Tag Archives: Aliens

#0121: Xenomorph Warrior – Blue

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

XENOMORPH WARRIOR – BLUE

ALIENS (NECA)

So, uh, it’s Valentine’s Day.  And in honor of the holiday, I’m reviewing…. a Xenomorph.  Yeah.  Well, he’s blue, so maybe he’s lonely because he doesn’t have a facehugger to call his own.  Or…uh…yeah.  Just… Let’s just move right along!

Okay, today I’ll be getting back to the Aliens Series 2 figures that I started last week!  Last time, it was a bit of a special review, so I didn’t do my whole frantically excited post about getting the second series and how awesome they were.

*ahem*

So, I’ve got series two of the line!  What brand new, exciting figure am I going to start with?  The Xenomorph Warrior!  You’ve already seen that one four times you say?  But, this one’s in blue.  That’s very different!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Okay, so you should probably know the drill by this point.  This figure is based on the appearance of the titular aliens in the second movie.  He’s part of the 2nd series of NECA’s Aliens line.  Being an 8-foot tall character in a 7-inch scale line, he’s between 8 and 9 inches tall, and he’s got 38 points of articulation.  The sculpt is exactly the same as the Xeno from the first series, and thereby the Xenos in the Genocide 2-pack and most of the Xeno in the Hicks vs Xeno 2-pack.  If you want my thoughts on the sculpt, I’ll point you to my review of the first series release.  The big difference between this figure and its predecessors is the paint scheme.  I talked before about the differing opinions of how the Aliens should be colored.  NECA seems to be taking the approach of pleasing all fans, so they’re planning on releasing the figure with all the possible color variant.  So far we’ve had black with brown highlights (series 1) and black with silver and bronze highlights (Genocide).  This figure uses the color choice that seems to be most popular with fans, which is black with blue highlights.  This is usually seen as the best look because that’s how the aliens were lit in the movie.  I mentioned liking the blue highlights when I reviewed the battle-damaged alien.  I’m really glad to have this scheme on an unscathed alien.  One of the biggest pluses of this figure is that the paint is quite a bit better than it was on the series 1 version.  I like the blue better in general, but NECA really seems to have cleaned it up a bit, which makes for an all-around better figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like I did with series one, I preordered series two from an online store fairly early on.  The figures arrived last week, and I’ve had quite a bit of fun messing around with them.  This version of the Alien is my favorite version so far!  It’s got the best paint to show off the amazing sculpt that the Xenomorph figure has.  If you just want a single, basic Xenomorph, then this is the figure for you!

#0114: Sgt. Windrix

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

SERGEANT CRAIG WINDRIX

ALIENS (NECA)

As most readers of this site are I’m sure aware, I’m a pretty big fan of the movie Aliens, and by extension, NECA’s recent line of figures.  The second series was just released, and mine arrived earlier this week.  I have a few other new acquisitions that were supposed to be up for review first, but given some recent happenings, I’ve decided to jump one of the figures ahead a little bit.

The figure today is Sgt. Craig Windrix.  That name’s probably unfamiliar to most people reading.  No, he’s not a background marine that you just missed.  The story behind Sgt. Windrix is much more touching.  Craig Windrix is the brother of Kyle Windrix, the man responsible for the amazing sculpts present in the Aliens line as well as countless other NECA toylines.  Craig was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer not long ago.  Craig was always a big fan of Aliens, and to support him in his battle, NECA decided to make a figure of Craig as a member of the Colonial Marines.  This was a lovely gesture on their part, and really speaks to their character.  Furthermore, I believe they have also made mention of donating a portion of the sales of the figure to support Craig’s family, which is another big gesture.

