Review of Alien Warrior - Aliens sixth scale figure

Introduction

There are plenty of sequels in the annals of film history that are as good or superior to the first film - Toy Story 2, Godfather II, Empire Strikes Back, Spider-Man 2, Dark Knight, Terminator 2 etc. It's really not that uncommon, because once the characters and the world are developed in the first film, the makers are able to flesh out deeper stories in the second. However, it's very unusual for a sequel to take such a drastic change in tone and style as we saw from Alien to Aliens. Both are classics, both are terrific, but fans always have their favorite.

It's been quite awhile since Hot Toys visited the Alien universe in their sixth scale line.  They've been teasing some figures, like Ripley, for the past couple years, but haven't yet delivered in any real way.  The recent release of a new Alien Warrior from Aliens might just be the start of some terrific new releases under this license.

This Warrior is currently shipping, and will run you around $250, depending on the retailer. There's no exclusives or special editions that I know of.

Packaging - ***1/2
The outer slip cover has depth and dimension, with some terrific graphics of the Alien. That makes it highly reflective though, which translates into "tough to get a good shot". Inside, everything is super collector friendly, with no damage necessary to get the figure and accessories free. There's not much here, but it's all packed safely, and can be returned to the box at any time.

Sculpting - ****
There's no doubt this is a fantastic sculpt, with a ton of detail in the ribs, hose-like sinews, and exposed musculature.  This was Giger at his best, and Hot Toys has captured that look and feel beautifully.

They went more for looks and less for articulation this time around, using covered elbows, hips, and knees. This does mean there's no breaks in the attractive lines of the arms or legs, but it also means there isn't much mobility.

I suspect that the more extreme Alien fan will find nits to pick, as there always are with movie replicas. Some proportion won't be quite exact, some detail missing. But I consider myself a huge fan of the film, albeit not an anal one, and this is an excellent looking Alien to my eye.

He's a big boy when standing upright, measuring about 14" tall.  Hopefully the rubber skin won't deteriorate or melt over time, since you'll want to have the elbows and knees bent at least a little in any pose you choose.

Paint - ***1/2
They stepped it up nicely with the paint work, creating multiple colors and layers, and giving him a slightly wet, glassy look. There's some bluish tinge, there's some copper tinge, there's even a bit of a metallic tinge to some areas. There aren't a lot of small details, and I do wish the teeth were just a bit more clean and distinct, but overall the subtle coloration looks fantastic, and allows this guy to stand out compared to the earlier Hot Toys Alien releases.

Articulation - **1/2
As I mentioned previously, they swapped clean lines for posability. Whether or not that's a problem will be a personal preference.

The neck works well, with a decent tilt and lean action.  The shoulders are very restricted, with only about a 30 degree outward angle with the body possible. They will move forward and back though, and the rotating hinge wrists work well. The elbows are single hinge, and the outer skin restricts them quite a bit.

The rocker/twisting chest joint is very useful, allowing him to crouch far more than would be otherwise possible. That's because the hips are covered in the skin material as well, making them pretty much useless.  The knees are a little better, but not much, but the rotating hinge ankles work much, much better.

The tail can turn, and is completely bendy, allowing it to be a part of any aggressive stance.

And as a 'creeped me the Hell out' anecdote, while taking the photo below, the tail moved on it's own. I did not notice it while shooting, and yes, it creeped me out when I realized it during editing.

Accessories - **1/2
Not much comes with this bad boy.  He does have two 'splat' effects, where a Colonial Marine has shot him.  One attaches to either side of the head, while the other fits on the ribs.  The smaller one is supposed to have a magnet feature to hold it in place, but I sure didn't feel it. It does attach to the 'hose' on either side of the head though, and the larger effect attaches to the ribs the same way.

His only other accessory is a display stand designed to look like the floor grating of a ship. Nothing particularly exciting about it, but an important add anyway for those that regularly use the stands in their display.

Action Feature - *1/2
Just like every Alien action figure ever produced, this one has an extending inner mouth.  This is accomplished by pushing a small lever forward on the underside of the elongated skull.  It automatically opens the mouth and extends the battering ram set of chompers.

However, like far too often, it comes out at a downward angle rather than straight. See the photo a couple above to see what I'm talking about. It never looks right, and considering the price point, I don't think it's too much to ask that it come out of the center of his mouth at a proper angle.

It also doesn't stay out.  I assumed there would be a way to push the arm forward and lock it in place, but alas, no.  I've heard if you push hard enough it will - no such luck for me. I pushed hard enough to break something...and still it wouldn't stay put. While its amusing to push it forward once in awhile, without it remaining extended it's a fairly worthless feature.

EDIT: After much gnashing of teeth (my own) and wailing of voices, I finally managed to get it to stay.  It's still not easy, nor is it textbook. I had to pull on the extendable mouth itself, forcing it into the proper position. It does stay up off the lower jaw now, but it still comes out at a downward, not straight, angle.  I'm not giving any extra here because a) it's feels dicey doing it this way and b) it's still not straight.  At $250, I expect more than an NECA figure.

Fun Factor - ***
This is an attractive figure, but not a particularly fun figure. With less articulation, you'll be less inclined to find new and interesting poses.  Once you find that one you really like, I suspect he'll stay that way.  Hopefully it won't put too much strain on the covered knees or elbows over time.

Value - **1/2
While $250 isn't cheap, considering the price tag we've seen on basic 12" figures from Hot Toys recently - where $220 - $230 seems average - I'm not surprised. There's not much in the way of accessories, but the sculpting and paint quality make up for a lot of that, making this an average value compared to other recent releases from them and companies like Star Ace or Asmus.

Things to Watch Out For -
Nothing right out of the box, but I would keep an eye on the elbows and knees depending on how extreme you get with the posing.

Overall - ***
If I were only considering Sculpt and Paint, this guy would score much higher. He is an excellent looking Alien, no doubt about that, and considering how long it's been since we saw one from Hot Toys, he's a welcome addition.  However, once you take into consideration the lack of articulation, the lack of accessories, and the very weak action feature, he ends up taking a dip in my Overall.

I think Aliens fans will be happy with him however, and I hope that he's the start of some new Alien themed releases.  It looks like a given that we'll get the new Ripley now that she's actually up for pre-order, but whether we'll see the updated Power Loader they displayed last summer, or any re-releases of the Marines (I'd kill for a well done Hicks, Hudson, and Vasquez), it's still anybody's guess.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - **1/2
Accessories - **1/2
Action Feature - *1/2
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow has him for $250.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
The most obvious related link is the earlier Hot Toys Warrior Alien and regular Alien, along with Hudson, Drake, and Ripley. There's also a guest review of the earlier Hicks. Jeff Parker also did a nice comparison of the two Warrior Aliens. Don't forget the huge Power Loader either!  

There's no shortage of Alien/Aliens merchandise, and I've reviewed a ton of it. You should hit the Search Reviews page to find items from NECA, McFarlane, Medicom and others, and in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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