Tag Archives: Aliens

#3884: Corporal Hicks

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

CORPORAL HICKS

ALIENS (KENNER)

I very recently revisited my first discussion of Aliens here on the site, and in that, I realized that I directly reference in that review a figure that I’ve not actually reviewed here.  The crazy thing is that it’s an Aliens figure, and it’s a Hicks figure, so it feels crazy that I’ve somehow managed to miss it up to this point.  Well, it only feels right to finally get around to fixing that issue now.  So, without further ado, let’s finally look at the basic standard Kenner Hicks figure!  

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Corporal Hicks was one of the Colonial Marines released in the original series of Kenner’s Aliens line, originally released under the Operation: Aliens title, before being adjusted back to the film’s original title.    The figure stands about 5 inches tall and has 6 points of articulation.  All of the Colonial Marines got a lot of adjusting and changes to their designs for Kenner’s line, but Hicks probably comes out the most unscathed.  There are still certainly a lot of smaller changes to the exact layout of the armor and exactly what makes up most of it, but at the same time, he still passes the squint test of the the “classic” Hicks look, I feel.  The head’s a nice enough piece, and compared to a lot of the other humans in the line, actually looks passably like Michael Biehn, so you can tell who he’s supposed to be.  The bulk of this sculpt got re-used for O’Malley later in the line, and was repainted in its entirely for the 10th Anniversary Hicks figure in ‘’96.  Hick’s paint work is honestly pretty solid.  It’s basic, and again has some change-ups from the movie look, but at the same time, it keeps the general theme pretty much there, and it doesn’t go as radically ‘90s as some of the others in the line.  Hicks is packed with his “Alien-ator” missile launcher with two missiles to go with it, as well as the sort of odd claw-arm attachment, which can also be flipped around for use as a more conventional rifle sort of thing.  He also included a sheet of stickers for the purposes of customizing his armor, much like the Marines in the movie.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

My first introduction to the Alien franchise was Alien Resurrection, which I caught on TV when I was 10.  That was enough to get 10-year-old me invested, so I went back to watch the others.  In the process, I also wanted toys, because of course I did.  I bought Ripley after seeing Alien, but before Aliens, and then, because he was the other figure that Cosmic Comix had, I went back and got Hicks, before even knowing who he was.  Look, I just had a good feeling about him.  It certainly played out in my favor, though.  This guy was my favorites of the Kenner run, and he kind of still is.  He’s not as showy, but he’s just kind of a nice, solid figure.

Flashback Friday Figure Addendum #0031: Lt Ripley

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Flashback Friday Figure Addendum and tagged with , , , ,

LT RIPLEY

ALIENS (KENNER)

Taking a bit of a detour from updating my Toy Biz Marvel reviews for just a moment, this week’s Flashback Friday Figure Addendum marks the site’s original change of pace, less than one week in, as I made my very first mention of my favorite movie of all time, Aliens, with a look at its main character, Ripley!

So, change of pace.  Moving away from the Batman stuff for a bit.  Today we’re looking at a figure from another Kenner line:  Aliens.  This line is nominally based on 1986’s ALIENS, though it was originally meant to be a tie-in line for Operation: Aliens, a scrapped Saturday-morning cartoon adaptation of the film.

Ellen Ripley is the sole survivor of the Nostromo, drafted by the colonial Marines to save a colony that has been attacked by a hive of creatures like the one Ripley faced before.  At least that was what she was in the movie.  I have no idea what her backstory would have been in Operation: Aliens, though if the comics included with each figure are anything to go by,  she was going to be one of the marines.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The figure is a pretty decent representation of Ripley from the movie, though her palate’s been tweaked a bit to make her more colorful.  The figure’s also a bit soft on the details, but that makes sense given it was based on the cartoon design.  The face actually isn’t too bad of a Weaver likeness for the time.  The figure included a pretty cool flamethrower, but I’ve since lost that.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Though the figure was released in 92, I didn’t get mine until 2003, when I saw ALIEN for the first time.  I know I had this figure and the accompanying Hicks before seeing ALIENS itself because I sat through my first viewing of the film clutching both of them very tightly.

Ah, the brevity of my old reviews.  Also, the general not-applying-to-the-format nature of my old reviews.  The intro’s the longest part, which is honestly kind of crazy.  I do very little reviewing of the figure, so let’s hit you guys with some stats.