Sadly, Craig’s condition worsened rapidly in the last week, and it was announced yesterday morning that he had passed away.  In light of the news, I decided to push up my review of the figure as a bit of a tribute to Mr. Windrix.  My condolences go out to the Windrix family.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Sgt. Windrix was released as part of the second series of NECA’s Aliens line.  Obviously, he’s based on Craig Windrix, but as far as his uniform goes, he looks to be based on the uniform worn by Sgt. Apone in the film.  Since the two have the same rank, this is appropriate enough, and it’s nice to have several different entries in the Marine command structure.  Sgt. Windrix stands about 7 inches tall and features the same 30 points of articulation as previous marines, Hicks and Hudson.  Windrix’s joints are a bit tighter, though, which makes the figure a bit easier to put into various poses, and he’s less likely to fall off the shelf.  Windrix shares a fair bit of pieces with Hicks and Hudson, which is understandable, given the uniformed nature of the characters.  Windrix has a newly sculpted head and arms.  The arms are different from the previous marines, this time showing a full sleeved look.  I really appreciate this, as it adds some nice variety to the marines.  The Head is the other new piece, and I think that Kyle’s really gone all out here.  I’ve seen a few pictures of Craig and the sculpt looks spot on.  Moving on to paint, I think this is an area where Windrix outshines the previous marines.  Everything looks cleaner overall, and he seems to be a little less orange than the last two, which looks much better.  In the movie, each of the marines had customized their armor with various graffiti unique to each character.  Sgt. Windrix has rightly received some of his own graffiti that gives us some nice insight into his character, such as a heart with “dad” written in it, a set of bowling pins, and a face of some sort.  These details are all nice and crisp.  Sgt. Windrix includes 4 accessories: A flame thrower, a welder, a shoulder lamp and a motion tracker.  The welder, lamp, and tracker are all reused from previous Marine releases, and look as good here as they did before.  The Flame thrower is a new piece, and looks extremely faithful to the source material.  Once again, it’s nice to see a new piece here that allows collectors to diversify their Marine collection a bit.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Initially, I was uncertain what to expect from this figure.  This early into the line, it’s easy to be disappointed by a figure of a character that’s not one of the major players in the story.  However, my opinion quickly turned around when I saw the level effort that NECA had put into the figure.  Not only is it a very nice tribute to Craig, it’s also an extremely well done figure, and is enjoyable on its own merits.  I really have to commend NECA for a great showing on this figure. I’m happy to have him as a part of my collection, and I’ll proudly display him with the rest of my marines.

WINDRIXTriumphant

#0105: Corporal Hicks vs Xenomorph Warrior

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

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

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

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

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , ,

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.

#0102: Private Hudson

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

PRIVATE WILLIAM HUDSON

ALIENS (NECA)

Yesterday, I spoke of my love of the movie Aliens, and my excitement for NECA’s new line of figures from the movie.  In anticipation of the second series of the line, I’ll be doing reviews of the first wave.

Today’s figure is Private William Hudson, one of the lower ranking marines sent in to deal with the alien infestation of the colony on LV-424.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Hudson was released in the first series of NECA’s Aliens line.  He’s based on the character’s appearance in the movie.   Specifically, he’s based on Hudson’s look in the scene right after the first attack on the Alien hive, right as he delivers his famous “Game Over, Man” line.  Hudson stands 7 inches tall and has the same 30 points of articulation as Hicks.  I’ve reviewed most of Hudson’s sculpt before, as he shares a good deal of parts with Hicks.  He has a newly sculpted head and arms, which is really all he needs.  His arms are similar to Hicks, but with his sleeves rolled down a little further, to make it accurate to how Hudson wore his uniform in the movie.  The left arm is also bandaged, so as to properly depict Hudson following the acid burns he receives during the hive attack.  The arms are nice, but the head on this figure is truly a thing of beauty.  They’ve sculpted Hudson to evoke his expression of panic when he delivers the “Game Over, Man” line.  It’s brilliant because it not only captures the expression well, but it also gets Bill Paxton’s likeness down perfectly.  The paint on Hudson is a bit better than the paint work on Hicks.  There’s far less slop, and the paint on the head shows off the head sculpt a bit better.  From some angles, Hudson can look a little cross-eyed, but it’s not very noticeable in person.  The detailing on the armor is up to the same level as the work on Hicks, with lots of those little details that really make the figure pop.  Hudson is accessorized with a pulse rifle, a welder, a motion tracker, and a shoulder lamp.  The rifle and welder are the same ones that were included with Hicks, but the shoulder lamp and motion tracker are new.  The motion tracker is really cool, and even features detailing on the screen showing the aliens moving towards him.  The shoulder lamp is well sculpted, but very difficult to get properly seated in the slot for it.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As with Hicks, I preordered Hudson and the rest of series one as soon as possible.  While I was more excited for Hicks because he’s my favorite character, Hudson is hands down the best in the first wave.  The head sculpt on this guy really pushes the figure over the edge.  I was a bit disappointed with the difficulty of attaching the lamp, but that hardly ruins the figure itself.

