While shuffling through Toys R Us this week where I was hoping to find some of the 25th Anniversary Transformer toys, which are still nowhere to be found, I found a true gem of a toy. NECA has finally released their Warrior Alien from James Cameron’s 1986 classic Aliens, a sequel that not only redefined the genre but solidified that all sequels should be better than their originals. There have been numerous action figures made of the Alien and most, outside of the Kenner Alien 3 figures (seen here), have just been plain terrible. They are either too clunky or too small. No one has created a decent Alien figure from the film Aliens in a long time. By far the best Alien figure of all time was Kenner’s 1979 giant sized Alien (see commercial at bottom). NECA has spent the several years making Aliens from the Alienvs Predator movie. Their Predators are exquisite but the Aliens are just never right.
A year ago at the International Toy Fair I saw the original sculpts for the line and had to have them. I actually wanted just the prototypes. They were huge and the details were perfect (see the original Alien prototype). A year later I finally found one on the toy shelf. I say that it is new and not something that has been sitting on the toy shelf for a year with confidence because it has a 2009 copyright on the packaging. Why it took over a year to come out is beyond me. Better yet, was it actually worth the wait?
The packaging is incredibly simplistic, just a blister pack with the film’s logo on it. To really review it though and I had to do the unthinkable. I had to open it. I have always felt that there is nothing better and more fleeting than new paint on a toy. Upon opening the Warrior Alien that new paint smell became overwhelming. So much so that it made me cough. As the fumes dissipated what immediately grabbed my attention was his feet. Did you know that a Warrior Alien only has four toes? I then discovered the incredibly sharp Achilles heel talons that the creature has when I practically cut myself. This does give the figure a vicious nature that goes hand in hand with its character. Oddly enough the Warrior Alien has holes in his heels for an action figure stand but does not come with one. Thankfully his highly poseable tail keeps him from falling over. The down side to the tail being a balance beam is that it cannot be that flailing dagger as it is so often portrayed as in the movie.
The head is incredible. It practically breathes, however what Alien figure is complete without an inner jaw? NECA has placed a flimsy, awkward and straightforward inner jaw in the figure. It looks better if you crack the mouth just enough to see it. Popped out it is as if it was an after thought for the figure and not a starting point. The outer jaw has incredible details and even comes with that blue sheen for the gums above the teeth.
The chest is stunning and looks as if it is both slimy and wet. The time and effort spent sculpting this creature must have been arduous but well worth it. There is just something new to look at each time you pick it up. All of these details in the palm of your hand really illustrate how unique and special H.R. Giger’s designs of the original Alien were. Often we lose sight of how incredible the Alien creature is as 20th Century Fox keeps milking it for yet another dull and uninspired sequel. Holding it in the palm of your hand really allows you to have a piece of movie magic for your very own.
With over twenty points of articulation allowing you to place the Warrior Alien in numerous poses you quickly forget that all you got was an action figure and nothing else. The craftsmanship is incredible and the figure itself is all you need and not a bunch of face huggers or chest poppers accessories. Action figures for movies come and go and are constantly remade and re-sculpted. Outside of flimsy inner jaw the Warrior Alien figure by NECA is absolute perfection.
If you cannot find one at Toys R Us they are available at Entertainment Earth.
RETRO Toy Commercial of the week:
This was a rated R movie in 1979. Cable television was still in its infancy. Home video was practically non existent. Later kids had cable television and home video allowing them to see R rated films which is why a film like Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)had its own toy line. So how the hell did Kenner ever think they were going to sell any of these demonic looking toys to kids in 1979?
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