Category Archives: Reviews

#0112: Spock & Uhura

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

SPOCK & UHURA

STAR TREK MINIMATES

Did you guys realize that I’d gone over two weeks without any Minimate reviews?  I’m starting to go into withdrawal!  So, to remedy that, I’m taking a look at another set, STAT! (I have no idea what that means, but doctors always end their sentences with “STAT” on medical dramas when stuff gets all serious.)

Today, it’s another look at the Star Trek minimates line, this time from their first venture into the smaller 2-inch scale, not the more recent Legacy line I’ve looked at previously.  My previous Trek ‘mate reviews have been a bit more on the obscure side for non-Trek fans, but not this time!  Today, I’ll be looking at classic series mainstays Spock & Uhura.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

These two were released as part of the 2nd wave of the initial small-scale Star Trek Minimates line.

SPOCK

First up, the logical choice, the Enterprise’s chief science officer and one of the most known characters from the series, Mr. Spock.  This was the second Spock released in the line, so Diamond decided to depict him in his uniform from the original pilot “The Cage.”  It’s not too far off from his regular series uniform, but instead of the usual black v-collar, he has a blue turtle-neck, and his rank band-thingies on his arms are a bit different.  Spock is built on the usual Minimate body, so he stands about 2 ½ inches tall and features 14 points of articulation.  Spock has 3 sculpted pieces: his hair and his pant cuffs.  The hair is appropriate to the character, showing off his unique bowl-cut and pointed ears, as well as conveying some nice detail work.  The cuffs are different than the ones featured on the previously reviewed Captain Pike.  Diamond seems to have moved to the slimmer pieces for the new line.  I’m not sure which ones I prefer, but the ones present here do their job.  The earlier Trek ‘mates can be a bit more simplistic than some of the more recent offerings, but this doesn’t seem to affect Spock too negatively.  His face, in particular, holds just as much detail as modern Minimates and offers a unique facial expression that suits the character well.  The rest of the details are fine, although some of the gold details can get lost.  Spock included a tricorder and a “Cage”-style phaser.

UHURA

Next, it’s the Enterprise’s faithful communications officer, Lt. Uhura.  She’s not as well-known as Spock, perhaps, but she’s definitely up there.  Uhura is shown in her main uniform from the series.  Like Spock, Uhura is built on the usual body, and has the same height and articulation.  Uhura has 2 sculpted pieces:  her hair and her skirt.  The hair looks to be pretty spot on, and the detailing is quite nice, perhaps even better than that on Spock’s hair-piece.  The skirt is fine, though it does look a bit on the dated side by current Minimate standards, being rather on the boxy side.  Like Spock, Uhura doesn’t appear to have been hit too hard by the occasionally lesser paint apps of earlier minimates.  Most of the paint work is nice and clean, and the face is a nice approximation of Nichelle Nichols.  A slight negative:  The paint of the boots is rather sloppy, and similarly to Spock, the gold parts can get a little lost.  Overall, she’s well done, though.  Uhura was packaged with a phaser and a communicator.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

These two were picked up on clearance from a nearby FYE.  I actually had been looking for them, and just happened upon them at FYE along with several other sets of Minimates.  Trek Minimates have never been the highest priority for me, but I always enjoy them once I get them.  This was a pretty good set, and is necessary for anyone looking to complete their Original Series bridge crew.

#0111: Obi Wan Kenobi

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OBI WAN KENOBI — JEDI DUEL

STAR WARS: EPISODE I (HASBRO)

Ah, yes, The Phantom Menace.  What a thing that was.  Has any other movie simultaneously brought back and killed a beloved franchise?  Oddly enough, even though I don’t particularly care for it, it’s the only of the prequel trilogy that I can stand at all these days.  Sure, it’s total crap, but it didn’t put me to sleep or make my brain hurt too much like the other two.  Plus, it did actually have some pretty good performances by Liam Neeson and Ewan McGreggor.  So, it wasn’t all bad I suppose. Just mostly…

