Review of Classic Predator sixth scale action figure

Introduction

I'm not sure what's left to say about the Predator monster, the Predator films, or anything else related to Predators. Today is Mother's Day, and Arnold did refer to the very first Predator as one ugly mother, but even I gotta admit that's a Hell of a stretch.

If you saw the most recent film, Predators, then you know the alien hunters in the film are a generation beyond what we saw in the original film. There was a 'classic' Predator in the movie though, treated like a slave to the others.

Hot Toys has already done a pretty impressive job on the various new Predator characters, as well as both Noland and Royce on the human side. They also produced a true classic Predator based on the original film awhile back, and he's quite hard to come by these days.  Since there was a similar character in the new film, it made sense for them to give us that classic look one more time.

This guy has been shipping for awhile, and costs $200 or more. He's not a DX, but he does sport a multiple light up feature.

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.

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.

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!

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 (out of ****):
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:

- 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 flick as well, including the big guy himself, Billy and Dutch.

Then there's the Hot Toys Lost Predator, and the Machiko She Predator.

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!