Saturday, January 11, 2020

Wrapping Up 2019: Neomorph Alien from Aliens/ Predator Classic by NECA

    NECA delivered lots of surprises last year, from the release of Toony Terrors to their decision to start producing more Halloween figures. Perhaps my favorite surprise, though, is NECA's decision to revisit the vintage Kenner Aliens and Predator lines by offering new toys in the retro Kenner style. I'm not talking about the vintage 1/18th "Star Wars" scale, either; I'm talking about the 4 1/2 inch scale Kenner used throughout the 1990s. For a few years now NECA has paid homage to the Kenner figures for both Aliens and Predator in their typical 7-inch scale, but these figures will fit right in with your vintage Kenner Aliens and Predator collection. I checked out the Berserker Predator from Predators a couple of weeks ago and now I'm checking out the Neomorph Alien from Alien: Covenant. Let's see how this ghost white Neomorph turned out after the break...



 The Facts:

Height: 3 1/8ths inches tall

Articulation: Swivel hips, swivel left shoulder, springy swivel right shoulder, slide out mouth, and a hinged jaw.

Accessories: Bloodburster companion.

Non-Scalper Price: $15 dollars
 Comparison:

* The Xenomorphs in the Kenner line varied wildly, so for a comparison I'm showing off the Neomorph (left) next to the Kenner Panther Alien. The Neomorph Alien looks smaller but, scale wise, I think he still works really well in the Kenner line. He stands out due to his color for sure, though.
 The Positives:

* The Neomorph is supposed to be the first generation of the Xenomorph so it definitely has a lot of the similarities you're expecting, such as weird spikes on its back and a long, lethal looking tail. NECA did a good job of making the sculpt look like it could be from the 1990s, so it doesn't feel too modern. There's a bit of pink applied to the figure to give it a more organic feel as well, which helps keep it from being all white.


* The head is really creepy. He kind of reminds me of Pooch from Hack/ Slash. The white head with the weird tapering back (similar to the Deacon from Prometheus) definitely makes this creature feel very, very strange, as do the small pink eyes.


* When you pull down the Neomorph's right arm his mouth springs forward, revealing a jaw that can now open even wider. It's filled with sharp teeth! I do like the NECA included some 90's styled action features with this line, as that was definitely a key point of the Kenner line.

 * The Neomorph also comes with a little companion, just like some of the Kenner Aliens had. The Neomorph comes with the Bloodburster, a precursor to the Chestburster. This is a small, unarticulated minifigure (1 5/8ths inches) that just stands around, but it definitely adds some value to the set.
 The Negatives:


* The spring loaded mouth works OK, but the jaw doesn't seem to stay together quite right, making the action feature feel a little sluggish and "sticky." You'll have to futz with it a little bit to get it to work sometimes.


 * The Bloodburster is supposed to be terrifying, but this little fellow just looks a bit awkward, right? The head kind of reminds me of William from Toy Biz's Resident Evil 2 line, but less frightening. Seriously, this guy is a bit underwhelming.
   While I loved the Berserker Predator, I only like the Neomorph Alien. Believe me, I'm thrilled to get anything that helps my Aliens/ Predator collection to go, but this guy is a bit underwhelming. Not bad, and certainly a figure that stands out, but I really would have rather had something that felt more like a figure the original Kenner line would have covered, like a weird animal based Alien or something. This guy is still good, and I'm really hoping NECA continues with this line (Please, please release more humans! Please release Dutch!) and I'm anxiously awaiting Toy Fair 2020 to see what shows up.


This is the first Neomorph I've reviewed on the site. For more figures from NECA's Aliens/ Predator Classic Series, check out the following:
Berserker Predator

2 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. I actually havn't seen Alien Covenant yet, so I'm going to have to check it out to see these guys in action.

      Delete

What'chu talkin' 'bout?