Regardless of opinions of the film itself, the toys were a pretty big hit, and they aren’t terrible.  So, today I’ll be looking at the basic figure of Ewan McGreggor’s young Obi Wan Kenobi.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Obi-Wan was released as part of the initial wave of figures released by Hasbro to coincide with the release of the movie.  Obi Wan is based on his look during his and Qui Gon’s final battle with Darth Maul.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and features 10 points of articulation.  The articulation is important to note, as this was probably the most articulation ever to be seen on a Star Wars figure at the time.  Until Revenge of the Sith came along, this was the new standard.  The sculpt on the figure is pretty decent, not perfect, but a nice approximation of what Obi Wan looked like in the movie.  While I understand the decision to sculpt the arms bent to hold the lightsaber two-handed, it does leave the sculpt looking a bit odd if he isn’t holding the saber.  The torso also suffers from being a bit boxy, even for the time.  The paint is serviceable.  Nothing spectacular, but pretty good in general.  The lines on the boots are a bit fuzzy, but everything else is pretty clean.  Mine have long since been lost, but when he was new, Obi Wan included his lightsaber and a “comm-tech” display stand that would play some of Obi Wan’s dialogue from the movie when hooked into the big comm-tech player you could buy. [EDIT–I actually found all of his parts for his Flashback Friday Figure Addendum!]

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

While Phantom Menace is far from one of my favorite movies, I was 7 at the time of its release, and I was willing to overlook most of its flaws because it was a new Star Wars movie.  I rushed right from the theatre to get an Obi Wan figure (Which was $2.99, by the way.  That’d cost you $10 now…), and I was very happy to have him.

#0110: Funland Robot

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FUNLAND ROBOT

SCOOBY DOO

Scooby Doo where are you?  That’s actually a good question to ask when examining my action figure collection.  You see, I own exactly 2 figures from Scooby Doo, and neither of them is the title character (or Shaggy for that matter).  It’s not that I don’t like Scooby Doo, or anything.  Just, for whatever reason, I never really picked up any of the figures outside of the two that I had a specific interest in owning.  Today’s figure comes from my favorite episode of the original series, “Foul Play in Funland.”  The episode was a bit out of the ordinary, as it featured an out of control robot named Charlie, which actually turned out to be an out of control robot, not some guy in a mask pretending to be one.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Funland Robot was released as part of the second series of Scooby Doo figures released in 2000 by Equity Marketing, Inc.  He stands about 9 inches tall and features 7 points of articulation.  The sculpt is fairly basic, but that’s pretty accurate to the show.  I feel that the head might be a bit to long for Charlie’s design on the show, but it isn’t too terrible, especially since Charlie did have a tendency to look different from frame to frame.  For the most part, Charlie is molded in the appropriate colors, with minimal paint for the gloves, boots, and then most of the paintwork appearing on the head.  There’s a few questionable choices, chief among them being that Charlie seems a bit too bright for the character on the show.  In particular, his torso being pink seems to be quite off, as it was more of a darker purple in the show.  The head is overall well done, though there is an odd choice to paint most of the jaw a pale indigo color.  I’m not really sure why they did that, since it should just be the same color as the rest of the face, which would have actually saved them a pass with the paint.  Oh well.  The Funland Robot was packed with a giant magnet that could be attached to his back, and a funhouse mirror.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Charlie’s always been one of my favorite characters from the old Scooby Doo series.  He’s the main point of my favorite episode, plus he’s also a robot, which is one of my favorite things, so he just added up to a whole lot of cool.  When the Funland Robot was announced back in 2000, I knew I most definitely wanted one.  My parents paid close attention to this, and he was amongst my birthday gifts for that year.  While he may not be a perfect figure, he’s one that I really enjoy.

#0109: Night Creeper

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NIGHT CREEPER

GI JOE: SPY TROOPS

Today, I’ll be taking a look at an entry in the original Action Figure toyline, G.I. Joe!  Like my last G.I. Joe review, this figure hails from the Real American Hero incarnation of the line.  In the early 2000s, Hasbro attempted to bring this incarnation back after a few years of hiatus.  The reinvented line started as a simple “G.I. Joe vs. Cobra” idea, but quickly moved from gimmick to gimmick to keep things fresh.  One of those gimmicks was called “Spy Troops” and revolved around certain figures featuring special gear that would allow them to blend in with their enemies.  This time around, I’ll be looking at one of the Cobra forces from the line, the Night Creeper.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Night Creeper was released as part of the 2003 wave of Spy Troops figures.  He was paired in a two pack with Kamukura, one of the many G.I. Joe ninjas.  The Night Creepers were one of Cobras many ninja armies, so the pairing makes sense.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and features 20 points of articulation.  The sculpt on the figure is a bit dated now, with an odd kind of “v” shape to the body and long arms, but at the time, it was actually quite good.  Viewed through that lens, it’s pretty good, if not perfect.  There’s lots of cool little details present, which give the figure a lot of character.  The paint on the figure is minimal, with most of the figure being molded in the appropriate shade of blue, but the small amounts of paint present are all nice and clean.  The Night Creeper was actually very well accessorized, with a sword for his basic look, plus a dive mask, re-breather, flippers, and a harpoon gun to allow the Creeper to masquerade as G.I. Joe Wetsuit.  I’ve lost the Wetsuit pieces, but they did the job quite convincingly, and actually made for a slightly better figure than the official Wetsuit release.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I actually bought Night Creeper solely for the Kamukura figure that was packed with him, but I quickly grew to like the Night Creeper a bit more.  The early 2000s G.I. Joe line was far from perfect, and was even downright bad at times, but the Night Creeper was one of the better figures.

