DC Universe Classics Series 2 Aquaman

Package Description
Found abandoned, Prince Orin of Atlantis was raised in the ways of the surface world and renamed by lighthouse keeper Arthur Curry. But in the water was where young Arthur truly thrived. In adulthood, he took the name Aquaman and used his aquatic abilities to patrol the Seven Seas. The aquatic avenger’s renown soon earned him a place among the newly assembled Justice League of America.

Appearance
Aquaman has a sculpt that is brand new in some parts and improves upon older sculpts in other parts. The torso, with its individually sculpted scales, is new and a little bigger than the new torso on figures like Black Manta. The legs are very similar to Red Tornado’s and Orion’s with some adjustments. Aquaman can stand without a wide stance thanks to improvements in the hips, and of course the fins were added to the calves. The details of this figure are in the torso and staff. The dry brushing on the scales in addition to the paint wash on the legs add enough texture differences in the figure to make it look great. The classic Aquaman also has more color transitions such as on the black trunks. The color choices in particular are excellent, matching well the color in the comics while still looking good in plastic form. I would have liked a little more even paint application on the scales though, which are slightly irregular when looking closely at the figure.

Stylistically Aquaman fits perfectly with DCSH and DCUC figures, and is of the same proportions. The available Justice League roster is expanding and Aquaman looks good on it. He also displays well with Black Manta, validating Mattel’s strategy of including a hero and their villain in each wave. Aquaman looks better with the staff, but is ok without it. I’m a big fan of the classic head sculpt, which matches the comics near perfectly. The skin tone is the same as the DCSH Series 2 Superman. Overall, I’m very satisfied with the way Aquaman turned out and have no qualms with the figure.

Articulation
Aquaman has standard joints for DCUC and DCSH figures of the standard body type. His arms bend just under ninety degrees. The ab joint has a tough time moving up and down but does enough for swimming poses. The head cannot look up hardly at all, and the legs bend up only about 60 degrees. The range of motion is fairly standard for this line.

Poseability
It was harder for Aquaman to do dynamic poses than I was expecting. His balance is decent, but I don’t really picture Aquaman fighting with his fists against Black Manta, which leaves using the staff or swimming poses. There are some good poses for him to do though, so he should look great on display. The biggest annoyance was the head not being able to look up like Superman Blue/Red can. Overall, I am satisfied with the figure’s poseability.

Final Judgment: 7
This figure was slightly under my expectations, but admittedly my expectations were pretty high. The appearance of the figure is superb, and the articulation and poseability, if not at levels of other figures, is just under them. For the lack of faults in this figure, I again have to give a DCUC figure a score of 7.

SCALE

10. My favorite possession.

9. My favorite action figure.

8. One of my favorite action figures.

7. An excellent action figure.

6. A good, but not exceptional action figure.

5. An adequate action figure.

4. Not worth the money I spent.

3. I'll give it to somebody's kid.

2. I'll give it to somebody's dog.

1. It's going to lose a fight with my car.