#0101: Corporal Hicks

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

CORPORAL DWAYNE HICKS

ALIENS (NECA)

So, I don’t know if you, the readers, are aware, but the film Aliens is, in fact, the greatest movie ever made.  Everybody agrees.  No contest.  If you thought another movie was the greatest movie ever, you were sadly mistaken.  Because it’s Aliens.

Okay, I may have exaggerated a bit up there.  If you couldn’t tell from the hyperbole, Aliens is one of my favorite movies ever.  So naturally, as a toy collector, I should be all over the toys, right?  Except, more often than not the toys a) suck and b) only ever get the aliens themselves made.  I mean, the alien is a good design and all, but come on, the reason we love the movie isn’t the aliens, it’s the awesome characters fighting the aliens.  So, what good are the aliens if they’ve got nobody to fight?

So, I was quite excited when NECA announced that not only were they making an Aliens line, but Hicks and Hudson, two of the movies main characters where in the very first wave!  And they didn’t suck!  The first wave’s been out for a good long while now, and with the impending release of the second wave, I thought I’d give it a review.  Up first, oh so cool marine Corporal Dwayne Hicks!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Corporal Hicks was released as part of the first wave of NECA’s Aliens line.  Obviously, he’s based on Hicks’s appearance in Aliens, but more specifically, he appears to be based on Hicks’s look shortly after the initial battle in the alien hive, after he loses his helmet, and before he dons the headset he wears for the rest of the movie.  Technically it’s a bit off, because he should still have his shoulder lamp at that point (yes, I’m that much of an Aliens geek), but I think it’s close enough.  Hicks stands about 7 inches tall and has 30 points of articulation.  The sculpt is quite well done.  They’ve sculpted his fatigues onto the underlying figure, and added the armor over top as a separate piece.  The detailing on the sculpt of the uniform is superbly detailed.  The armor is scratched and dented, and the fatigues are appropriately wrinkled.  All in all, it looks like the armor of an experienced marine, which is exactly how it should look.  I’ve heard complaints that the arms are too thin, and while I can see how they might seem that way on first glance, actually comparing the figure to Michael Biehn in the movie, they look about right.  Topping it all off, the head is pretty good.  It’s not as spot on as some of NECA’s work, but it’s easily the best Michael Biehn sculpt that’s been done.  The paint work ranges from decent to pretty darn good.   The head, especially the hairline has a little bit of slop, but nothing too major.  The skin tone is a bit too orange for my tastes.  The paint on the uniform is the best work on the figure.  Lots of little details, especially on the armor that could have been left off, but I’m very happy weren’t.  Hicks is decently accessorized.  He includes the standard pulse rifle, a welder, and his shotgun he kept handy for “close encounters” with its own case.  The welder plugs into his belt, and the shotgun can be slung easily.  The guns are both well sculpted, and fit very nicely into his hands.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I preordered Hicks and the rest of series one as soon as I possibly could, because there was no way I was missing out on these guys.  I was super excited to get these guys, and Hicks was the figure I was most looking forward to.  While he’s not a perfect figure, he’s a darned good one, and I’m really glad to have him.

#0005: Lt Ripley

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

LT ELLEN RIPLEY

ALIENS (KENNER)

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. [EDIT-But I found it again, and brought it back for her Flashback Friday Figure Addendum!]

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.