NECA Aliens

[dHunter333]

Ultimate Xenos on Neca's official release calendar for 10/18/18. Finally... Predator series 18 is slated for the same date as well!
After a long full year release, both items are finally here!
http://necaonline.com/events/2018-10/

[Still Collating...]

Just seen this, I can't wait for them to arrive!

[The Old One]

I may be alone on this, but I'm still irritated that this:


Ended up looking like this:



The proportions are all wrong and it can't even do the pose it stands in for 80% of the game.

[Still Collating...]

I'm satisfied with the Isolation Alien we got but I do understand the annoyance. The figure is far from perfect. I couldn't resist from tampering with it, starting with a dome repaint. Then I modified my alien and gave the arms a revoltech joint so the elbow bend goes well passed 90, but the fact that the head can't go backwards fully is very irritating.

The neck/head articulation needs an upgrade for the Big Chap and '86 aliens. The blue frosty Kenner big chap had the new double bend elbows and the new knees which are awesome, the 40th anniversary alien will have that as well, but the neck needs more range, a lot more...

I'll probably do a slight repaint of Stompy eventually, but I really want to make that head go backwards. I have a plethora of revoltech joints that could help but the problem is I have no idea how the head is attached inside. Maybe I'll just try by making a cut/gap into the back of the headsculpt for I believe that's limiting its range more than the neck joint at the moment.       

[Xenomrph]

I may be alone on this, but I'm still irritated that this:


Ended up looking like this:



The proportions are all wrong and it can't even do the pose it stands in for 80% of the game.

I'm guessing your complaint is about the head not being able to tilt backward?

Based on the prototype, it looks like they had the head tilted backward and temporarily held in place with some modeling putty, but then I guess they gave up on the neck joint and just said "f**k it".

In their defense the figure has enough issues standing up even with the (shitty) included display stand, let alone if the figure was hunched way forward like it is in the prototype shot.

[The Old One]

A absolute waste of an opportunity to bring to life the best Alien design in decades.

[Xenomrph]

A absolute waste of an opportunity to bring to life the best Alien design in decades.

I think they did the best they could with what they had. Like, NECA isn't Mattel or Hasbro, they're a small(er) manufacturer catering to a niche market. There's logistical limitations (and physical design problems) that made a "faithful" Stompy figure likely impractical from a business standpoint and/or untenable from a practical, manufacturing standpoint. Like I said, there'd be no way to get the figure to stand as posed in the prototype photo without some kind of figure stand, and the current NECA stand wouldn't have cut it.

[The Old One]

Their Covenant Alien manages it.

[Xenomrph]

Their Covenant Alien manages it.

Manages what?

[The Old One]

It encapsulates a ratchet joint in the neck so it's head can lean at that angle.
It also has digitigrade legs and can be articulated into nearly all the poses in Isolation.

[Xenomrph]

That was also a completely new sculpt, likely designed from the ground up so it could do that. It also came out a couple years after the Isolation Alien. Retooling the basic Big Chap figure to handle a new neck joint may not have been feasible, for the engineering/logistics reasons I mentioned.

Also the Covenant Alien can be articulated into Isolation poses, but it can't actually stand in them. Shit, mine can barely stand in a neutral pose without toppling over, and that's with using the tail for balance.

[The Old One]

I understand that, but believe the Isolation Alien should have been a complete new design regardless.

All the initial release's done is torpedo the chance of a faithful version IMO.

[Xenomrph]

I can understand that, and I agree on the second point. In the end I still like what we got quite a bit.

[Sol]

Looking forward to getting a few more figures soon. The Kenner homage line looks amazing, and I am very satisfied with the one figure I have from NECA's Aliens (The Dog). Gonna end up tossing money at the Scorpion and Ultimate Warrior among a host of many others.

I may be alone on this, but I'm still irritated that this:


Ended up looking like this:



The proportions are all wrong and it can't even do the pose it stands in for 80% of the game.

I mean, the first one isn't doing that pose. There is a big hand holding it up there.

EDIT: Reread your initial post. I get what you are saying now. Shame. Hopefully they make a 2.0/Ultimate figure in the future? I'm sure a Big Chap is coming so they could use that as the new base.

[The Old One]

Regardless, unacceptable. IMO

The Alien traverses on all fours half the time.
Basic articulation the Alien line deserves.

"Ultimate Alien" Without abundant up and down head articulation.