Lex Luthor.

As with the others, Aquaman comes in a fairly attractive window box. The only difference between the package from this series and the first is the inclusion of the new wave of figures on the back of the packaging. We also get teased with a yet-to-be-revealed 8th figure in the line. The silhouette is very reminiscent of Superman.

Aquaman is easily a diamond-in -the-rough in this line. Although he had little actual screen time, Mattel put a lot of effort into him. He has a great likeness to Jason Momoa, including the scar in his left eyebrow.

Again, we get a lot of detail on the body of this figure. The tattoos look really solid and all of the gold armor looks good. Weird fact: I am obsessed with the stitching on the inside of his gauntlets.

He has 20 points of articulation:

• Ball-and-socket joint at the neck (x1)
• Rotating hinges at each shoulder (x2)
• Swivel joints at each bicep (x2)
• Hinge joints at each elbow (x2)
• Swivel joints at each wrist (x2)
• Swivel joint at the waist (x1)
• Swivel joints at each hip (x2)
• Hinge joints at each hip (x2)
• Swivel joints at each thigh (x2)
• Hinge joints at each knee (x2)
• Hinges at each ankle (x2)

The bits of disappointment with the articulation have been seen in other figures in the series: neck is hard to articulate because of the solidly sculpted hair, no mid-torso articulation (he’s a swimmer for goodness sake!), and no rocker ankles.

Compared to the others, he looks really cool. Seeing them together makes me excited to see what the team looks like in the Justice League movie.

He comes with his trident, which is silver, not gold, and with two articulating grapnel hooks for the collect & connect piece.

Breakdown:

• Playability – 4 out of 5. He’s a good looking figure. A bit more articulation would make him a perfect play piece.
• Packaging  – 4 out of 5. I’m still disappointed that we don’t get some type of character bio, but it looks really nice.
• Paint and Sculpt – 5 out of 5. Home run for Mattel on this one! He looks like Momoa and all the tattoos are cool. He is a little hunch-backed, but I can overlook it.
• Standability – 4 out of 5. No rocker ankles means that truly dynamic poses are difficult, but he still stands well enough.
• Articulation – 3 out of 5. Missed some points here for the ankles, torso, and hair – although his neck is more forgiving than Wonder Woman’s.
• Accessories – 1 out of 5. He has an accessory! Yes! But it’s silver! Dang! I feel better about completing the grapnel now, but it adds no true value to the figure in my opinion.
• Affordability – 5 out of 5. $19.99 works well here. He is very affordable for collectors and fans alike.

Overall impression: 26 out of 35. Not bad, not bad at all! I like this figure a lot! If it weren’t for the points off on accessories and articulation, he would have made one of my top figures lately. I wish Mattel had taken him to the next level, but he’s still a great figure!

And just because I was getting creative:

 

** Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Aquaman, and all related characters belong to DC Comics. Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice is owned by Warner Brothers. These images are for hobby only. Also, the background images were found on the internet. If one of the images belongs to you, I will gladly give credit.

Action Figure Maniac Reviews: Mattel: DC Comics Multiverse: Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice: 6 Inch Wonder Woman

DC Comics Multiverse: Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice: 6 Inch Wonder Woman
Mattel
Retail: $19.97 @ Walmart

The Dawn of Justice is upon us! Batman v Superman is in theaters this weekend, but the toys have been on shelves several weeks. Mattel has a vast selection of different toys, but I bought into the 6 inch DC Comics Multiverse figures because I prefer larger figures.

The first four in a series of collect & connect figures from the movie are Superman, Batman, Armored Batman, and Wonder Woman.

Today, we look at Wonder Woman.

The packaging is a pretty decent window box. Wonder Woman is nicely displayed with her sword and shield viewable. One side panel gives us a nice look at Wonder Woman and a brief synopsis of the movie. The back gives a description of the Multiverse line, a picture of the collect & connect piece, and a line up of the available characters.

