Mattel Aquaman Basic Figure (2018)

The universe finally brought me my Arthur!!!

I knew if I waited long enough, one would find its way into my life. This one appears to be the most basic issuance explicitly tied to the movie itself. You can also find it (with slight paint differences) in a 3-pack with Ocean Master and the Brine King. If you’re interested in that variation, follow in the footsteps of the guy who bid $0.01, not the one who splashed out $100~

There’s a single dot of paint missing from one of his gauntlets (presumably due to play), which I have absolutely no problem just living with, but I do have to mention that Mattel’s attempt at placing highlights into his his hair and beard is a little crude. That said, at a distance, it is better than Hasbro’s poop-smears from the War for Cybertron trilogy of Transformers toylines. We haven’t mastered the art of perfectly articulating characters with long hair, yet, but he can turn his head enough to look stoically into the distance at an artistic angle. I think that’s the best we can expect, at this point in time. Honestly, this is a shockingly good face portrait for a Western-released budget figure. It doesn’t seem to be outright faceprinting like Marvel Legends utilize, but there are glints of shiny life in his eyes.

Oh, and his forearms, here and elsewhere, look like corn cobs. You’re welcome~

He is supposed to come with the pictured, associated trident, but it was not present with mine. I’m going to be keeping an eye out for it, both at flea markets and on ebay. It looks to be incredibly pliable, but I do have experience with bending such materials back into their original positions, or user-desired ones. Speaking of which, the skirting pieces attached to his belt are a mite stiff, but Arthur’s joints are quite stern to match, if you'd like to warp them to accommodate a certain pose, over time.

Frankly, I am in utter disbelief of how tight they are, across the board, especially considering that my figure is a loose example, as alluded to. There is absolutely no doubt that he is going to stand proudly, true, and completely unshakable.

Also, ALONE. The matching Mera's face is incomprehensibly generic. Though, I've long been both resolved to and happy at the thought of Arthur being the sole figural representational of the film, on my shelf.

 I cannot describe how happy I am that this has indeed come to pass.

4½ Examples of Worthiness Through Simplicity out of 5