Vinimates are an acquired taste, but once you acquire some, you’ll likely want to acquire more.
Anyway, Aquaman Vinimates are out now, and they’re a blast. I now have that Black Manta costume in statue, Pop!, action figure, and Vinimate form, and it looks good in all of them. Aquaman and Ocean Master ain’t so bad, either.
Anyway, if you’d rather read the transcript than watch the video, have a look below.
Aquaman is now the biggest DC film there’s ever been, and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer movie. Diamond Select Toys has been producing some great merchandise for the film. We’ve already covered the Aquaman and Manta galleries—and Ocean Master is on the way—but today, we’re going to zoom our focus in on the Vinimate line. So how do these hold up?
First up, we have Arthur. His costume looks mostly like what we see in the movie, though the color of the shirt is much more orange than what we got on screen, which was more gold. The trident looks great and authentic, and the face and hair are very suggestive of Momoa. I particularly like the detail work on the gloves and boots, as well as the belt. The plastic look of the accessories is much more natural here than on the Gallery.
Arthur’s little brother Orm is next, and while I love the costume and mask detail—which are truly great—this is the most disappointing of the bunch, because he’s missing his trident! It was a very distinct weapon in the film, and he always had it with him while wearing this particular costume, so it’s an unfortunate omission here in the Vinimate.
Last, but certainly not least, we have the best Vinimate ever produced, Black Manta. I absolutely loved Mark Wong’s design for Manta in the film, and I’ve loved every bit of merch I’ve laid my hands on. This is no exception. I love the detail on him, from the helmet, to the charging meter on his back, and the flattened leg jets. Good stuff. That said, there is a discrepancy worth noting: look at his sword. In the film, he had painted it black by the time he was in full costume, and here, it’s a silver color. I also would have liked to have seen the attached blade on his left arm, but oh well. Still the best Vinimate ever.
Warts and all, I love these new Aquaman Vinimates. They capture the spirit of each character quite well, and I’m delighted to add them to my collection. They could have been better, but I’ll gladly take them as they are.
