I don't think the Predalien design is half bad, especially considering the direction ADI has taken with the Aliens over the past few years. I could forgive A:R because of the genetic tampering, but to keep the same aesthetic for three movies is really beginning to frustrate me. That said, they do produce some good stuff, especially in the animatronic areas, but I don't really like their designs that much. That said, the Predalien is loads better than I was expecting. I agree with damn near everybody here and think that the dreads should've been streamlined with the head, and rigid if possible, but depending on how the creature is filmed, they may turn out alright yet.
As far as the action figure, I think/hope NECA's dreads are slightly bendable, because they're far too spread out on that one... the Sideshow maquette manages to make them look less obtrusive, and seem to indicate what we'll be seeing on film.
I'm not sure what's up with the skin tone though, some highlights might've worked, but the overall beige shade of the creature's front in the figures is a little odd. However, with lighting and color correction, I'm pretty confident it'll look just fine.
Is the design perfect? No, but how could anything be in a VS property? It's certainly not so awful as to merrit the bashing it's been getting around here though - at least not in my books. The official stills look pretty damn cool, and we'll all find out - one way or another - how well it turns out in less than two months.