I don’t know why I can’t wrap my head around 
the fact that Alien is 40 years old, as cliché as it sounds, it feels like yesterday. When Alien was released Star Wars a big thing, especially when it came to merchandise. To jump on the merchandising bandwagon Kenner released an Alien figure with movable mouth and limited articulation. As you would assume it didn’t sell well. Toys were marketed for children and there weren’t many children going to see an “R” rated movie filled with guts and gore (it was a different time). It wasn’t until 1992 that Alien toys made a comeback. Cashing in on the popularity of James Cameron’s Aliens movie this new toy line took their inspiration from that movie.
The human figures in the line were loosely based on the characters in Aliens but they were highly stylized and looked very different from their on screen counterparts. Even the Alien creature was given a make-over. Instead of just your basic Alien Warrior or Queen, Kenner made figures like Rhino Alien, Scorpion Alien and Flying Queen Alien just to name a few. These weren’t exactly what I expected when I heard Kenner was going to make Aliens figures, but at least they were Alien toys which was all I really wanted way back in the early 90s.
Fast forward to today. Children have access to the internet and cable TV so chances are they have already seen that “R” rated movie you didn’t want them to see. Times have changed so it isn’t uncommon for kids to want toys based on a film they are too young to watch. Seeing toys from more mature materials in the kid’s toys aisle is almost commonplace.
Fortunately for fans of the Alien movies there are now figures and other toys out there to collect. For years NECA has been producing Alien and Predator toys and they are amazing. Now NECA has a line of Alien toys based on the figure line from 1992. The new figures are a definite upgrade from the originals. These figures have more points of articulation and more detail than the original Kenner versions.
The first figure we are going to talk about is the Sgt. Apone action figure. Unlike other figures from the Alien universe this Apone doesn’t look like the actor who portrayed the ill-fated Sargent on film, Al Matthews. This stylized version of Apone is decked out in a very non-military outfit with a red cap, a yellow shirt emblazoned with “No Bugs” and green pants. Not exactly camouflage. He does however look very 1990’s.
As I stated before this figure has more than the 5 points of articulation. The Apone figure’s points of articulation are:
• Head
• Shoulders
• Chest
• Elbows
• Wrists
• Hips
• Knees (Double)
• Calves
• Ankles
Apone also comes with some accessories.
• Shotgun
• Grenades (X2)
Apone stands approximately 7 inches tall and comes with an awesome bio-mechanical arm. Also included is a reproduction of the original Dark Horse Comics mini-comic that was included with the Kenner version.
The next figure is the Series 13 (Kenner Expanded Universe Line) Snake Alien. Again this is not a figure that ever appeared on film and only existed in the Kenner line. The Snake alien is truly the stuff of nightmares. Not saying the regular aliens don’t freak the shit out of me but the Snake is a very disturbing.
Measuring approximately 20 inches long and is surprisingly poseable. The points of articulation are:
• Head
• Mandibles (ball joints)
• Jaw
• Tongue (inner mouth)
• Pinchers along the chest (12 on ball joints)
• Tail (Bendable)
Like the other figures in this line the Snake alien comes with a reproduction of the Dark Horse Comic that was included with the original Kenner Snake.
The last figure in the 13th series is the Scorpion alien. This figure is the closest to the creature fans saw on the screen. The Scorpion alien stands approximately 9 inches tall. This figure also has a bendable tail that measures approximately 9 inches on its own. This figure, like every other figure NECA produces is very poseable. The points of articulation on the Scorpion are:
• Jaw
• Tongue
• Elbows (double)
• Chest
• Wrists
• Fingers
• Hips
• Thighs
• Knees (double)
• Ankles
• Feet
• Toes
The Scorpion alien really does have an impressive amount of poseability. I have to say that this is my favorite figure in this series. I know that somewhere in a storage unit is my original Kenner version of this bad boy and it is jealous.
NECA has done an excellent job paying homage to the classic Kenner figures. They are a great walk down memory lane. There is an entire generation of collectors that didn’t have the Kenner Alien line; some of them weren’t even born yet, so this is a great introduction to those toys of the past.
I would like to say that I am really impressed with what NECA has done with these figures but I only expect quality from NECA and they do not disappoint. NECA took the basic designs of those sad toys from the 1990s and they improved them 100%.
Series 13 of NECA’s Alien line is available now. Suggested retail for these figures is $28.00 and are available wherever cool stuff is sold including