The figure stands a little over 4 1/2 inches tall and she has 6 points of articulation.  Missing from my original review was Ripley’s accessories.  The main one is the flamethrower, which isn’t at all like the one in the movie.  It is, however, really neat.  There’s a lever on the bottom that hooks onto a spot on her leg, and turning the waist pushes out a little flame effect.  She also got a small silver rifle, which she could keep on her back.

I don’t mention in my original review that I got my first Ripley figure from my local comic shop, Cosmic Comix, so shout out to them here.  I actually picked up a second one, after starting the site, also from Cosmic, as luck would have it.  Also, fun little bit of FiQ trivia here: while the wording was removed from the final version of the review, while writing this review, I referred to Ripley as “The Figure in Question” and liked the phrase so much that I decided to use it for the site’s name.

#3856: Vasquez

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

VASQUEZ

ALIENS REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

The best things come in threes.  That’s true, right?  Okay, well, not always.  Take the Alien franchise, for example.  There’s just those two movies, right?  Yeah, only the two.  So, I guess maybe the thing I said before is perhaps less than true.  What am I getting here?  Well, I needed a set-up for today’s review, which, for the third Wednesday in a row, is an Aliens review, hailing from Super 7’s ReAction branding.  Today, I’m looking Vasquez, the smart mouthed smart gunner!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Vasquez is the last of the human figures in the first and only series of Super 7’s Aliens ReAction Figures line.  The figure stands just under 3 3/4 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  Vasquez has an evolving look over the course of the movie.  This figure goes with the her second most dressed-down look (the first most being right after she wakes up from cryo-sleep), from the meal-time and prep scenes on the Sulaco.  It means she doesn’t really match with the other character’s looks (barring Bishop, I guess), but it’s also sort of that dialed into the character while also more tooling and price friendly look that feels true to how a vintage figure would have been handled.  In fact, it’s the same look that Kenner *did* use when they put her in their ’90s line, so there’s some precedent.  It’s a nice sculpt, with sharp detailing, and a rather unique look compared to the others, especially the other two marines.  Her paint work is basic, but a good match for Hicks and Hudson, as well as a good basics approach to how she looks in the movie.  Vasquez is packed with her smartgun (which she *does* use without the harness while in the locker room on the Sulaco), which her hands are specially posed to more properly hold.  It’s probably the best weapons mold from the set, honestly.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Obviously, when the remaining three figures came into All Time and I was already set on getting Newt and Hudson, there was certainly no way that I could pass on Vasquez, right?  Right.  You gotta have Vasquez.  She’s maybe not as outwardly cool a figure at first glance, especially with the more dressed down look, but I think she’s another solid offering, and she feels like she gets the vibe of the line down pretty well.  In general, this was a rather fun little set of figures, of which I am absolutely the target audience.  Of course, I still waited on them, which probably doesn’t help with the whole “one-and-done” bit.  It would have been cool to get more of the Marines, for sure, but the line-up for this set is so heavy hitter focussed, it’s hard to really see Super 7 genuinely planning a follow-up.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3852: Hudson

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

HUDSON

ALIENS REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

I brought up last week that I had missed out on Alien Day, what with it being on a Saturday and all this year.   The thing is, I didn’t just have the one displaced figure.  No, there’s more.  And, sure, I could hold off on reviewing them, pick it up with the next Alien Day not on a weekend, but I’m not patient like that.  So, anyway, here’s more Aliens stuff!  This time around, we’re back to the Colonial Marines, specifically the guy with a keen knowledge of whether the game is over or not, Private William Hudson!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Hudson is part of the only series of Super 7’s Aliens ReAction Figures line.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Despite the relative similarities of Hicks and Hudson’s designs the two figures actually don’t share any parts, which is quite a surprise.  In an effort to further differentiate the two, Hudson gets a couple of design changes from his movie look, most notably ditching the shin guard armor, instead getting more basic lace up boots and a different pair of knee pads.  It seems to more closely mimic the different armor set-up of the smart gunners.  I don’t know *why* that’s the way they went, but it works okay with the style.  His head sculpt notably does a pretty respectable job of capturing the general Bill Paxton likeness, which is honestly pretty cool.  Hudson’s paint work is very similar to Hicks, with the expected changes for the design change-ups, as well as the updated customizations on his armor, which is pretty cool.  Hudson is packed with his helmet (which is a slightly different mold than Hicks, allowing it so sit a little tighter), as well as a pulse rifle.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

