Comparing Mattel's DC action figures to Mcfarlane's part 2
Continuing with the theme I started in a previous post, I will be taking characters designs that both Mattel and Mcfarlane utilized for their respective DC action figure lines and comparing my thoughts on the differences between how the two companies approached the figures. While I've been no stranger to how I feel Mcfarlane is better hands for the line, Mattel's offerings weren't without their merits and in the previous post I even mentioned how their armored Batman from DKR does a lot of things better than Mcfarlanes! So with another five figures picked out to focus on, Mattel's pictured on the left and Mcfarlane's on the right, here is my comparisons between Mattel and Mcfarlane part 2!
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Rebirth era John Stewart
Nearing the end of the line Mattel started to actually change up the way they approached their figures and that meant new leaps such as double jointed knees and the exclusion of the ugly T-joint hips. Despite this, Mcfarlane's sculpting looks so much smoother and the proportions on the character come together a whole lot better. Mattel's Rebirth John Stewart suffers from painted on detailing, and continued mediocre articulation in key areas like the elbows and neck, whereas Mcfarlane's John Stewart fixes all of those issues as well as decks John out with an awesome slew of ring constructs!
DCEU Flash
I will come out the gate and say that I love how Mattel painted the silver lines that run throughout Flash's suit in the DCEU version of the character. It perplexes me how Mcfarlane released their figure without doing so; however, I will follow that up with saying that Mcfarlane's interpretation of the character otherwise blows away Mattel's. Awkward body proportions and limited articulation (especially in the arms and body) really bog down trying to do anything fun with Mattel's in terms of posing, compared to Mcfarlane's which can be set up in some really impressive and natural looking sprinting depictions. Added on to that we got a handful of cool speed force effect pieces, excellent range of motion (especially where the head is concerned), and the splayed out fingers I think is a much better fit for running poses compared to the fists of Mattel's.
Batman Beyond
Mattel's Batman Beyond was a fan favorite character when it was released, and for good reason as it was pretty decent and introduced a new smaller body mold for the company to re-use for smaller sized characters (though I've never been a fan of simply repainting bodies). Mcfarlane's version of the character as always blows away the previous version in terms of articulation, as well as the inclusion of not only a flight stand but booster effects for the foot, and multiple designs for the batarangs depending on the version you buy; however, the wings can definitely be finicky and aren't meant to be removed which is where Mattel's does have the upper hand.
DCEU Cyborg
Bringing in another DCEU character, this time it will be Cyborg from the Justice League films. I remember being slightly impressed with Mattel's Cyborg when it came to new sculpting when the figure first came out; however, those feelings were quickly soured by the awkwardly postured look of the character where his head/neck always seems to be arched back in his body, the gaudy smooth shoulder joints, and limited articulation especially where the hands and torso were concerned. Dissimilarly, not only am I completely blown away by the sculpted detailing of Mcfarlane's Cyborg, but the level of articulation he contains is next level and hidden extremely well, the floating shoulder joint pieces do a great job allowing for range of motion while maintaining detailing, and the headsculpt actually looks pretty close to Ray Fisher.
Rebirth era Nightwing
Finishing off this list with another figure that fans touted as one of the best Mcfarlane's line had to offer from its first year, and a character that fans loved dearly from the comics. Rebirth's Nightwing from Mcfarlane has a couple of odd proportion issues where I think Mattel's lines up a bit better, though Mattel's again runs into the conundrum of painted on chest emblem's and detailing that Mcfarlane has pretty much completely avoided to this point which really helps his figures pop a lot more and look less toy-like and more like little statues. Articulation is something I won't even get into because the winner is clear, and Mcfarlane's headsculpt is I believe the best Nightwing headsculpt we've gotten from any company thus far! I will give it to Mattel for painting the blue on his batons and including alternate hands, but for a character as agile as Nightwing the Mcfarlane figure can do so much more and looks plainly great at the same time.
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