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Packaging - ***1/2
This box mirrors the style of the
earlier Predators releases, with die cut slip cover and red translucent
plastic. There's Velcro instead of magnetic closures, but they work
well enough. Everything is collector friendly of course, with the
figure and all accessories easily removable and returnable with no
package damage.
Sculpting - ***1/2
Another amazing outing by Hot Toys, and perhaps an even better classic Predator than the one based on the original film. Overall,
the sculpt is very similar. I think they've improved with their work on
the dreadlocks though, making them flow better and having a good enough
number to fill in nicely. There also seems to be a better internal
scale here, especially between the head and body. This figure matches
the film version extremely well, and looks great in or out of the mask. The
various sculpted hands look great too, and swapping them is no problem.
They work well with lots of poses, and once again scale is very good. I
did dock the sculpt slightly though, because I felt the fit on the
alternate jaws wasn't quite as good this time. The center jaw, which
usually doesn't pop off, but does this time to allow for the masks to
fit (more on that in the Outfit section) has a nice tight fit, but the
two side mandibles have a bit more gap than I thought they should. Play
with them a bit and you can get a decent look, but overall it's not
quite as easy as with past Predators. If you had any fears that
this guy was too small, fear not. He clocks in at about 13 1/4" tall,
just about right to go with Noland and Royce.
Paint - ****
I'm expecting a bad paint job from Hot Toys eventually - you can't be
perfect all the time. But this figure is not the one to break the
winning streak. The
outstanding detail on the forehead and face is just amazing. The
piercing eyes are bright and clean, and the glossy finish shows off the
layers of skin color beautifully. Even with all that praise, I
did have one nit. It seems to me that the number of apps and colors
around the jaws and teeth have dropped slightly. There just doesn't
seem to be quite as much paint detail around the mouth, but it's a very
minor issue, if it's truly an issue at all and not just my imagination.
Articulation - ***
This
body is solid, with very tight, strong joints. There's little chance of
breakage, and he holds poses extremely well with no wilt or slip. The ball jointed neck is great, with lots of tilt action. You can add a ton of personality to any pose, relaxed or aggressive. The
rest of the body has all the usual joints, and if you've picked up one
of the other Hot Toys Predator figures, there will be no surprises.
However, I found that the arms were less posable than I'd like,
especially the left arm. I couldn't get it to turn far enough to hold
the hologram level, a bit of a disappointment. The hands swapped easily though, and there was no fear of breakage with the thick wrist pegs. It's
also worth noting in this section that the shoulder cannon moves up and
down, twists side to side, and even folds up to lay flat against the
armor.
Accessories - ***
In the
list of accessories for this figure, most sites have all the various
pieces of armor. He comes wearing these - there's no assembly this time
around. Remember when you had to even fit the netting over his body?
Not this time. But I'm placing all those pieces as part of the
outfit, not the accessories. Likewise, I'm putting the two masks in the
outfit section as well. That leaves a whole lot less to go in this
category. He does come with the extra set of closed jaws, and
they swap easily. There's also two more sets of hands, posed for
aggressive gestures, and a couple extra wrist pegs just in case. There
are two translucent hologram pieces that attach to an extra lid for his
touch pad or control box on his left arm. This lid swaps cleanly, and
the second one allows the light to shine up through to the hologram
piece. He comes with a fairly decorative base as well, with a
design based on the camp setting in the movie. The sculpt and paint are
decent, but the base is a bit small overall. That's really it for
this category, leading me to drop the score here a bit more than usual,
and certainly more than I'd expect at this price point. He doesn't have
any external weapons, which makes sense in the context of this movie,
but which makes him feel a bit light when it comes to his extras.
Outfit - ****
While the accessories might be on the light side, the outfit is not. As
I said, the netting and armor are all attached right out of the box.
The sculpt and paint are excellent, and the overall look matches what
we had on screen. It's even a bit of a mixed media costume, with real
leather used on the loincloth. There
are two masks included - one regular, one damaged. Both have working
red LED lights, which I'll discuss in greater detail below. The
masks fit in a slightly different way this time around. All three
pieces of his jaw come out - the two sides and the lower teeth - and
there are plastic replacements on the inside of each mask. That means
the mask fits tight, without damaging any area on the face. While
the masks are very well done, I have to say that my favorite aspect of
the costume is the real metal blades in the gauntlet of his right arm.
The slide in and out of the cuff, and are very sturdy metal. No worries
about bending or breaking here! Light Feature - ****
There are three light up features - two masks and the left arm. Both
the damaged and undamaged masks come with the red light laser on the
right side. They plug into his back, and the wire hides nicely in the
dreads. The lights are nice and strong, and the plug and switch are
easy to get at. The LED in the left arm is designed to light up
the two holographic displays. These translucent blue displays attach to
the extra arm plate, and the bright LED in the forearm illuminates them
perfectly.Again, the switch is easy to get to, and yet it's still well hidden. Of course, batteries are all included. Three light up items is nice, but I'm not sure it takes this figure up to DX pricing.
Fun Factor - ***
This is
a fairly sturdy figure as far as Hot Toys figures go, able to hold up
to normal handling and posing quite well. It's not a toy for a child -
hit up the NECA 7" figures for that - but the older fan will get a lot
of fun out of him nonetheless.
Value - **
This guy is topping out over $200 at many
retailers. That's DX money, and this isn't a DX figure. There's plenty
of armor, but past Predators have had plenty of armor as well. The
light up feature is nice, but I don't see it justifying the extreme
price point. Since this figure is still not sold out at many sellers,
I'm betting a lot of collectors feel the same way.h7
Things to Watch Out For -
I didn't have a single issue.
Overall - ***1/2
The highlights here include the light
feature, the excellent paint work, and the real metal blades. Other
than a couple minor nits, there's really only serious issue - the price
point. I suspect that's why such an otherwise excellent Hot Toys figure
is still available at retail. Something to keep in mind though is
the high cost of the original Hot Toys 'classic' Predator. That figure
is now running for $300 or more, making this guy a bargain if you're
looking for an alternative solution.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ****
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ***
Outfit - ****
Light Up Feature - ****
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2
Where to Buy -
Online options include these site sponsors:
- Alter Ego Comics has him at $198.
- Capstone Comics is at $198. - Fanboy Collectibles is at $200. - Big Bad Toy Store is also at $200.
- Things From Another World has him at $220.
- Hollywood Heroes is at $230.
- or you can search
ebay for a deal.
Related
Links -
I just recently covered Noland, with other reviews including Royce, Falconer
Predator, and Berserker Predator.
Hot Toys has done several figures from the original Predator flic as wellk,
including the big guy himself, Billy and
Dutch.
Then there's the Hot Toys Lost Predator, and
the Machiko She Predator.
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