Aquaman Movie Figures

Aquaman Movie Figures

DC Multiverse - Mattel

As usual, I planned to cherry pick this line to fill in gaps for my comic accurate figures.  But the more and more I see about the Aquaman movie, the more excited I get!  So while the a more accurate Mera and a completed Trench monster figure were the main draw, I do not regret getting them all so far.  Mattel has upped their game with new articulation and body bucks. (ankle rockers!). The digital sculpts are clean and life like, and the paint and colors pop.  Wait...colors...bright colors...from a Zack Snyder byproduct?!  Have we all forgotten Man of Steel enough to give Aquaman a chance?

While all the figures look and move great, the stand out figure is Black Manta.  Such a great page to screen design.  He’s got some red hues here and there that stand out in all the darkness. The details on his pack are outstanding:  tubes here and there and water jets that can rotate.  The only thing that could be improved on him would be the inclusion of an unmasked head.

The basic figure line (less articulate, $10 base) also has some great stuff to offer.  Shark vehicles!  The great white is pretty big, can seat basic or multiverse figures, and has an action feature that actually works!  The mouth opens and the multi-jointed tail moves with the push of a button...and pretty realistically, in my opinion.  He has a hidden missile feature that is a little less believable, but should please Dr. Evil to no end.  You also get a basic Aquaman...nothing to write home about, but proved useful for an easy, and better looking hair swap on the multiverse version.

Aquaman’s mentor, Vulko is packed with the smaller Hammerhead shark.  This shark looks great, but has a puzzling lack of action feature.  His fin moves in a slot like it should have been connected to a tail action.  The tail has a spring loaded feel to it, but has to be activated manually.  Strange, but not a deal breaker.  It’s still a cool looking shark for toys to ride and fight.  The basic Vulko is good enough  that I dont need the Amazon exclusive multiverse version.  I wouldn’t have minded that more expensive version, but he didn’t come with parts for the Trench creature, so no deal.

The Trench creature sold me on the set, and he does not disappoint.  Hinged jaw!  The only downside is that, as a build a figure, it is impossible to amass an army of these guys.  Here’s hoping for a basic figure to help with that problem, like the basic Parademons.

I had to buy another basic Aquaman and basic Orm to get to the Brine King.  How could you not want a big crab monster guy?  Yes, some articulation is sacrificed for an old school, leg squeezing action feature, but at least the snapping claw is appropriate.  I only wish they had given his other, small claw and opening joint.  Pre-Ocean Master orm is at least a variant figure not currently in the multiverse line, so he gets a pass.

All in all, some great offerings for a movie that could be another turkey.  I’m still excited to see it, and will keep buying the figures to give my DC collection some Atlantean power.

Austin Powers - Space Base Playset

Austin Powers

McFarlane Toys - Mezco

also featuring the 

Space Base Playset

ReadySetz

Yeah baby!  Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery is back in full force on my toy shelf!  I had the key players (Austin and Dr. Evil) from McFarlane Toys when they came out close to twenty years ago, but a lull in current toy releases, revisiting the movies, and a trip to Ebay helped me get my mojo back. Short of a couple of Mezco variants (Sumo Fat Bastard Man and Prison Dr. Evil with Mini-Me), I picked up a well-rounded line-up for next to nothing.

The McFarlane figures that came out with "The Spy Who Shagged Me" were par for the company at the time:  little more than statues with a fair amount of accessories that they may or may not be able to hold.  They did produce some of the most realistic sculpts (again, at the time), but they were pretty fragile figures (Vanessa's hand decided it was time to snap off just for this photo shoot) and don't hold up to today's standards.  They each came with a rather large sound feature stand that took three little batteries just to say one quote.  Some of the "mint on card" pick-ups I got lacked the sound feature, but came with some corroded batteries!  Yay!  Let that be a lesson to you: they are TOYS.  Take the TOYS out of the box and play and display!