Wonder Woman is a decent enough figure. She has a pretty face, her costume is nicely detailed, and the colors are good. Something about this figure throws me off though. She seems too “square” to me. You can see the female form, but something says “masculine.” Maybe that’s OK, though. She is Amazonian after all.

I like the detail on her forearm cuffs and boots. There is a scabbard for her sword on the left and her lasso is sculpted onto the right side. The leather straps across her chest and midriff do not come off and hide some of the detail of her costume.

She has 20 points of articulation:

• Ball-and-socket joint at the neck (x1)
• Rotating hinges at each shoulder (x2)
• Swivel joints at each bicep (x2)
• Hinge joints at each elbow (x2)
• Swivel joints at each elbow (x2)
• Swivel joints at each wrist (x2)
• Swivel joint at the waist (x1)
• Rotating hinges at each hip (x2)
• Swivel joints at each thigh (x2)
• Hinge joints at each knee (x2)
• Hinge joints at each ankle (x2)

It’s important to note that her hair is sculpted solid so any movement at the neck is negligible.

She comes with three accessories: a sword, a shield, and a piece of the collect & connect grapnel blaster.

There is no lasso accessory!

I like the little details on the sword. Her shield’s face is absolutely beautiful, but the handles are poorly designed. They are placed for right hand grip, but with her sword scabbard on the left side, her right arm is her sword arm. Plus, the handles are small, and getting her hand in and out of them is really difficult.

I’m indifferent about the collect & connect piece right now as there are only four out of eight figures readily available. We get the stand piece with Wonder Woman.

Breakdown:

• Playability – 4 out of 5. I can definitely see Wonder Woman battling along side her super hero companions, but I NEED A LASSO!
• Collectibility – 4 out of 5. I like the way she is displayed, but I would have liked to see a bio.
• Paint and Sculpt – 3 out of 5. What is it about this figure??? I want to love the way she looks, but Wonder Woman shouldn’t seem butch. Also, there was some paint slop that was a little disappointing.
• Standability – 4 out of 5. I was able to get some fairly nice looking poses, but a rocker at the ankle would have made this a 5.
• Articulation – 3 out of 5. 20 points good, but a rocker at the ankle would have made it better. The solid sculpted hair and the limited neck articulation are disappointing.
• Accessories – 3 out of 5. I am giving points off for no lasso, but adding points back in for the detail on the sword and shield. I like collect & connect, but I can’t get excited about this one yet with my search for Aquaman ongoing. I am afraid I might not be able to complete it.
• Affordability – 5 out of 5. $19.99 is a nice price. She’s affordable for most folks.

Overall impression: 26 out of 35. I don’t dislike this figure, but I can’t love her. I am at a loss as to why she looks odd, and she lost some big points on accessories and articulation as well. She is nice and solid. She displays nicely. Pick her up, you might not be as disappointed.

 

** Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Aquaman, and all related characters belong to DC Comics. Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice is owned by Warner Brothers. These images are for hobby only. Also, the background images were found on the internet. If one of the images belongs to you, I will gladly give credit.

Action Figure Maniac Reviews: Mattel: DC Super Hero Girls

DC: DC Super Hero Girls
Mattel
Retail: $9.99 each, Target Exclusive

The newest additions to my collection are the Target exclusive DC Super Hero Girls figures. If you aren’t in the know, DCSHG is a franchise created by DC Comics that centers around some of our favorite female DC characters as they grow up and face the challenges of youth and having super powers. There is a series currently on YouTube and toy lines are on the way.

Target stores are offering some exclusive toys based on the franchise. They will have 12″ dolls and 6″ action figures. The first series of figures includes Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Bumblebee, Batgirl, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn.

The packaging is quite attractive. The front of each card gives a beautiful picture of each super hero and the figures are nicely displayed in action poses. Each character gets a unique stamp in the lower right hand corner. The back of the cards gives a brief series description and a bio for each young lady.

