Packaging - ****
This box is BIG with a capitol 'B' and its heavy to match. It dwarves anything I've received in 1/6 scale to date, even the DaJoint ZMDC figures. It measures 17.5" x 15.5" x 4.5" and like the rest of the line so far has the pearlescent / metallic slip on sleeve. This is covered in a wealth of images of the figure and his accessories, once this is slipped off you're onto the oversized flap fronted box. Again there are tons of pictures, and as I said in my Terminator and Alien Marine 'Hicks' reviews they've really pushed the boat out on these boxes, and as these are 'premium' figures, with a price to match it's nice when the whole tactile experience is one of quality. That said, there is a little green eco voice in my head saying "this box is way too big and I had it put on a plane and flown halfway round the World" it's a voice I'm finding increasingly difficult to ignore, but as 'through' Michael I'm providing a public service, I'll ignore it for the time being. The tray inside is split into two levels, with four clear trays, two to hold the figure and its various parts and two to separate and protect them. He comes like the Hicks figure in a semi kit form, you don't have to actually construct the torso like you did on Hicks but all the limbs have to be snapped into place and he needs to be dressed. Don't rush into this aspect. Sit down, read the instructions and think through how each piece needs to be applied and in what order. For example I sat carefully putting his armour on only to realise I hadn't put his legs through the straps that hold the thigh guards in place, It didn't take too long to rectify. But as this is a relatively delicate display Item you'll need to take care.

Sculpting - ****
This is a wonderful sculpt, I dare say to some purists out there, some of the rigid statues available may be a little closer in some aspects, and that Sideshow version does look pretty sweet (but for $999 I guess it should). However to me a self confessed lover of 1/6 fabric/separate garment dressed fully articulated figures this is as we say in England "the dogs bollocks". For a start they've completely sculpted a new larger scale body, and all aspects of it, even those hidden by the mesh and armour are given texture, ridges, scales etc. It does tell you to take care when putting on his mesh body stocking as it is a delicate garment and you must take care that it doesn't snag on any of his bodies sculpted elements. I didn't find it a problem, but take note. Next the head, the face is near perfect and completely outshines the Medicom version, admittedly that version is over ten years old now, and standards have seen something of a quantum leap in that time. The thing about this face is it required a great attention to detail and also the scale had to be kept in mind, as one of my problems with the McFarlane version (and dare I say it even the Sideshow one I cited earlier), well apart from the fact it was pretty much in one pose that I didn't like, was that they used their artistic license and reduced the size of the head. There's no denying this made the figure look more dynamic in a comic book kind of way, but in the movies real actors were wearing huge animatronic masks. full to the brim with servos, air bladders, hydraulics and other mechanical RC device. The up-shot being they had mahoosive noggins! Now when this critters butt nekid he looks weird, but once you kit him up everything falls into place. The only real issue I would have is with the dreads/head tails/hair. When you first unpack the head you'll think they stick out far too much, but each and every dread has a wire inside meaning not only can you push them in closer to head, but you can also stick them out as if flailing 'mid' action pose. But even though this is a nice feature it has to be said that they do still seem quite bulky, as having gone back and watched AVP on fast-forward freezing all the relevant Predator shots, the actual dreads do hang with a lot of weight. Something that would have been very difficult to reproduce at this scale, but in my opinion the compromise works well. Certainly better than having them look like they are hanging with weight by making them a rigid sculpt. This wouldn't have been viable any way as the head needs to be able to move around the shoulder cannon. You do have to decide on the head position you want to display him in before attaching the shoulder cannon (as once this is attached the dreads hamper movement) But I can live with it. They also went for a mouth/mandibles closed as he comes with his mask/helmet I guess this was the only option (well, I guess a 'roaring' alternate head would have been nice, but you can't have everything) I also know Michael had issues with his Mcfarlane versions mask not staying on, no such problems with this one, it doesn't 'clip on' but just seems to stay in position when pushed into place. The next sculpted elements are the hands, you get four, two in a set gripping position and two with bendy fingers. I'm not usually a fan of bendy hands, but as these are sculpted specifically for this figure they seem to work better than most. Now there is also a wealth of sculpting on the armour and accessories, but I'll cover that later. 

Paint - ****
There is a lot of paint work here, in fact apart from his body mesh every single element is painted, and painted very well. Firstly this is, as I said earlier a completely new 'Predator' fully articulated body sculpt. And so as to do this justice the entire body is painted. I would need to write an essay to describe the complete paint job here, suffice to say I'll go into some detail, but hope my pictures and those on the link above, will paint the thousand words they merit. So we have the overall body paint, then there's the head. lots of really fine painting on blemishes, hair details, eyes and round the mouth. The hands are well done, but don't shine, the feet on the other hand have loads of detail, both skin, flesh and metallic tones. Next the armour and mask, this has an over all 'pewter' metallic finish, greatly enhanced by the sculpt that has a detailed weathered and beaten appearance. They've used darker washes over the metal paint to give it that lived in and aged appearance, and a few details are picked out in a more golden/bronze effect. Lastly there's his accessories. All are painted well, the skull trophies look great, again with lots of 'aging' but the stand out bits are the spear and the the throwing 'star'. At first I thought this item in particular was made of metal, it isn't and therefore needs to be handled with care, but the paint on it is so convincing it'll have most people confused. I've examined my figure pretty closely all over and can't find any over painting, all in all a very complex and expertly executed job. Top marks. 