Mezco produced a wave for "Goldmember."  These are a little bit cartoony or exaggerated in the sculpts (like my Goonies figures), but have far more articulation than the McFarlane figures.  I saw somewhere that they had a Foxxy Cleopatra prototype that didn't make it to production, which is a shame.  Especially since someone wasted plastic on Heather Graham, who I am convinced is only a good actress at playing parts where she is supposed to be a bad actress (See "Bowfinger").

As a fan of these movies, (and the 007 franchise they spoof lovingly) I wish there were more bad guys in the line-up:  Frau Farbissna, Number Two, Mustafa, Random Task, Paddy O'Brien, etc.  And could Michael Caine really want that much money for his likeness, or did they not think anyone would want a Nigel Powers figure?  Has there ever been a Michael Caine figure in any toy line?  Hmmm...something to look into.

Complete or not, I had a great time displaying these figures on the new Space Base playset from ReadySetz.  As you may have seen in previous reviews, I also have their Urban Playset.  These are huge, fun, foldable playsets that are great for toy displays/photography and, of course, play.  Highly recommended for both collectors and kids!  Austin Powers won the toss for first use, which was a hard call for a lot of other lines I collect.  Doctor Who, Alien, cosmic-themed Marvel Legends (Fantastic Four, Guardians of the Galaxy, etc), and the X-Men (cosmic adventures in the Claremont era, Asteroid M) are all in line to get some time in on this baby.

My mini-Austin Powers shopping spree didn't end with the figures.  I picked up a "Big Boy" bank, a guide to all the movies, a Johnny Lightning Shaguar die-cast car, and this odd Upper Deck costume piece card, which claims to have a tiny piece of Austin's blue, crushed velvet pants from the first movie embedded in it.  Fab!

Spider-Mobile

Spider-Mobile

Disney Toybox

As much as I hate to admit it, Disney still manages to surprise me now and then (without having to subvert expectations).  I really have no need for yet another style and scale of some of my favorite properties (until they manage to get their shit together with Indiana Jones), so the Toybox line is lacking for me in that department.  But then along comes a spider...buggy...and I needed it....badly!  It’s pretty comic accurate, goofy, colorful, comes with a Spider-Man figure, and is only $30.  And best of all...you can fudge it just enough to work with six-inch figures!

The Spidey-decaled wheel roll and are almost a thick rubber.  It’s pretty rare to get a vehicle like this that doesn’t have hollow plastic tires nowadays.  It can seat 2 figures and probably a few tag-alongs (watch out for hop-ons) in the back.  There are some foot pegs for figures to stand on the trunk.  Oh, and the trunk pops open for some storage.  This feature, along with 2 sound and light activated buttons on the hood, was a complete surprise.  The packaging did little more than show off the vehicle and left the features out.  Weird.  I scared the hell out of myself in pushing one of the buttons by accident and hearing the rather loud ignition sound fire up.  The headlights accompanying the sound are also pretty bright.  One button cycles through several “car” sounds, while the other has some of your expected Spidey catchphrases. “Friendly neighborhood” yada yada yada.  

I almost forgot about the action feature!  There is a hook and winch on the back that you can pull out and attach to things.  There is a button for quick retraction action.  Unnecessary, but another welcome bonus to this instant buy.

I dogged the Toybox figures at the start, but having one in hand, I have to say that they are quite nice.  I wasn’t expecting so much articulation for a kid-aimed line.  I might just pick up a few of these after all, especially the true Disney properties like Mickey and pals.

The only gripes I can muster about this toy is that the web detailing might look more accurate in black and the blue is more powder than royal blue.  That’s it.  So, if you’re a Marvel Legends collector, snap this up.  It’s too good to hold out hope that Hasbro will make one for the Legendary Riders line and if they do, it will cost far more.  Seriously, the most surprising toy from Disney compatible with my collections since the Star Tours Speeder.

As an added bonus to this review, I recently picked up a Hot Wheels Spider-Mobile to go with my ever-growing collection of tv/movie/comic/novelty cars.  Along with Spider-Ham and H.E.R.B.I.E., it seems to be the year for obscure comic references in the toy aisles!