My main focus in the set was getting the four surviving members of the crew, but I’ll admit, I have a hard time passing up a Hudson figure.  I sure do have a soft spot for the guy, so when the opportunity to round out my set landed in front of me, it’s not like I took much convincing.  Hudson’s similar to Hicks in style, but different in execution, making for a surprisingly effective figure.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3848: Newt

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

NEWT

ALIENS: REACTION (SUPER 7)

Even though Aliens may be my favorite movie, I find myself running out of things to get from the movie in terms of merchandise because, well, how much can you buy, right?  So, I missed last year’s Alien Day.  This year, though I totally had stuff to review! …Too bad it fell on a Saturday, and I’m not doing Saturday reviews anymore.  Guess that stuff’s getting reviewed on a not Alien Day day.  Which, it just so happens, is today!  I’m picking up on a thread I started back in 2022, when I started looking at Super 7’s Aliens ReAction figures.  Thus far, I’ve looked at Hicks, Bishop, and Ripley.  Now, I’m looking at the last piece of the film’s survivor part, Rebecca “Newt” Jorden!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Newt is part of the one and only series of Super 7’s Aliens: ReAction line.  The figure stands 3 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  In terms of looks in the movie, Newt’s got the two: pre-disheveled and post disheveled.  This one’s aim seems to be the second, but it winds up splitting the difference a bit.  It’s partially a stylistic thing, I think, since the retro figure look is usually a bit cleaned up.  She’s got the torn knees on the pants legs, but also still has both straps connected on the overalls, which she doesn’t in the movie.  Her hair also more nicely parted than the later film look.  But, generally speaking, it does a good job of dialing into her defining look, so you can tell who she’s meant to be, even without the context of the other characters.  Her color work is more basic and pitched to a more saturated level then seen in the movie, which means she matches up well with the other figures in the set.  Newt is packed with the most sensible accessory possible for her: the head of her doll, Cassie.  It’s got a little tuft of hair sticking out, so she can hold it in her hand, which she does pretty securely.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This set is one of those ones that I wanted to finish, but also I have put virtually no actual effort into finishing.  That hasn’t changed, for what it’s worth.  The first two landed in front of me, and the Ripley a couple of months later.  It’s been a longer stretch of time, but a full loose set got traded into All Time a couple of months ago, meaning I had the chance to snag the ones I didn’t already have.  Newt was at the top of the list for me, so I was definitely glad she was in there.  Now I’ve got my little pseudo family all complete, and that’s honestly pretty cool.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3700: Cpl Dwayne Hicks

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

CPL DWAYNE HICKS

ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES (HIYA TOYS)

The post-Aliens video game Aliens: Colonial Marines had, amongst other things, a long path to its release, taking six years to finally make it to players. It was not well-received at all upon its release, which isn’t the sort of thing you generally want out of a game that took six years to make. It does, at the very least, undo one of Alien 3‘s more disliked elements, the death of Corporal Dwayne Hicks, albeit in a rather convoluted and awkward sort of way. Still, they got Michael Biehn to reprise his role, which was pretty cool, and there were also some cool figures, courtesy of Hiya Toys. I’m looking at their take on Hicks today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cpl Dwayne Hicks was released in the initial run of Hiya Toys’ Aliens: Colonial Marines tie-in line, at the same time as game marine Quintero and fellow film marine Hudson.  They hit in 2016, three years after the game’s release, which seems like a bit of time to wait, but it’s only half as much time as it took for the game to make it out, so, you know, perspective and all that.  All of these figures, even the “movie” ones, were technically game-based, with the non-game characters being based on their multiplayer skins.  Hicks technically exists in both capacities, but this figure, which lacks the scarring he received at the end of Aliens, seems to be the multiplayer/movie version.  The figure stands 4 inches tall and he has 27 points of articulation.  The articulation set-up is ultimately something of a mix between the 25th/30th era G.I. Joes and Hasbro’s Marvel Universe.  Generally, not bad, but the hip pops off a lot, and one of the knees is a little gummy.  Hicks’s sculpt had a lot of overlap with Quintero and Hudson, with them each just getting a unique head sculpt.  The head’s…not great.  It’s rather soft on the details, and the likeness just really isn’t there.  You’d be forgiven for just not realizing this was meant to be Hicks at all.  Below the neck, things are a little better.  The proportions aren’t bad, and the armor detailing is all pretty solid stuff, with the torso armor in particular honestly being pretty strong.  Because of the parts sharing with Quintero and Hudson, his sleeves come down way too far on the arms; Hicks’s sleeves aren’t visible under the armor in the film.  He’s also missing his watch and wrist band, and the lack of wrist coverage also highlights how oddly misshapen the hands are at the base of the wrist.  The color work on this figure leans into the game colors, so his uniform is bluer than the film, and his armor is browner, which makes for rather an odd contrast.  Like, it’s not terribly off, but it’s enough to throw you at first.  The application’s a little thick, but otherwise not too bad.  Hicks is packed with his helmet, shoulder lamp, shotgun, pulse rifle, a pistol, a motion tracker, and a display stand.  The helmet is wildly inaccurate, missing the back neck cover, the ear covers, and the comm, removing the distinctive Colonial Marine silhouette when he’s wearing it, and generally throwing off his look.  It’s a real shame, given how weak the likeness on the underlying head is.  The gun sculpts aren’t bad, but the hands don’t hold any of them particularly well.  Also, the pulse rifle gets no sling, and the shotgun and pistol have no holsters, so he just kind of has to throw them off to the side when not using them, I guess?