#0108: Martin Jordan

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MARTIN JORDAN

GREEN LANTERN (MOVIE)

If you’ve been following the site, you’ve probably picked up that I’m a pretty big fan of all things Green Lantern.  A little while back, I reviewed the basic Hal Jordan figure from 2011’s Green Lantern movie, where I noted that pretty much my only reasoning for purchasing the figure was because it was Green Lantern related.  Well, today I’ll be looking at yet another entry from that line, which I purchased for pretty much the same reason.  It’s the titular hero and his father Martin.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Green Lantern included in this set is identical to the one I reviewed previously, so I’ll just be looking at Martin this time around.  Martin was released as part of a two-pack exclusive to K-Mart at the time of the movie’s release.  The figure is based on Martins flight suit look from the movie.  He stands about 4 inches tall and has 6 points of articulation.  The sculpt is pretty much in line with the rest of the figures from the series.  The likeness on the head sculpt is actually pretty good.  The body isn’t terrible, although it is entirely inaccurate to the flight suit Martin wore in the movie, since they just reused the test-pilot Hal Jordan body.  The paint has no slop or anything, but it’s incredibly basic, and quite drab.  Which I guess is good because it fits right in with all of Mattel’s other offerings from the movie.  He included a Ferris Air parachute, which was just kind of a cheap piece of plastic that I didn’t feel the need to hang onto for any particular reason.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like the Hal Jordan figure, this figure is a decent offering…if it had been released about 10 years prior.  Mattel really phoned this line in, and it’s incredibly obvious.  Plus, we got Martin Jordan in the 4 inch line, but not Hector Hammond, Carol Ferris, or Amanda Waller?  Martin had less than 5 minutes of screen time, and it’s not like he had a particularly interesting look.  I wish I had more positive things to say, but I really can’t think of any.

#0107: Original Ghost Rider

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ORIGINAL GHOST RIDER

GHOST RIDER (TOYBIZ)

Time to take a jump back to the 90s and to ToyBiz’s powerhouse that was the 5 inch Marvel line.  Sure, they had the X-Men line, and the Spider-Man line, and they did a few waves of Hulk, Iron Man and Fantastic Four to tie in with the cartoons.  But they wanted to do more.  They wanted another character to devote a whole line to.  And seeing as it was the middle of the 90s and being oh-so-90s was the big thing to be, they needed someone who just bled 90s.  Someone who screamed “X-TREME!”  With chains, and leather jackets, and skulls!  And what do you know, Marvel had a character like that:  Ghost Rider!  And so, Ghost Rider was given his own toyline!  To ToyBiz’s credit, the Ghost Rider line is easily one of the highlights of the many toylines they produced in this time period.

Today, I’ll be looking at one of the variants of the main character from the line.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

“Original Ghost Rider” as he was dubbed was released as part of the second (and last) wave of the Ghost Rider line.  In spite of the name, he’s actually based on the second Ghost Rider, Danny Ketch, who was the main Ghost Rider at the time.  I’ll be honest, the name makes no sense.  Like, at all.  So, I’m just gonna overlook it and just review the figure on its own merits.  Ghost Rider stands just over 5 inches tall and has 13 points of articulation.  For the record, that level of articulation was phenomenal for the time, which just goes to show ToyBiz’s commitment to the line, which was odd, given there wasn’t a Ghost Rider cartoon or anything.  The sculpt on GH is actually really good.  It’s quite detailed, and it’s well-proportioned for the time.   The figure’s covered in flames, that all look to be well handled, if perrhaps a bit odd looking, give that they’re opaque.  Originally, the figure had an action feature where, when you pressed a button on his back, the front of his chest would pop open, displaying his fiery torso.  However, the chest pieces didn’t stay on very well, and I lost mine over the years, leaving my Ghost Rider with a permanently exposed chest.  That sounds awkward.  The paint is pretty good, though some stuff, like the glow in the dark gimmick on the head, leaves the paint under-detailed, which is a bit of a disservice to the sculpt.  Ghost rider was originally packaged with a set of glow in the dark chains to be clipped onto him, but child-me seems to have lost that piece.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Ghost Rider was part of a large subset of figures that were purchased for me by my dad what a nearby comicbook store called Ageless Heroes went out of business.  The store had a large stock of the various 90s 5 inch figures, and they were being sold for quite a discount.  I know this was my go to Ghost Rider for a while, and I really thought the chest thing was pretty cool.  Of course, I only bought Ghost Rider because I felt my Champions display needed him.   Yeah, I was that kid.  And for all of you who went “who are the champions?”, go look up Marvel’s Champions.  Be amazed at my obscure references!

