For more than a decade, I've been married to someone who admitted with pride to an obsession with all things Predator. In that time I've seen more Predator things than I care to remember - a 7 foot full sized replica, the lifesize bust from Sideshow, countless helmets and figures. While initially I was a little... weirded out by this, the truth is that once I gave the movies an objective viewing, I too came to appreciate the incredible design of the titular creature.
Today we received our Neca 1:4 Predator - the closed mouth version as indicated in the topic header - and I'm going to state outright that in my opinion, this is the best figure ever made of the 1987 Predator.
Sculpting
I've held the Hot Toys 1:6th scale in my hands and remember thinking how huge the head was, how short the neck was, and how the face was... off. The thing that really made an impression on me from the original Predator film was the face. When he unmasked, I sat up and took notice. And until now that was something no figure really got right, even the infallible Hot Toys.
First time for everything right?
When we opened this new figure, the very first thing I said was "Wow, they nailed it." I look at this figure - its not even 2 feet from me, currently - and I see the Predator from 1987. I absolutely see the creature that sent Arnold flying 25 feet or so through the air with a backhand. The slightly aloof mandible - obviously a nod to Dutch's pitiful-by-comparison counterattack - is a perfect touch that puts on display just how faithful NECA set out to make this figure.
The impressive touches aren't just in the dead-ringer likeness, either. The amount of detail sculpted into this figure is breathtaking - from the texture of the skin to the staggering amount of imperfections and wear of the armor, I found myself unable to put this figure down for a good 20 minutes (for those wondering, it weighs a ton) as I just looked it over.
Now, as with all things, the sculpt isn't perfect. It may just be my figure, but the left upper arm is significantly thicker than the right, to the tune of 20% or so I'd say. Initially I thought it was just the heavier armor but even pulled away, the upper arm is just a great deal more robust. While its not something that stands out to a blatantly offensive degree, it is noticeable.
Also (and I'm not sure if this falls under sculpt or not), my figure has a couple of alarmingly loose joints. The right knee in particular just feels like its been played with for years - we're scared to death to let this figure stand on its own. Just feels like it could give at any moment.
Paint Job
Its hard to be fair when it comes to paint jobs... on one hand you have to understand that mass-production figures just can't get painted to the same quality as prototypes/promo figures. On the other, some figures are painted so poorly that you wonder what on earth happened.
Fortunately, the NECA 1:4 Pred has a pretty impressive paint up for a mass produced figure. The skin is very detailed - the colors are accurate, the patterns and spots done correctly. The head/face is exceptionally well done, perhaps on account of the scale of the figure, with the eyes standing out especially. The armor is silver as expected, with various scoffs, airbrushed burns and dark washes to bring out its texture. Even the leathery bits are painted well, the gloves being especially impressive on our figure. For a moment, I actually thought they were separate from the hands themselves.
Miscellaneous
The articulation is solid, allowing you to pose the Predator into a number of 'trademark' stances. I especially like the ball-jointed neck, which allows for the head to be tilted sideways in what would strike me as a rather arrogant gesture. The elbows have both standard joints and swivels, as do the knees, and the figure has a swivel-waist, v-cut hips and mid-thigh cuts. The ankles are not ball-jointed, but the feet can be turned which helps with balance. The hands plug into the wrist with ball-jointed pegs, which are easily removable but also fit snugly. While certainly not as articulated as the Hot Toys predator figures, I'd venture to say that its a fair trade-off given this effort's vastly superior sculpt and proportions.
Although the original pred was the lightweight of the franchise weapons/accessories-wise, this figure managed to impress in that regard as well. There is an extra hand that is in the classic 'fist, but with thumb extended' that you see in both the original films, the backpack (which can be removed like in the film) complete with double jointed plasmacaster, and multiple trophies strewn across its torso. NECA even went as far as to include cloth ties around the knees and forearm, a small-but-authentic touch that most figures based on the original Predator never bothered to include. The torso, left arm and both thighs are even covered in genuine netting (that is kind of brittle, so be careful with yours!). The dreadlocks also impressed me, as they're made of a highly flexible rubber/vinyl type material. Most of the armor is sculpted/attached separately, and is made of a soft/flexible plastic presumably to lessen the chance of breakage.
Also included are the trademark wristblades, which are made of an extremely hard plastic and capable of extending to massive lengths - as they did toward the end of Predator, when the creature intended to finish off Dutch.
Final Thoughts
While not perfect (what is?) this figure was an absolute steal for $69.99. It eclipses the Hot Toys offering of the 1987 Predator by leaps and bounds, and offers absolutely the most authentic take on the creature that this reviewer has ever seen. If you can track one down, I cannot recommend it strongly enough. NECA really hit the ball out of the park on this one - we're hoping and praying that they do a Predator 2 figure in the same scale. Based on our satisfaction with this one, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
Positives:
Ridiculously amazing sculpt and likeness to the 1987 Predator.
Excellent paint app. for a mass produced figure.
Great attention to even small details that other figures have overlooked.
Incredible figure for the price! Worth every cent.
Negatives:
Loose joints make the figure tough to balance, much less trusted to be left standing on its own.
Articulation is a little lacking - not a deal breaker at all, but worth noting.
Final Score: 8.5/10
