NECA Predator Figure Series

[PredBabe]

^It wouldn't hurt.

Not sure why ADI can't tackle the classic mandibles seen in the first two movies. Is it a deliberate change? Or something they just can't replicate?

Sweet collection!

I'm jealous

Muchas gracias, good sir.

[Tichinde]

Ever since P2 something has been off imo. Voodoo might disagree but the original Pred looked like really grumpy and pissy, his mandibles were almost always closed and he was just more intimidating looking imo

[Kradan]

I received my Scar figure today and took some pictures of my growing problem collection.

Ended up opening the box for Scar, but I love the figure.

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That's one creepy motherf**ker 

[Voodoo Magic]

My two Neca predators, love em

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Nice 426!  Good to see Predbabe didn't outbid you on everything.   

https://i.imgur.com/neWWNLA.gif

I deserved that gif...

Maybe ADI should ask them for advice. Or better yet, maybe ADI should hire Voodoo as creative consultant.

I would seriously do it for free brother. Maybe even pay them!  Desperate times call for desperate measures. 

^It wouldn't hurt.

Not sure why ADI can't tackle the classic mandibles seen in the first two movies. Is it a deliberate change? Or something they just can't replicate?

It's never been clear. And when it comes up, ADI quickly dismisses the fan complaint, relegating the argument and comparing the differences to the common differences in human teeth (even though it's really about jaws). But I don't believe it was deliberate, a deliberate stamp on the Predator franchise. Every aspect of Scar to me was inferior, even his paint application, which just screamed out to me during the release of AvP a lower degree of experience and/or talent, which is in every line of creative business right?  From singers to game modelers, while all talented, not everyone can be the best in the business and I don't think ADI has ever been considered by many as the best in their craft. Really nice people though!   

Ever since P2 something has been off imo. Voodoo might disagree but the original Pred looked like really grumpy and pissy, his mandibles were almost always closed and he was just more intimidating looking imo

Don't forget the lazy eye!  It looked like the JH was punched in the eye one too many times in his life and increased his grumpiness factor!   But yes, I would agree that all those combining factors, Jungle Hunter looked like an intimidating brawler all of the time, more so than the City Hunter.

[SiL]

ADI are Oscar winners because people have thought they were the best at their craft on different projects. They've created some of the most memorable and effective creature effects of the last 30 years.

They've employed many of the same people who worked at SWS and other major effects houses over the decades.

AvP was the same film that had an incredibly impressive 20ft animatronic Queen that was beautifully realised, from sculpt to paint to performance. The animatronic Alien warrior that stood in for many scenes was equally impressive and most people today probably couldn't tell where suit performance ended and puppet began.

I'm not a big fan of a lot of their design choices but they're not amateurs and they're far from incompetent.

[SuperiorIronman]

Jungle and City Hunter got it because they used numerous heads for the shoot many of which are static or only moved so much so it creates the illusion the mandibles are resting when in most cases it's not the "hero" head. ADI Predators are also separated by at least a decade from when Winston was working on it. And outside of them, nobody else was doing these outside of fan-projects which was largely static heads. So it's not like they had a guide especially seeing as many of those suits got lost or ended up in the hands of private collectors.

On The Predator, they did have them doing the proper mouth close, it's just a majority of the shots is just the ADI head. Otherwise it seems to be more a budgetary problem because as much as we praise Predators, even KNB can't get the damn thing to close so it's not an ADI specific problem. So it seems that given budgetary and time constraints, once it's approved it just gets made.

I don't think it's impossible to replicate, plenty have done it. But for what's needed on screen and what the director and studio wants, outside of creative input they are the lowest people on that totem pole so I don't know if it's ultimately even up to them.

[Voodoo Magic]

ADI are Oscar winners because people have thought they were the best at their craft on different projects. They've created some of the most memorable and effective creature effects of the last 30 years.

They've employed many of the same people who worked at SWS and other major effects houses over the decades.

Forget employed. The ADI founders came from Stan Winston Studio for a year or two before leaving to form their own company.

And I'm aware of their Academy Award for their mixing of practical and cg in Death Becomes Her (fun movie by the way). Awards don't mean too much to me personally. For example, it's a crime that Rob Bottin has never won an Oscar - and it also has factors of your competition that particular year. Fx is a small market.

I'm not a big fan of a lot of their design choices but they're not amateurs and they're far from incompetent.