#0106: Black Hand

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BLACK HAND

GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH (DC DIRECT)

I’ve mentioned before that I’m quite the Green Lantern fan.  Well, I’ll be frank, that doesn’t really extend to his villains.  Sure, I’m a fan of characters like Sinestro and the original Star Sapphire, and heck I’m even a pretty decent fan of characters like Sonar, Evil Star and Goldface.  But there are some Green Lantern villains I just plain don’t like.  Like, for instance, Hector Hammond, star villain of the 2011 Green Lantern movie.  My opinion of today’s character, Black Hand, is not as simple as the previously mentioned opinions.  No, he’s much more complex, and today’s figure just plays right into those mixed feelings.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Black Hand was released as part of the first wave of DC Direct’s Green Lantern: Rebirth line, done to coincide with the comic event of the same name.  Hand himself only has a minor appearance in the actual Rebirth series, and he doesn’t look like this.  The figure here is actually based on Hand’s look in the re-launch GL book shortly after Rebirth.  While this is the look that would gain notoriety in Blackest Night and the like, it’s presence here seems to be solely because it was what Hand was wearing at the time, as the character would remain relatively obscure for a few more years.  Anyway, the figure stands a little over 6 inches tall, and features 11 points of articulation.  He looks to be built on a similar under-lying structure to that of the Hal Jordan figure released in this line.  The outer details are different, with Black Hand featuring a lot more details on his costume.  In particular, he’s got lots of wrinkles all over his costume.  What, does this guy not have an iron?  On his left arm, he’s got straps and buckles, I guess to “modernize” the character’s look.  The Right hand is the titular “black hand”, and is exposed in all its veiny goodness.  This guy also has a lot of rivets, which begs the question:  is his cosume actually riveted on to him?  That might explain the figure’s surly facial expression.  Black Hand is topped off by a non-removable rubber cape.  It’s a decent sculpt, but it can make the figure a bit top heavy.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

So, I’ve done my (mostly) non-biased review of the figure itself.  Now, onto the nitty-gritty, me part:  I absolutely, without a doubt in my mind, hate the modern Black Hand, and pretty much everything he’s been involved with.  I know, that’s a strong opinion, but I just haven’t liked what he’s been involved with.  Classic Black Hand had a pretty neat design, and while he was hokey as hell, that was a lot of fun.  A decent character.  But, hokey characters can’t be hokey anymore, so we wound up with this redo of the character, where he’s got leather straps, and wrinkles, a random lines all over the place, and looks like a zombie.  And, hey, “Black Hand” makes no sense, unless you spell it out for people by giving him a BLACK HAND!  Hey, MGM, I’ve got an idea for a Goldfinger remake.  Here’s the twist:  Goldfinger loses one of his fingers, and he has to replace it with one MADE OF GOLD!

I know what you’re thinking: If you hate the design so much, why do you have the figure?  Because I got him for a dollar.  And for a dollar I guess he’s alright.

#0105: Corporal Hicks vs Xenomorph Warrior

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CORPORAL DWAYNE HICKS vs XENOMORPH WARRIOR

ALIENS (NECA)

Today I’ll be wrapping up my reviews of NECA’s Aliens line up to this point.  Fear not, though, as the second series and a two pack of Hudson and a Xenomorph Warrior should be on their way pretty soon.   So, that’ll be plenty of new reviews.

I’m looking at another of the two-packs NECA released to keep the line going.  This time it’s another figure of Corporal Hicks, facing off against and unfortunate Xenomorph.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

These two were released as one of the three two-packs put out to bridge the gap between the first and second series.  This one is just now hitting stores, so it should be relatively easy to find.

