Xenomorph Warrior by NECA

So, it's obvious that I'm an Alien fan, and though the original film is a sentimental favorite, I'm actually quite fond of them all... yes, even Alien Resurrection.

Having said that, it should come as no surprise when I also say that I'm an easy target for just about any action figure from any of the movies.

In this case we've a no-brainer. A xenomorph warrior from the movie Aliens, made by NECA, and featuring a new level of complex articulation. Awesome, right? Well... pretty much.

The original Alien movie will always be my favorite, but Aliens was the first of these films that I was old enough to see in a movie theater. I saw it on a hot summer afternoon in a little theater in Manhattan -- was actually cutting class with a bunch of other students -- so I have fond memories of this film as well. It's a great movie.

Couple that with the fact that in all the years that I've been buying things made by NECA, I've never had an action figure that I didn't love, and you'd imagine that this would be one of the greatest things that I own. Well... again... pretty much.

Here's what's great about this figure: the level of detail is really nice, and is consistent with what we all expect from NECA. The paint is good, but maybe not as subtle as it should be, and tends to be a little random from figure to figure.



I've bought all kinds of things by NECA over the years based simply on the fact that I loved the sculpt (I'm thinking about you Harry Potter figures), and this time it's no different. It's a good overall sculpt that tries bravely to strike a balance between detail and articulation. For the most part they really do manage to pull it off, but the big problem is with how NECA has engineered the joints, and with the quality of plastic used in production.



Long story short: the legs and the knee joints are very rubbery, so it's hard to make this figure stand without using his tail for stabilty. Bummer.


Mind you... I actually hate to complain because I remember the bad old days when McFarlane broke my heart over and over again with their terrible production problems -- figures broken before I'd ever gotten the bubble open. I'm thrilled that NECA has tried something new with this figure, but I'm looking at the older version of the warrior alien from a few years ago, and I'm not sure that this new one is really better.




And that's what it finally comes down to. A matter of better, best, or merely just "good enough" -- which I suppose explains why I'm able to admit that I liked Alien 3 and even Alien Resurrection. Ultimately I'm pretty tolerant, but I have higher expectations when it comes to figures from NECA, so even though I'm looking forward to the new figure of the classic alien creature that's coming out soon, I'll probably be just that much more disappointed if it's not perfect.