Don't turn this into a strawman argument. No one said these words "amateurs" or "incompetent", but I stand behind my feelings that in 2004 in regards to Scar, "Every aspect of Scar to me was inferior, even his paint application, which just screamed out to me during the release of AvP a lower degree of experience and/or talent". I was simply reacting to the work:







And I'm not a big fan of many of their design choices in general either, which is why I feel they'll never be considered the best of the best with the likes of Stan Winston in a hundred years. They won't be on the Mount Rushmore of Practical FX guys in my humble opinion. But it's a small industry, and they have to be talented in such a small industry just to thrive / later survive. Clearly.

[SiL]

What straw men? Someone with "a lower degree of experience" is an amateur. Maybe "incompetent" is a stretch but it's not a long way off "a lower degree of talent".

They're already considered some of the best in the industry whether anybody here likes it or not.

[426Buddy]

Work still looks shoddy on scars face, design brief or no. I think we should all be able to admit that.

[SiL]

It ain't their best work by a long shot. Their Predators are pretty consistently unimpressive.

I just don't think criticisms of their Predator work justifies saying the studio as a whole is bad when they have an otherwise impressive track record.

Just for God's sake stop hiring them to make Predators.

[Voodoo Magic]

What straw men? Someone with "a lower degree of experience" is an amateur. Maybe "incompetent" is a stretch but it's not a long way off "a lower degree of talent".

They're already considered some of the best in the industry whether anybody here likes it or not.

A Scar costume that looks like it was made with a lower degree of experience is a Scar costume that looks like it was made with a lower degree of experience, i.e. appears not well made.

An amatuer, which I did not say, "is generally considered a person who pursues a particular activity or field of study independently from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist".

Work still looks shoddy on scars face, design brief or no. I think we should all be able to admit that.

Yep.

[SiL]

An amatuer, which I did not say, "is generally considered a person who pursues a particular activity or field of study independently from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist".

Also

a person who is incompetent or inept at a particular activity which still goes towards "a lack of talent" that you said.

You think the work is shit and you seem to think ADI isn't that good -- kind of sounds like you're saying the people making the work aren't great at their jobs. Not really an egregious misrepresentation of your words to say you're calling them incompetent and amateurish?

I agree Scar is bad. It's not great work. But you seemed to stretch that criticism to cover the company as a whole and I disagreed with that. If I was wrong, sorry.

[Kradan]

Work still looks shoddy on scars face, design brief or no. I think we should all be able to admit that.

I can admit I've never had problems with ADI Preds until discovering AVPGalaxy. Thanks, Voodoo 

DISCLAIMER:

Idk, maybe my taste just got spoiled right from the start by first AvP movie because it was the one that introduced me to both franchises and I have rather fond childhood memories about it. I used to watch the movie with my dad and it was so cool! Scar was the first Predator I ever seen and he looked so badass and heroic and all, especially when I was 4 years old!

I just can't #SayNoToCrabators

[Voodoo Magic]

An amatuer, which I did not say, "is generally considered a person who pursues a particular activity or field of study independently from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist".

Also

a person who is incompetent or inept at a particular activity which still goes towards "a lack of talent" that you said.

That I said? Huh?  Ugh. Again, here comes another stawman argument. You put "a lack of talent" in quotes to suggest I said exactly that. But once again, I never said that.

Here's my quote again:

Every aspect of Scar to me was inferior, even his paint application, which just screamed out to me during the release of AvP a lower degree of experience and/or talent, which is in every line of creative business right? 

Why I put that section in bold is because it represents how I felt watching it in 2004. Not once did I say "lack of talent" but rather "a lower degree of experience and/or talent"... meaning some people are better at certain tasks than others. I.E. even two house painters, while both good, both have experience and talent, one might have more and be much better than the other. And that was my opinion walking out of AvP in regards to Scar.

Other than that, ADI in general, while very good at what they do, I don't feel personally those guys will be held up as one of the very best i.e. Stan Winston, Rick Baker, etc.. One of the legends. At least that's how I feel, but perhaps my opinion may turn out wrong. In 100 years they'll have to freeze our heads, attach them to new bodies, so we can see.

You think the work is shit and you seem to think ADI isn't that good -- kind of sounds like you're saying the people making the work aren't great at their jobs. Not really an egregious misrepresentation of your words to say you're calling them incompetent and amateurish?

Ugh. Again, I never called or said I think their work is "shit". Whatever SiL. There's no use continuing this.

[Sabres21768]

Wow, I sure do love to come hear and read all about NECA Predators....wait a minute!