Articulation - ****
When I first saw pictures of this figure I feared an all new body sculpt could mean skimping on the articulation, you'll be pleased to hear my worries were unfounded. He has everything you'd expect double knees and elbows, ball jointed hips and shoulders, his stomach and mid torso bend and swivel, the neck post offers a full range of spin and up and down rotation and lastly the hands and feet have cut ball joints, so all in all when he's nude he can get into pretty much any position. The only problem being, unless you are a very sick puppy who likes to look at grotesquely ugly male aliens in skin tight body stockings, this really isn't an option. And once he is fully kited up that articulation obviously suffers. Don't worry too much though, as you'll manage to get him in most poses you would want, and I managed to get him to stay upright without his stand. They've tried to make the armour as articulated as possible with straps and joints all over the place and the overall effect works well, but be aware that this a' DISPLAY' item, so don't try and force him into any positions he's uncomfortable with....both physically and psychologically! 

Accessories - ****
Parts of his accessories straddle both camps of accessory and outfit, but looking at the box it's safe to say the elements they consider to be accessories are the spear, this can be kept in it's compact state which attaches to a loop/clip on his back or in all of it's fully extended glory (sadly it's not spring loaded) but it's still a nice attention to detail overlooked by McFarlane's. Next up is his short sword/dagger which comes with an ornate sheath that clips onto his right leg shin armour. Then comes the throwing star, this comes in two forms, compact, which you can hang from his belt and extended for holding. He's also equipped with the trademark trophy necklace with an assortment of skulls and a small spine....Mmmmm nice. Then lastly there's his huge shoulder cannon with tons of articulated elements incorporating a universal joint that means it can point in any direction. The sculpting and paint work on all these is very fine, and various online traders seem to be making a tidy sum by splitting these figures up and selling on as separate parts. lastly he comes with same stand all the other MMC figures have so far, this one obviously bearing the AVP logo and "Scar"

Outfit - ****
This consists of his body mesh with skirt, over which you place his armour. This covers his chest stomach and back, down to the groin and flanks. Epaulets cover his upper arms and gauntlets cover his lower. Shin guards then slip over his legs. Lastly his mask can be pushed onto the face, and it stays in place well, the lense/visor has a nice 'fly's eye', multi optic effect, it's a shame they couldn't fit a small LED into the laser target, but if they had the mask would have had to stay on. Two small hoses (well actually small springs) attach to the side of the mask and trail round his back to attach to his backpack/cannon. The armour has other articulated elements. The right gauntlet has extendable blades and the left one opens to show the programable detonator, sadly not removable to throw into an Alien egg nest but always handy when you get to the point of thinking..."Nah, I'm so totally screwed I'm taking everyone with me!" Lastly there's even some articulation half way down the shin guards?....I don't know what it's for, as the legs don't move here, but it's there anyway! 

Fun Factor - ***
Well I did say earlier this is really a display item, but it would also have a lot of play value if you know any kids who spend $130 upwards on an action figure. It has tons more play value than say Hasbro's 12" C3-P0, but there again so does a used tube of toothpaste. So if it's within your budget, you love the Predator it's almost the most fun you'll have with your clothes on.

Value - ***1/2
I paid $150 inc shipping from Charlesay at Kidultgarden on eBay, not a bad price considering I had it shipped from Hong Kong to the U.K. I've seen it on eBay bobbing around the $130 to $200 mark. Some of the $130 figures were based in Canada so I'd guess shipping to North America shouldn't be too steep. If you're patient you can wait and get yours from SST as they now distribute for Hot Toys, their price is also $130. I decided to strike while the iron was still a bit warm and get mine sent from Hong Kong, and to be truthful even if I did order from SST, being this side of the Atlantic means I'd probably spend just as much on shipping and always stand the chance of being hammered for duty.

Overall - ****
Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece collection does it again. I'd love to get the Celtic Predator to stand along side him but couldn't face the looks on my children's faces as they go hungry for another month, I'd try and explain to them..."Daddy has to get this toy...you do understand don't you?", but I can't do it, not again. But seriously if you can get this figure for $160 or under inc shipping I would still give if four stars. I'd then say remove a star for every $15 you pay above that 

Things to watch out for!

Just handle with care, it's not 'that' fragile but neither is it 'that' robust, but for display it's great....bring on a fully articulated Alien!

Score Recap- 
Packaging - ****
Sculpt - ****
Paint - ****
Articulation - ****
Accessories - ****
Outfit - ****
Fun Factor - ***
Value - ***1/2
Overall - ****

Where to Buy - 
I got mine on eBay from Charles, otherwise known as Charlesay or Kidultgarden on eBay. It had Charle's now patent bulletproof wrapping and shipped in super-fast time. As I said you can find him on eBay or contact him through his website @ www.kidultgarden.com. Otherwise try some of the ideas mentioned in value for money.

- you can also pick up either the Scar Predator or Celtic Predator from Sideshow Collectibles.

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