Each of our heroes comes fairly detailed. They have beautiful, Disney-like faces. Their costumes, while not comic book accurate, are really cool and character appropriate.

Each figure has 13 points of articulation:

• Ball-and-socket at neck – x1
• Rotating hinge at each shoulder – x2
• Rotating hinge at each elbow – x2
• Swivel joint at each wrist – x2
• Rotating hinge at each hip – x2
• Rotating hinge at each knee – x2
• Swivel joint at each ankle – x2

First up, Wonder Woman!

She’s a pretty nice looking figure. Her costume is fairly simple, but the stars down the sides of the leggings and the wings on the boots are awesome! She comes equipped with her Lasso of Truth which if nicely sculpted to look as though she is about to lasso someone. It attaches to her belt, but disappointingly, the sculpt makes the rope stick out behind her.

Next up, Bumblebee!

Bumblebee might possibly be my favorite of the series. Her costume is pretty cool and she come with a backpack from which her soft-plastic wings spring. The bits of blue contrast with the yellows and look nice. She doesn’t come with any accessories, but the backpack is removable.

Next, Batgirl!

Batgirl is neat. Her costume is fairly reminiscent of her comic look. I am not sold on the hood/cowl. It looks odd, but is removable. She also comes with a bat-shaped removable backpack. She has no other accessories.

Supergirl comes next!

She is easily my least favorite. Her costume is full-on Supergirl and her soft-plastic cape is removable. My biggest complaint with her … she WILL NOT stand up. I was lucky to get these pictures. Even with the cape removed, she is difficult to stand. I think she is hair heavy, and then with the cape attached, she falls like crazy. There is also something about her face I don’t like. She looks doofy.

The first villain is Poison Ivy!

I really like Ivy. She seems to have the most Disney-esque look of all the figures, but she has some nice detail. Her hair is beautiful and the “vines” on her legs and her rose belt are nicely done. She comes with a really cool soft-plastic climbing vine accessory that can be moved where you want it.

Last, but not least, is Harley Quinn!

Harley doesn’t disappoint. It’s not my favorite look for the character. I like the jester look best, but this fits for a teenage girl better. Her face is really pretty and her shirt is done really well. In true Harley fashion, she comes with an over-sized mallet, which is pretty sturdy.

My favorite feature on these figures is their hands. All of them have soft-plastic, yet sturdy, hands. On some, the fingers are beautiful and really delicate looking.

Breakdown:

• Playability – 4 out of 5. These are awesome action figures! I like the feel of the figures, but getting some nice, dynamic super hero poses can be difficult.
• Collectibility – 5 out of 5. The packaging is so attractive on these. The figures are nicely displayed and the colors are really sweet. I like the individual bios.
• Paint Applications – 4 out of 5. Paint is pretty solid, but if you look, you’ll see some uneven lines, especially on faces/masks.
• Standability – 2 out of 5. Supergirl RUINED this one. Some of the others were only slightly difficult to stand, but she was awful. Considering the back of the card explicitly states they stand on their own, I am disappointed.
• Articulation – 4 out 5. 13 points is nothing to be bummed about, especially considering the audience for these figures. Ankle articulation would have been a really great addition so you could get action poses. Also, the neck joints are a bit stiff.
• Accessories – 2 out of 5. The figures have only a few accessories between them. I really like the ones included, but a group of young girls needs more to do!
• Affordability – 4 out of 5. $9.99 is a good price point. It might be a little steep for younger children who are fans though.

Overall impression: 21 out of 35. Mattel’s DC Super Hero Girls are really nice action figures. I would have been a bit more happy if I could pose them better and … SUPERGIRL! I really like these. They will look good in any collection and the kids will like them too!

 

** DC, DC Comics, and related characters belong to DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Entertainment. These images are for hobby only. Also, the background images were found on the internet. If one of the images belongs to you, I will gladly give credit.