Kids these days don’t know how good they have it. I am not makin
g some random old man statement like, “Back in my day…” No I am talking about the amazing amount of seriously cool toys out there. When I was a kid the one thing I really wanted were toys from the movie Alien. I wanted the figures in their spacesuits (I have a thing for spacesuits I don’t know why) but they were never made. Sure Kenner had made some prototypes but they never saw the light of day. They did produce this really cool 18 inch Alien figure, which my little brother got for Christmas and scared the crap out of him, but there were no other toys. It had something to do with producing toys from an “R” rated movie. To quote another movie series, “Fools, bureaucratic fools.”-Indiana Jones
Fortunately we now have companies making toys that we wanted as kids such as NECA. They have really done an excellent job creating figures not just from the first Alien movie but from the entire franchise. When McFarlane Toys had the license to do Alien figures some years ago I collected quite a few. They were beautiful to look at but with some of them, Hicks for example; they were more statues than figures because of the limited poseability. NECA has combined amazing looks with incredible poseability which is something all collectors want and need.
The figures that I was given for review were from Series 3 and include Kane (from Alien), Bishop (from Aliens) and Dog Alien (from Alien 3). When I first saw NECA’s figures at Toy Fair this year, I wanted to be a kid again. I know I can’t be a kid again but I can feel like one.
As a fan of the Alien franchise you know that Kane was the first to meet his end at the hands of the creatures on LV-426. Kane should have never touched the egg; maybe that facehugger might not have gotten to him. If he had been smart we wouldn’t be here talking about him. I guess in movies stupid people move the story along. Well, we are not here to talk about the movie we are here to talk about the figure. As I previously mentioned I have a thing for spacesuits and s this Kane figure is like the Holy Grail.
The first thing I noticed was that he was very poseable; the second was that his paint was coming off. After just a few minutes of manipulating the figure I needed to wash my hands. I believe that the paint is coming off from the air supply pack on his back. This is a shame but Kane isn’t the type of figure you can really play with; let’s face it, with the facehugger attached he can’t do anything but lie there. This is so sad because the joints on this figure are extremely tight. I had to fight with his right arm to bend which means he could hold a pose.
The detail on this figure is outstanding, right down to the oxidation on the brass spacesuit fittings. I really wanted to love this figure but it is almost like buying a figure of the “highly detailed guy in a body bag” from the CSI line (this doesn’t exist so don’t look it up). It is cool to look at, perfect for completest collectors and great if you need it to recreate scenes, however it has almost zero playability. Kane does come with his flashlight and a sidearm but again he can’t use them. I would have liked if the figure came with an extra head and helmet so you could do the before and after. Despite all of this negative stuff I have said, it is a very detailed, extremely cool figure, but not for play. This figure stands approximately 7 inches tall. Kudos to Alex Heinke and Adrienne Smith who did an amazing job with this sculpt.
The other figure is one of my favorites from the entire series, Bishop. The character had a childlike innocence that endeared him to me. He was very unlike his predecessor, Ash, who was a ruthless android with no regard for human life. Bishop even went out of his way to save Newt even though he was ripped in half. He might be one of the most “human” characters in the franchise.
The Bishop figure has approximately 14 points of articulation. He also comes with an interchangeable hand in a fist pose that allows Bishop to hold his knife. The figure also comes with a flashlight accessory. Again I have to say that the level of detail is extraordinary. The head sculpt looks just like Lance Henriksen. NECA has some amazing people working for them. Aside from the outstanding sculpt the Colonial Marines’ patch on the sleeve of his jumpsuit is a nice touch. It is that same jumpsuit that limits his poseability a bit but not enough to matter.
As I stated before he is one of my favorite characters out of the entire franchise and I do love this figure. I think he should have come with a facehugger in a stasis jar since he did study them in the movie. He was like a little kid playing with a bug so he should have been packaged with one. I have no complaints about this figure. As with all of the figures from NECA is it beautiful. Kyle Windrix and Jason Frailey did an excellent job with sculpting this figure.
The Dog Alien figure from Alien 3 has amazing poseability with approximately 21 points of articulation not including the rubberized tail which has wire armature. Since the alien is supposed to be the dog creature from Alien 3 I would have liked to have the head go back a bit more so you could pose him on all fours. This is my only negative comment on this figure. The attention to detail is amazing, down to the movable jaw and tongue. The sculpt on the Dog Alien is like love letter to the original designer, H.R. Giger.
The Dog Alien figure comes with a stand to allow you pose him in more elaborate positions though it is not needed. This figure can stand on its own without issues. Personally I like using to tail to help with poses. The tail really works for that. Necessity is truly the mother of invention. The Dog Alien figure is the first of the actual aliens from NECA that I have had the chance to review and I have to say I am really impressed by this ugly beauty. I can’t imagine the hours spent by Trevor Zammit sculpting this very cool looking figure.
Despite the minor issues with the figures in this assortment I do recommend picking them up if you are an Alien fan. The suggested age on these collectibles is 17+ but I don’t think if you are under 17 Toys R Us will stop you from picking these up if you want them. The figures in the Alien line from NECA retail for $19.99.