CORPORAL HICKS

First up, it’s the heroic Corporal Dwayne Hicks!  Hicks is based on the character’s appearance while in the depths of the alien hive, during the initial Xenomorph attack.  The key difference between this figure and the last one is the presence of his helmet, which he loses shortly after the battle in the hive, and his shoulder lamp, which was inexplicably absent from the initial release.  Hicks, like his previous figure, stands about 7 inches tall and has 30 points of articulation.  From the neck down, this figure is 100% reuse from the previous Hicks.  If you want the rundown, go here.  The head and helmet are the new pieces here.  The helmet is a welcome addition, as it was very obviously missing from both series 1 marines.  The helmet itself looks pretty good, but I feel it sits up too high on the head, which looks a bit silly.  Since the helmet’s already non-removable, NECA probably should have foregone the top of the hair entirely to allow the helmet to sit more naturally.  The head itself is fine, but the choice of expression.  While the screaming head is a fine choice for the upcoming Hudson figure, it doesn’t really fit Hicks, who’s only really seen screaming once in the film (Upon seeing the aliens in the air ducts, for those who are curious) and it’s about an hour after he’s lost the helmet.   Regardless, it’s a decent sculpt, and it does actually have a semi-decent likeness, even if it is an odd expression.  The paint seems to have a bit of a step down from the regular release, with a lot more noticeable slop, and a large black spot on my figure’s left shoulder, which is quite annoying.  Hicks is accessorized with his shotgun and appropriate holster, a pulse rifle, a welding torch, a shoulder lamp and a motion tracker.

XENOMORPH WARRIOR

Next, it’s the Xenomorph Warrior.  Now with more exploding!  Remember the other three Xenos I looked at?  Yep, this one’s pretty much the same, but with two new pieces, one of which does cost the figure 2 points of articulation.  Similar to Hicks, the Xeno is practically the same as the series 1 version from the neck down.   One small difference is the addition of a bullet hit on the upper torso, however, this looks to just be an additional piece glued in place.  The biggest difference, of course, is the head.  It’s sculpted to look like the alien just took something to the face, presumably a shot from Hicks’ shotgun.  It’s in the process of splattering acid blood everywhere, which is conveyed using translucent green plastic.  It’s a nice touch, and it looks really cool when set up properly.   The paint on this figure’s actually different than we’ve seen on any of the previous aliens.  This is our first glimpse at the film-lighting inspired blue accents, which will see a proper release on series 2’s Xenomorph Warrior.  Having seen the three options in person, blue may well be my favorite, but I’ll hold final judgment until I get the proper blue version in series 2.  Thankfully, the paint work here is much better than the series 1 Xeno, which is certainly a good thing.  Here’s hoping the rest of the Xenos continue the trend.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like the previous two-pack, I had not intended to pick this one up, but I saw a lone set at my TRU (I’m starting to think my TRU is just ordering a single one of each of these to lure me in), so I picked it up.  While I don’t feel it’s as good a set as the Genocide set due to a few quality issues, it’s pretty fun.  If you’ve yet to get Hicks, or you prefer he have his helmet, this might be the set for you.  Otherwise, it’s kind of the type of thing that only completists really pick up.  And apparently I’m a completist now.  Yay.

*Want to buy a Hicks vs. Xenomorph of your very own? Our sponsors over at All Time Toys currently have this set in-stock. Click here to check it out!

#0104: Aliens: Genocide

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XENOMORPH WARRIOR (RED) vs XENOMORPH WARRIOR (BLACK)

ALIENS (NECA)

Today, I’ll be continuing my reviews of the most recent toyline to the greatest movie ever, NECA’s Aliens.

In anticipation of the second series in the line, I’ll be reviewing the figures so far.  With yesterday’s review of the basic Xenomorph Warrior, I wrapped up my reviews of the first series.  Today, I’ll start looking at the two-packs, released to hold us over until the second wave hits.

First up, it’s the “Genocide” two-pack, based not on the movie, but on one of the comics, wherein two different hives of Xenomorphs duke it out.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

These two figures were released as part of the first of three two packs released to bridge the gap between the first and second series.  They each depict a warrior from one of the two hives.

RED

First up, the more unique of the two figures, the Red Xenomorph.  Red here is meant to represent a Xeno from the second hive in the series.  Red is very similar in styling to a red ant.  Red is the exact same sculpt as the previous Xeno Warrior, so he stands about 8 inches tall and has 38 points of articulation.  I won’t discuss the sculpt again, since it hasn’t changed.  Unlike the previous Xenomorph, this one is molded in red with black accents.  The paint work is well done, and the details in the sculpt are really made to pop.  It’s cool to see this sculpt in a lighter color, because it means that you can really appreciate the work that went into it all the more.  Like the previous Xeno, Red’s only real accessory is the removable back-fin-thing that allows you to put the head back a bit.

