Review of Aquaman - Justice League
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

The Joker isn't the only DC movie to make insane box office. Aquaman crushed it as well, raking in the big bucks for Warner Brothers and DC. There's no comparing the two films of course, but it is interesting that fans whined for years about DC movies being too dark, too serious, yadda, yadda, yadda, and then they produce an emotional black hole of a comic book movie like the Joker, and fans eat it up. If you thought DC movies were dark before, you better strap in.

Back to Aquaman, personally one of my most 'meh' DC releases so far. It's not a terrible film by any stretch, but it does follow the standard story line, and does little to step outside the carefully arranged boundaries of comic book plotting. Before he got his own flick, Warner Brothers tested the waters with his appearance in Justice League, which tonight's figure is based upon.

I will give it up for Jason Momoa though. His big, brash, loud, goofy style is perfect for the character, and he brings a freshness to the DCU that most of the casting has not.  When Hot Toys put up a version of him on pre-order, I knew I'd have to have him on the shelf.

This isn't the only release they're doing of course, but this costume is the film's signature look. He just started shipping here in the States, and will run you around $235 or so, depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***
The basic shoe box design is collector friendly, although there is a lot of plastic wrap to discover and remove on the figure itself. There's even a couple of very well hidden pieces of black foam under the shoulder armor. There are some instructions, but it's largely about what not to do with the articulation.

Sculpting - ***1/2
There's no doubt this is a scary realistic portrait. Hot Toys has set the bar - and raised it several times - when it comes to creating sculpts that look like humans.  The extremely fine detailing in the hair, the subtle skin texture, the expressive eyes...it's amazing.

One of the outcomes of such an extremely realistic portrait is the 'wow' factor can overcome everything else. It's hard to see past something that looks like it could start chatting with you any second. But super realistic doesn't always mean super accurate, which is why I consider the two things separately.

And Jason is a little off. It's mostly the nose, where they've substituted in 'average white guy nose' for Momoa's larger snout. It's too tiny and cute, throwing off the other proportions of his face slightly. It's not just the nose though, because the eyebrows aren't quite as extreme in arch and size as the character either, although they do have his trademark scar. It's not atrocious, and there's no doubt you'll recognize him, but it's not quite four star material.

I do like the stern but not overt expression however, and the detail work on the costume is great. I'll discuss it more in the Outfit section, but the costume details are extremely well done, with a metal-like appearance to the sculpted edges and patterns.

He's fairly big, coming in at almost 13 inches tall.

Paint - ****
Another aspect of the 'wow' factor is Hot Toys production paint quality. You can have the most beautiful sculpt in the world, and have it ruined by poor paint.  That is not a factor for Hot Toys these days.

The hair line is a little wonky, but they've used the paint to create a subtle transition from skin to hair. The hair itself has tinted tips, which blend in with the costume in an interesting way. The skin tone is slightly darker, as it should be, and the facial hair looks amazing.  The eyes are piercing as well, straight and clean all around.

There's not a lot of paint detail on the costume, but they did create a metallic effect on the sculpted pieces. It brings out the surface texture and detail, and matches his on screen look.

Articulation - ***
With a heavily armored body, you always get less articulation. Unless it's Iron Man, and then Hot Toys finds a way to surprise me every time.

Aquaman's first encumbrance is his hair. The long locks are fairly soft, but they still make it tough to get any side to side lean or tilt out of the ball jointed neck. You can turn the head a bit, but it's much less mobile than the average figure.

The arms work great however, thanks to the design of the rotating hinge shoulder, elbow, and wrist. The shoulder armor is ball jointed with a post that lifts up and out from the arm, getting it out of the way of just about any arm position you might come up with. The armor can pop off, but it's quite easy to pop back on again.

The rotating hinge elbow can also turn, and the costume doesn't restrict it as much as you might expect. You can get great arm poses with a little effort, and not strain the material. The hands swap easily as well.

The torso has a rolling half chest joint that does allow the upper half to turn and tilt, but the waist is a solid piece. The movement you'll get here is minimal, as with the hips. The tight material of the suit on the legs allows for medium stances, but deeper stances aren't possible.

Which is fine because although the knees can bend deeply, the ankles have no side to side or rocker movement. That means in deeper stances the feet can't sit flat on the ground, making them look much less realistic.

Accessories - **1/2
This category is his weakest link, particularly when you consider the price point.

He does have two additional sets of hands to go with the relaxed pair he comes wearing. One is a set of fists, the other a set of tight grips to hold the 'trident'. The hands swap easily, and there's a couple extra wrists pegs just in case.

The trident (yes, it has five tines, don't blame the messenger), is nicely sculpted and fits neatly in the supplied hands. Take a little care though, and spread the fingers to avoid putting too much pressure on the shaft.

He also comes with a large mother box (the Atlantean version), easily the best of his accessories. It's the same size as previous mother boxes (see this review for another example, the Human Mother Box), and is a key part of the movie plot. The exterior sculpt is different of course, but it's the same scale and heft.

Finally, he has his display stand. It's large, with a nameplate on the sloping front, and will take up some serious shelf space.

All said and done, he really just has the mother box and his trident. Considering the price point, that's quite light.

Outfit - ***1/2
To capture the look and feel of his armored costume, they've done a nice job using mixed media. There's sculpted plastic and various fabrics, all designed to create the screen specific look.

The quality of tailoring and materials is very high, and I don't expect any issues with wear or degradation over time.  You can't get any extreme poses, but I expect most folks will go with a fairly static stance anyway. While the costume is limiting, it wasn't as rough on the articulation and posing as I expected.

But if I'm being honest, I have my own aesthetic issues with the look. Hot Toys did a fine job recreating it, but it's not my preferred costume to begin with.

Fun Factor - **1/2
The lack of articulation and accessories has an effect here as well. There's only so much you'll be able to do with this figure, and reposing on a regular basis is unlikely.

Value - **
At around $235 or so, this is a very expensive figure, even by Hot Toys standards. With only a couple accessories, it's hard to justify the cost. Sure, the costume is quite complex, but we've seen complex costumes come in around $220 or so, and I can't find a good reason why this guy should be another $15 or so over that.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. Take some care inserting the plastic trident into the very hard, very tight grip hands. Otherwise, you should be just fine.

Overall - ***
I didn't pick up every Justice League release from Hot Toys. I skipped the Flash, and I didn't feel I needed another Superman. But Aquaman was just too tempting for me to resist, and while the costume isn't my favorite, it will end up being a key look for the movie version.

He is expensive, as are all Hot Toys, and he doesn't have the quantity of accessories to support the price point. But if you're looking to complete the team, he's a must have.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ****
Articulation - ***
Accessories - **1/2
Outfit - ***1/2
Fun Factor - **1/2
Value - **
Overall - ***

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other action figures of this particular Aquaman include the One:12 Collective release. Other Hot Toys Justice League figures I've checked out include Batman and Wonder Woman.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!