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I honestly did my best to avoid everything to do with Colonial Marines after it dropped and was so mediocre, and that included the tie-in stuff.  I didn’t even know about these figures until after they’d dropped, and Hicks jumped in price rather quickly, so I never snagged him.  He got traded into All Time a month or two back, missing the shotgun, so I was able to get him for a slightly better deal.  Then the shotgun surfaced, and he was all complete again, which was pretty cool.  Ultimately, he’s not great.  I’m glad I didn’t pay the mark-up on him, because that really would have put me off.  As it stands, he’s a Hicks I didn’t have, and it was very easy for me to snag him, so it was hard to say no.  Sometimes, that’s just how it is.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3153: Ripley

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

RIPLEY

ALIENS: REACTION (SUPER 7)

You know, every so often, I remember that Aliens is my favorite movie, and it’s got a diminishing presence here on the the site.  It’s the sort of thing that happens when you tend to buy just about everything from said film, and keep up with reviewing it all as its released.  Or the fact that you do sort of hit this point of only needing so many different versions of the same cast of characters.  Back in April, I took a look at a few of Super 7’s ReAction figures from the movie, and I’m circling back with another from the set.  This time around, it’s the film’s main character, Ellen Ripley!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ripley is part of Series 1 of Super 7’s Aliens ReAction line, the third of the six human figures that I’ve looked at here on the site.  In contrast to the rest of the figures in the set, this is Ripley’s fourth time in the ReAction style, and the second Aliens-based version, following up on Funko’s two-pack with the Loader and the Queen.  Despite using the same basic style and design, she is, nevertheless, a unique figure.  If I’m honest, I do feel like it might have been a good spot for a bomber jacket Ripley, since the final battle was already covered by Funko, but that might be my bomber jacket bias talking.  The figure stands just shy of 4 inches tall (about a 1/4 inch taller than the Funko version), and she has 5 points of articulation.  The sculpt is all-new, and it’s just kind of different from the Funko version.  Not, like, in particularly notable ways.  Just different.  There are elements I like more, namely the head (and its more accurate hairdo) and the height/general build better matching Weaver.  The detailing on the outfit is a bit of a step down, making her look a lot more basic, but it at least covers all the bases, and she still matches up with the other figures in the set.  The paint work is similarly basic.  The colors are close to what they are in the film; notably, they’re brighter than the Funko version, which again matches better with the Super 7 set, so that makes sense.  Ripley is packed with her combo pulse rifle/flamethrower, which follows the stylings of the shotgun packed with Hicks, so that’s cool.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After snagging the Hicks and Bishop when they were traded into All Time earlier in the year, I was definitely looking to pick up a few more of the figures in the line, but also totally content to wait for more of them to come through in trade.  Ripley wound up being the first of them to come through in follow-up, so she wound up being the next one to get added to my collection.  I didn’t really feel like I needed her at first, what with having the Funko version and all.  That said, I appreciate this one for its distinct differences, and I like how she pairs with the rest of the set.  Now I get to wait for the rest of the set to walk through…

