The continued comparison between modern day Mcfarlane figures and their previous Mattel counterparts in the DC Action Figure pantheon continues as another 10 figures are compared and contrasted with the present and the past, and which points either company tackled better than the other. Batmen, live action films, iconic comic characters, and more lie ahead!
(Images Source unless stated otherwise)
Black Lightning
Starting off the list will be Jefferson Pierce, a recent example I really like of Mcfarlane taking B-tier heroes and pumping them into a line that has been stuffed with Batmen and Supermen. When it came time for Mcfarlane to make their version, they smartly re-used the body sculpt of their Speeding Bullets Superman so Black Lightning comes out with some of the best articulation in the line, and while not entirely accurate to the source material the striping on the arms is a nice touch of sculpting for the design. Mcfarlane's also comes out with lightning effect pieces which is a must when taking on a character with lightning abilities, though Mattel's headsculpt is a bit more accurate to how Jefferson actually looked in this outfit.
Red Tornado
These designs between Red Tornado are not exactly comparable, but close enough for me to do this comparison video. Mcfarlane's re-uses the recent Alan Scott mold, with a brand new headsculpt and boots to match Red Tornado's design; however, the chain for the cape could've done with some resculpting, compared to Mattel's which matched the gold ring design from the comics. The multiple hand accessories are nice for Tornado to be more expressive in the Mcfarlane version, and both come with adequate cyclone effect pieces to depict different actions of his powers.
Steel
A recent addition to the Mcfarlane roster is Steel, who was revealed a while back and is finally hitting the shelves of collections. While a great depiction of the character, and unrivalled in articulation compared to what came before, the Mattel version from their "DC Superheroes" line of figures actually is more spot-on to the design of the character with the feet design, for which I can't find source material to match what Mcfarlane sculpted. The less angular S shield and lack of tubes on the legs can be attributed to modern day source material, though another plus goes to Mattel for their hammer accessory not being gummy plastic that basically stays warped.
Batman (Jim Gordon)
Mcfarlane wins it in this round easily. Articulation is miles above Mattel's version, the plethora of hand accessories makes for an extremely expressive figure to pose around, the headsculpts are much more crisply sculpted, and the slimmer body mold from Mcfarlane matches Gordon's more toned physique from the comics. The only plus side is that Mattel's was released alongside their version of the Rookie robot which was nice release synergy, and the actual working gun holster is a nice touch.
Batman (The Dark Knight unmasked)
This figure has not been released yet from Mcfarlane; however, we can see everything we need to compare. From the first release of The Dark Knight Batman we know the sculpt beats out Mattel's Movie Master release, and from pictures it looks like Mcfarlane is beating them in the unmasked headsculpt department too (which Mcfarlane has markedly had difficulties with before). While not an exact match to Bale, the unmasked head from Mcfarlane is more recognizable than Mattel's release, plus Mcfarlane's comes with a bevy of unique accessories and no cake to match a specific scene from the film.
Joker (The Dark Knight - jail cell)
Another release from the Nolan trilogy is the jail cell Joker in his vest look from the film. From a release and accessory standpoint, the rocket launcher from Mattel is nice but it isn't beating the whole entire interrogation room set up that Mcfarlane's released with. And just looking at the figures themselves, the sculpting, paint, and proportions of their release are nicer looking than the brightly painted Mattel release.
Wonder Woman (Classic)
A standard, classic styled Wonder Woman figure was a long time coming in the Mcfarlane line and I think they delivered on one of the best Wonder Woman figures to come out at mass retail. Great articulation, an awesome silhouette, as well as excellent coloration for her golden armor and red/blue costume colors. I was never a big fan of the female sculpts from Mattel, with them being very skinny with very limited articulation even when compared to the male sculpt's limited articulation. Both figures come with an axe and shield; however, for the higher price point Mcfarlane's also includes alternate hands, a sword, as well as a completely free moving lasso!
Sinestro
A big time Green Lantern bad guy made his Multiverse debut in the line last year, and while the re-used boots from Kyle Rayner is a let down (compared to the comic accurate design that Mcfarlane pulled off) Sinestro is otherwise a home run in the line with great sculpt work, a worthwhile headsculpt, and some neat power effects which Mattel's is sorely lacking.
Hawkman (classic)
Mcfarlane's depiction of the classic Hawkman is a repaint of the Zero Hour design, meaning that elements of the figure don't completely match what the comic rendition looked like (Such as the gloves on his hands specific to the Zero Hour design); however, what lies underneath is still a great figure with excellent sculpted details for the musculature and costume, as well as a really nice set of wings which I sorely wish were articulated. While the sculpt of the Mattel release was very outdated with its stiff articulation, I will hand it to them that they gave Hawkman fully extendable posable wings!
Firestorm
Rounding out this round of comparisons will be Ronnie Raymond, Firestorm, as one of the best Mcfarlane releases of last year. All of the sculpting detailing captures Firestorm's look dead on, with a bevy of admirable quantum effect pieces to swap out with on the hands. Mattel's was nice for the unique sculpting they applied for the figure, as well as the very classic looking hand effect pieces that were included, but Mcfarlane's tops it in every dynamic from articulation, accessory count, and overall presentation as an action figure.
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