Astonishingly (or perhaps not quite to our wives and wallets), even after a full week of NECA reviews, we still have enough material for a NECA Week IV! I’d keep an eye out for that soon, but I do have one last little wrap-up to NECA Week III before we resume our normal schedule.
One thing that I tend to struggle with as a toy reviewer is straight repaints. Unlike some collectors, I do love me some straight repaints now and again, but when you crank out a 1000+ word review, you (hopefully) cover most of the bases. Having to then review a straight repaint of that figure later can be daunting. Can we just link to the previous review and say, “that, but, y’know, blue”? Well, I guess I could really. The website is free to read, but I digress.
Now, I’m going to call this article a review, the official entry for the blue-highlighted Xenomorph Warrior in the second wave of NECA’s Alien line, but it’s really going to be more of a quick gallery covering a few aspects of NECA’s Xenomorph figures. If you would like a refresher on the specifics, check out the original review from Wave One’s brown-highlighted Xenomorph.
I’ve been fortunate enough to come across all five of NECA’s current crop of Xenomorph’s (well, a little luck, and a big helping hand from BBTS) and it’s funny to me to look at my ever-growing hive and think back to when I decided I needed… one Xeno. Back then, I had only two Predators, both film-based, and I was good. One Alien made sense back in those days. Then, NECA found where they’d put all the fun colors: yellows, reds, blues, etc. and my small Predator/Alien collection has grown quickly as a result.
While the Predators outnumber the Aliens (so far) thanks to some really nice updates to classic Kenner versions and bringing the fan film Dead End to plastic, the Aliens have survived largely on the strength of their new Xenomorph sculpt and simply switching up the highlight colors. I just keep buying them! Continue to Page 2…
Did you just accuse Kenner of “smart” Batman repaints? Because a figure line where you can get Batman all white, bronze, urban camo, zebra striped, day-glo yellow, and every other color under the sun, but not black and grey/blue, that’s smart repainting?
I have black & blue/grey from DKC and the TAS line had tons of permutations of the basic costume. All the movies had a basic Batman. And then tons of hilarious or neat repaints. What lines frustrated you?
I blame Kenner Batman repaints for killing toy lines. Not just because it was nigh-impossible to get the rare, short-packed villains amongst Butterscotch Wingblast Batman, Neon Night-Fighter Batman with Grappling Hook and Dino-Buddy, and Laser Scuba Attack Batman. No, because other toy lines then thought it necessary to come out with ridiculous hero and villain variants that clogged shelves while other characters were as rare as birds’ finger-claws. I’m looking at YOU, Millennial MOTU!
Having said all that, a dark-greyish smoky dome on the Big Chap (similar to the Kenner 2-Pack Alien Warrior) would rule.
MO2K had some of the best repaints!! Reverse Two-Bad, Blood Armor Skeletor, Green Trap-Jaw, Red Beast Man, Claw Attack Stratos, MAA in Silver, Fire & Ice Skeletor! I wish there were a way to get those in MOTUC.
There is, mate. Buy a figure and some Games Workshop paints, and get to work. };D
how about just a wet-gloss black deco with *clear* dome head variant?
that’s how I always saw the Xenomorph.
Any hints as to a possible Queen or even King Xeno at NYTF?
The Queen has been teased. I’m not sure they’ll do a King.
Local NECA stalker piping in. According the Randy, Kyle Windrix’s (who is sculpting it) brother hasn’t been doing well so it may not be ready in time for NYTF. Hope things turn around for his bro though, got him sitting on my desk burning stuff. 🙁
Alien 3 poster green colored repaint should be next.
That would be sweet!
Love the MIB pic!
Ha! I remembered the pose. It took me forever to figure out what it came from. I should’ve used my Usual Suspects background though!!
The title held by me (MIB) means what you think you saw you did not see.
I picked up the Genocide pack & loved the figures; NECA impressed me with the design & sculpt of the figures & I’d thought about picking up some more of the line. But, as I’m sitting here typing this, I have my third Predator figure this weekend (yes, different character, I know), after the first two broke at the elbow joint, which I’m terrified to open, for fear that it’ll be going back to the store with its gimpy brothers.
NECA’s not exactly inspiring a great deal of hope for me buying any more of their figures right now.
I want to see Big Chap with a smokey dome and glow-in-the-dark head in homage to the original Alien figure. Oh yeah!
I’m totally digging the sculpt work that NECA has been putting out. Super detailed and lovely. I only wish I could find some damn Pacific Rim figures on the pegs. I STILL haven’t found a Crimson Typhoon or Striker Eureka at retail.