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#3083: Bishop

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

BISHOP

ALIENS: REACTION (SUPER 7)

Wow, I took such a gap between Aliens reviews, didn’t I?  Who knows how long it could be before I review another one?  Well, I mean, I knows.  I knows very well.  The answer is “no time at all,” by the way, because I’m totally doing another Aliens review today.  Is it an ill-advised move to group them together, knowing that it’s probably not super likely that I’ll have anything else Aliens-related to review next April 26th?  Probably.  But, I’ll risk it, especially if it means I get to get all meta with this intro.  I do like my meta intros.  Anyway, I looked at Hicks yesterday.  Today, I’m gonna look at Bishop.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Bishop is another figure from Series 1 of Super 7’s Aliens ReAction line, the second of the six “human” figures, though I suppose “human” isn’t quite right for him.  He prefers the term “artificial person” himself.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Bishop is another all-new sculpt, which isn’t a terrible shock.  It’s a pretty cool sculpt, which captures his general look pretty well.  He’s not the most thrilling character when it comes to design, of course, but that’s just Bishop.  They make the best they can with what they have.  Honestly, they make more than the best, because this figure’s pretty clever.  See, while on the surface he’s just a basic Bishop, he gets a fun action feature.  You can split him apart at the middle, recreating his post-Queen attack damage.  There’s even a peg shaped like his gross android entrails.  It works surprisingly well, and the split’s not as glaringly obvious as you might think.  Sure, it’s clearly there, but it doesn’t jump right out at you.  Honestly, if it sat just a little bit better at the back, it’d be pretty much perfect.  Bishop’s paint work is fairly basic, but it fits the style well, and it captures all the main elements needed.  The application is pretty clean, with no real slop or bleed over, which is nice.  Bishop has no accessories, but the gimmick is the real extra.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Hicks was my main want from this set, but Bishop here happened to be the other of the two ReAction figures that got traded into All Time, and I was hardly going to just leave this one on his own.  I gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised by this one.  Hicks was just kinda basic, but Bishop’s actually a quite clever figure.  He could have been very bland and boring, but he’s really fun instead.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#3082: Hicks

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

HICKS

ALIENS: REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

Happy Alien Day every one!  I’ve missed it the last two years, by virtue of not having anything to review, but I actually made a concerted effort to not miss it this time around.  I like, purposely saved an item and everything.  Crazy, right?  So, today, I’m turning my sights on a line I haven’t looked at in quite a while, ReAction.  The brand actually has quite a history with the Alien franchise, since it was Super 7’s desire to release the cancelled Kenner Alien figures from 1979 that launched the whole project, and got them the attention of Funko, who blew the whole thing up to epic proportions and then proceeded to run it into the ground.  Super 7 wound up splitting the brand back off from Funko, and has done a lot to refocus it, which included bringing things back to that first license, and actually doing some follow-up figures based on the second movie.  That’s a big deal for me, over here, with the second one being my favorite movie and all.  So, you know what, let’s take a look at Hicks, because that’s what I’m about, son.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Hicks (who is, notably, just “Hicks” on the package; not Corporal, not Dwayne, just Hicks) was released in Series 1 of Super 7’s Aliens ReAction line, as one of the six humans included in the line-up, hitting retail in mid-2020.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation, in true replication of the intended style.   Hicks’ sculpt was all-new, and, quite surprisingly, entirely unique.  I had expected him to at least share some parts with Hudson, but the core figures are entirely different, which is actually pretty cool.  The sculpt is really good, albeit in the way that it’s supposed to be, which is, admittedly, kind of dated looking.  He’s definitely a sort of stripped down and simplified, almost Saturday morning cartoon version of the character, and it works pretty well.  Like, all of the major details of his outfit are there, just much more basic.  I like that they’ve also more accurately followed the progression of Kenner’s style than the Funko stuff did, so these figures, which would have hailed from the mid-80s had Kenner actually produced them, look more like the later end Star Wars stuff, or even the Raiders figures.  Hicks is actually a little more bulked up and sturdy in his build, which feels more appropriate.  Hicks’ paint work takes the general color palette of the character in the movie, and brightens it up a bit, as it would have been back then, as well as again simplifying things a bit.  It works pretty convincingly, and still sells the main look pretty convincingly.  Hicks is packed with a removable helmet (which is the same as the one included with Hudson), and his shotgun for close encounters.  While it’s a shame he doesn’t also get his pulse rifle, this does at least mean he’s got a unique weapon, since Hudson got the rifle packed with him.  I was also quite impressed by how well the helmet fit, while still sticking to the style.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Though I’m a huge Aliens fan, I’ll admit that I had a hard time justifying these figures when they were announced, due to them being hit by Super 7’s price creep on the ReAction line as a whole.  I want to get more of them, but at $18 a piece, it’s a bit tricky, especially when there’s a whole assortment.  Hicks was the one I *really* wanted to track down, but I just never got around to it.  Then, he kind of tracked me down, I guess.  A Lego minifigure collection that came into All Time had exactly two ReAction figures bundled in with it, and, as luck would have it, Hicks was one of them.  He’s a very specific style of figure, but it’s one that I really like.  He goes really well with the Ripley I got from the Power Loader set, and I’m definitely cool with having another Hicks in my collection.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#2474: Rhino Alien