BLACK

Second, it’s a figure that looks a lot like the one we’ve seen before.  And that’s because it practically is.  Like the first Xeno, this one depicts the creature as it was seen in Aliens.  The last figure attempted to go for the blown accenting present on the actual prop suits worn by the stunt actors in the film.  This time around, NECA went for something more in line with how the creature in the first film is shown.  The accenting here is done in silver and bronze.  This could have turned out basdly, but it’s been done with the necessary subtlety to pull it off very well.  The only difference between this figure and the series 1 version of the Xeno is the accent paint, but it’s the difference between a okay figure and an amazing one.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I hadn’t planned on getting this set, preferring to just get the Xenos as they came along in the regular series.  However, I was walking through my local Toys R Us, and there they sat.  One lone set of them.  So, I decided, what the heck and picked them up.  I’m really glad I did.  I know I didn’t have much to say in this review, having just looked at essentially the same figure yesterday.  But these two were definitely worth the purchase.  The Red Xeno is a lot of fun, and adds some nice diversity to the shelf, and the Black Xeno is a much needed improvement to the basic Xeno Warrior.  If you’re just looking to get the basic Xeno, this set’s probably worth the plunge.  Just, whatever you do, do no, I repeat, DO NOT  try to read the comic book that this two pack was based on.  You’ll never get that time back.

#0103: Xenomorph Warrior

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XENOMORPH WARRIOR

ALIENS (NECA)

Hey, remember how I love the movie Aliens?  You know what’s even better than an awesome movie?  An awesome movie with awesome toys!

NECA’s been more than happy to deliver on the cool toy front in the past, and now they’re doing it with Aliens.  The second series of their Aliens line is set to be released in the next month or so, and in anticipation of its release, I’ll be taking a look at the line so far.

Up today, it’s the first release of the titular creature, the Alien!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Alien, or as he’s referred to on the packaging, the Xenomorph Warrior, was released as part of the first series of NECA’s Aliens line.  The figure is based on the design of the Xenomorph in the second film in the ALIEN franchise.   The Xenomorph is made to be in scale with the 7 inch line, making the Xenomorph about 8 inches tall.  The figure features 38 points of articulation.  I believe that some parts of this sculpt were used on one of NECA’s previous Xenomorph figures, but I can’t be too sure, since I don’t have them all to compare.  So, I’ll be looking at this figure as if it were a brand new sculpt.  The sculpt on this figure is extremely impressive.  There’s a ton of fine details and lots of little layers that really ad to the figure.  The coolest thing about this figure is how massive it is in comparison to the rest of the figures in the line.  He really towers over the marines, and his articulation also allows him to get into some really deep stances.  The head is an incredible sculpt, and even has a working jaw to allow the use of the Xenomorph’s signature inner mouth, which slides out pretty easily.  While the sculpt is nothing short of amazing, the figure’s paint does leave a little to be desired.  There’s a bit of contention amongst Aliens fans regarding the proper coloring of the creatures.  While black is definitely the predominant color, whether it should be accented by brown, blue or silver depends on who you ask.  Silver is more faithful to the original movie, and the prop costumes in Aliens were accented using brown (to evoke a cockroach, according to Stan Winston), but they were lit so as to look blue in many scenes.  NECA plans on releasing the Alien in all possible colors, but for the first release they seem to have gone with the prop suit look.  Unfortunately, they seem to have gotten a little carried away, leading to the brown accent being a lot less of an accent.  It’s really heavy handed, and kinda makes it look like the Xenomorph’s been rolling around in the mud.  It doesn’t ruin the figure, but it does prevent it from being as good as it could be.  The Xenomorph features no accessories, though of his fins on his back is removable, in case you want to put the head back a bit more.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like the others in this wave, I preodered the Xenomorph as soon as I could.  While it’s not a perfect figure, it’s certainly a step in the right direction.  NECA seems to have acknowledged the issues present with this figure, and has addressed them on future releases of the Xenomorph.  At the end of the day, it’s still a great figure, even with its issues.  Any decent Aliens fan will probably end up with a few of the various xenomorphs from the line, so at worst, this guy can be placed behind some of the others, hiding some of his paint flaws.