From the outset, you really have to give Mattel, DC, and WB serious credit: the Aquaman movie design for Black Manta looks EXACTLY like it should.
Fwoosh superstar Robo T. Killah recently took a look at the whole set for the Youtube channel, and I think a lot of us were kinda surprised by how consistent and solid this wave ended up being. In person, I was really tempted by a few of the singles, but ultimately, wants vs needs won out, and I just grabbed Manta. But as a group, this was easily the closest I’ve been to buying a Multiverse wave since the line began, and I mean that as no backhanded praise.
Manta comes packaged with the head and torso for the “trench warrior,” the collect and connect for the wave. Again, Robo covers this in the video, and again, it looks surprisingly well painted and articulated. I’m going to omit really going into it here, since all I have is the head and torso, but it was kinda boneheaded to make this a build-a-figure. The stylish black lagoon-meets-Robert Rodriguez look of this thing easily would have made it a single card buy.
For sculpt and articulation, Manta came out pretty damn good. Decent range, even on the single elbows, and consistent proportions keep him easy to pose and fairly intimidating in those poses. The “dumbbell” section on the hips is a little wobbly- kinda how the old Bucky Cap body would do- but otherwise the quality is better than I thought. Even the little turbines on his back can pivot. And the armor, vents, panels and helmet have a nice sculpt. The paint is maybe a little light; a couple spots might have benefited from more of the red highlights, but for a mass market figure, this is all closer to what Hasbro is doing than Mattel has been in a long time. His only real accessory is a short sword, and its a little warped, as they do, but has some details and even a little paint. Manta only has one open hand, but the blade fits nicely.
I used to have dozens of the DCUC Black Manta. I’ve lost them all to time except for this Batcave trophy set. But I would say he scales close to the DCUC one, from memory anyway, but he looks excellent with the Mezco Aquaman. Obviously, the version included in the wave would work, and really, that figure looks like no slouch either.
Overall, Mattel has shown me that they are finally starting to up their game, and while my collection and habits have changed a lot since the DCUC heyday, I’m glad to give these new figures a second look, and maybe pick a few more. If you haven’t made your way over to Robo’s review, definitely do so for a little closer look at this wave. For me though, Black Manta is a good value at retail, and I easily recommend picking him up.