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

RHINO ALIEN

ALIENS (NECA)

NECA’s Aliens used to be a rather frequent feature around these parts, but the line has slowed down a little bit as of late.  The core stuff right now has been a handful of one-off releases, largely centered around Kenner-inspired variants on previously.  A few months ago, I took a look at their Kenner-ized Drake, and now I’m jumping over to another one of the Xenos.  As I’ve no doubt brought up before on this site, Kenner took the concept of the Dog Alien from Alien 3 and really ran with it, creating all sorts of Xeno off-shoots.  NECA’s crafted a few of them in their 7-inch line, and the latest of the bunch is today’s focus, the Rhino Alien!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Rhino Alien is a standalone release for NECA’s Aliens line, loosely meant to coincide with the Kenner Drake figure, though it’s at a different price point and in a totally different style of package than Drake.  It started hitting shelves not too long after he did, although due to some production errors I know he’s been rolling out a little more sporadically.  At full height, this figure’s a whopping 10 inches tall and has 34 points of articulation.  Of course, given that he’s based on one of the Kenner line’s quadrupedal Aliens, he’s not really meant for standing at full height, and is instead meant for posing on all fours.  Fortunately, the articulation works well enough to make both types of poses possible with this guy.  The hips can be a little tricky, but for the most part he’s pretty easily posed, and I don’t feel quite as worried about breakage as on other NECA offerings.  I’m still going to be slightly cautious, because I’ve been wronged before, but it does seem a little better.  In terms of sizing, this guy’s one of largest Xenos (barring the Queen, of course, which is in a class of its own), not just in height, but in bulk as well.  He achieves this through an all-new sculpt, and a pretty impressive one at that.  It’s somewhat patterned on Kenner’s own Rhino Alien, of course, but it’s worth noting that in terms of body construction, it seems to be taking more of its cues from Kenner’s Bull Alien.  The Kenner Rhino’s anatomy was a bit more further removed from the standard Xeno’s, while the Bull had something a little more in line with the Dog Alien’s merging of the Xeno with a quadrupedal design.  Ultimately, I think the Bull’s approach worked a little bit better, and as an added bonus, this leaves the door open for a possible Bull Alien later down the road, which would certainly not be a bad thing.  The quality of the sculpt is on par with NECA’s other Xenos, so the details are all quite sharp, and follow all of the broad strokes of the original Kenner figure, while also filling in some of those smaller parts.  The head dome has been designed to be removable, revealing a whole bunch of further details, which had been hidden under the dome.  This is probably NECA’s most impressive Xeno sculpt, honestly.  In terms of paint, the figure steps things up for Xenos.  He’s molded in orange, with black, brass, and some purples painted over top.  It makes for an incredibly impressive appearance, and looks pretty sick when it catches the light just right.  In addition to the previously mentioned removable dome, the Rhino also includes a reprint of the “Ice Storm” minicomic that was included with the original Kenner figure.  It’s definitely a fun read, but very much a product of its time.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I haven’t been quite as completist on the Kenner-tribute Aliens as I was the movie stuff, so there were a fair number I’d missed.  Because of that, I wasn’t 100% certain I’d be getting this guy, but after seeing him in person, it was definitely hard to say no.  It’s a very, very fun piece, and definitely the best of the Xenos I’ve gotten.  It’s just so much fun to mess with, and pairs off well with the Space Marines I’ve picked up.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for NECA figures, or other toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.