Review of Ellen Ripley - Alien
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

There's one thing all great sequels have in common - great first films. There'd be no Toy Story 2 without Toy Story, ESB without ANH, Godfather 2 without Godfather, Terminator 2 without Terminator - the list goes on and on. There are great sequels that are better than the first film, but I can't think of a single one where the first was a terrible movie.

Whether Aliens was better than Alien is much debated. This is due in large part to the very different thematic and plot styles used, creating two very different movies which can speak to two very different types of movie goer. For me, they are both top ten horror films, and choosing one over the other is a cinematic Sophie's choice.

Hot Toys has done a great job with the overall Alien license through the years. It was a big success for them early on, shortly after they switched to a licensed character business model. They've kept it alive through the years with a release here, a release there, but it's been quite some time since we've seen a human character. After teasing us over several Comic-Cons, a new Ellen Ripley, based on her look in the first film, is finally here.

Ripley has been shipping for a few weeks internationally, and will run you around $230 depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***
The packaging is pretty standard Hot Toys stuff, with a slip cover over a window box. It's attractive, but not particularly unique or special. It's all collector friendly of course, which is a basic requirement with the current market.

Sculpting - ***1/2
I suspect some people will argue that this sculpt really does deserve the full four stars - she is quite stunning in hand. I've also seen this portrait with rooted hair, customized by some very talented folks out there, and it's amazing.

But in the state it comes out of the box, it falls just slightly short for me. It's damn near perfect, but there's something about the hair that's not quite right.

The face is gorgeous, and in hand looks just like Weaver in her pivotal action role. The accuracy is spooky, which is why those rooted hair versions look so damn good. It's all in the lips, nose and jawline, areas that are very specific to her look, and where they've nailed it perfectly.

Realism is good too, with a soft skin texture and subtle sculpting to the eyebrows. Even the lip texture is super realistic, and the teeth, barely visible, look amazing.

The expression is dead on too, with a slight look upward in the eyes and a trademark expression of determination in the lips and tight musculature of the face. In all three areas - accuracy, realism, expression - the facial sculpt is a winner.

But the hair is off for me. It's a little too Michael Jackson, and the stranding is slightly soft. Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible. But it's just enough of an issue to hold her back from a perfect score in this category for me.

The hands are sculpted to work with the various accessories, and unlike the huge male paws that Hot Toys tends toward, her hands are closer to scale. It's a bit tough to swap them this time, but it is doable.

My one other nit in this category is her height. She comes in at 11 1/2" tall, about 1/2 - 3/4 shorter than the average male figure in this style. I've seen varying reports of her height, but the average seems to be about 5' 11", which should put her much closer to the 12" mark, especially with that big hair.

Paint - ***1/2
Hey, it's Hot Toys. Great production paint is like falling out of bed for them.

All the usual suspects look great - eyebrows, lips, teeth. Even the skin tone is realistic, and there's no weird blips or stray marks.  The hair is a little too consistent, but because the locks fall over the forehead and face, there's no need to create a subtle painted hairline.

The eyes take her down slightly, with a bit more bleed and discoloration in the whites than I expect from them. The dark pupils are a little different, but they do have life and emotion. They just aren't quite as neat and clean around the edges, and there's a spot or two of dark paint in the whites.

Articulation - ***1/2
The female TrueType has a ton of mobility, and the outfit isn't restrictive.

The hair does block the neck a bit, as you'd expect. It's a soft material, but she can't tilt her head back very far.

The neck and torso is covered by a soft skin, so any mid-chest and waist movement is difficult. The arms work great though, with no restriction on the shoulders, elbows, or wrists. You can get some great arm poses with any of the accessories, especially the flamethrower.

The hips, knees, and ankles are very mobile, but the knees are a little loose. I've seen this on a couple of the recent releases, and it's a bit concerning. She's not at floppy rag doll level, but she did have some trouble maintaining deeper stances. This looseness could be indicative of problems on the manufacturing line for the bodies, and inadequate QC at the time of assembly.

Accessories - ***1/2
There's a nice assortment of extras here, all well done and very film specific.

She has three sets of hands in total: the relaxed pair she comes wearing, a set of fists, and a set of grips for the flamethrower. That's a bit light, and a couple more gesturing hands would have been nice. They swap pretty easily, and there's a couple extra wrist pegs just in case.

She also has the 'watch' for her arm, with a decent sculpt and paint job. The basic paint does tend to hide some of the details, but it fits well on her arm and helps hide some of the wrist articulation when posed.

Jonesy played a big role in the film, and the cat is included here in a rather pissed off - or scared - pose. There's nothing particularly exciting about either the paint or the sculpt on him, and it seems like most of these secondary animals in sixth scale by any company are a weak link.  He fits inside one of the cooler accessories - the cat carrier. Somehow the movie made a rather mundane item like an animal carrier look futuristic and industrial, and Hot Toys has replicated it beautifully here, complete with clear window and opening lid. Even the interior is sculpted to look like soft padding!

They've also recreated the detailed tracking device, perfect for hunting Aliens. And when you find them, she has her flamethrower to send them to Hell!  Both are very well sculpted, with grungy, dirty paint jobs that add a realistic appearance.

Last but not least, she comes with a display stand and support. The stand is sculpted to look like the ship flooring from the movie, and is large enough to accommodate her in medium depth stances.

I also wanted to mention that they include a few extra buttons for her shirt. They've been doing this for awhile now - at least as far back as the BTTF Marty, maybe longer - and I tend to forget to mention it.

Outfit - ***1/2
This is not a super complex outfit, but it does match the on screen look quite well, and is properly tailored and fit to the female TrueType.

The short sleeved coveralls have scaled zippers, patches, and pockets, and is made from a very high quality material. All the stitching looks good, and the costume is no more restrictive than it would be on a normal person.

Underneath is the white shirt and green t-shirt. These layers aren't bulky or padded, and the tiny 'snaps' on the shirt, while not functional, look perfect.

The whole outfit is topped of with her sneakers. It's as perfect an outfit for Alien killing as I've ever seen. It's not complex enough to get my highest rating - something this simple should be pretty much perfect - but they didn't create any issues for themselves.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
Although the knees are a little wobbly, I still had plenty of fun finding various poses. With the added accessories, you have a lot of options, and if you already have Kane, Dallas, and an Alien or two, you'll up the ante for display antics.

Value - **1/2
It seems that the average price for a Hot Toys figure has quietly jumped from $220 to $230. While I'm not thrilled, I have to admit that she's not a major character in the market right now, it's not a license that has a huge demand, and it's a figure with a decent number of complicated accessories.  I'm willing to go the $230 as an average with her, and I hope there's enough demand to warrant a revisit on the Marines as well. I'd gladly pay $250 each if I could replace those figures!

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. I didn't have any trouble working with the accessories or the figure. If you want to put the weapon strap over her head, it's easiest when the head is removed. Other than that, I have no tips to give!

Overall - ***1/2
It's been a long time since Hot Toys did Ellen Ripley.  If you have forgotten, I included the next photo as a reminder. My, how far they've come!

I'm thrilled to finally have her in my collection, and Hot Toys has been teasing us for a long time with this release. I'll be keeping my Power Loader on display, but only as a backdrop. This Ripley will be front and center, alongside Kane and Dallas.  The Colonial Marines will stay boxed up, because the quality just isn't good enough to share space with modern releases.  I'm hopeful we see some of the Marines make it in a new release, particularly Hudson and Vasquez, but I'd take any of them at this point!

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow has her for $230.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
This isn't the first time Hot Toys has done Ripley. You can see her here with the Power Loader. Other Alien releases include the recent Warrior Alien and older release Warrior Alien, and the very cool Kane and Dallas.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!