The ABCs of 31 Days of Toy Terror: A is for Acid Alien from Aliens: Hive Wars by Kenner

   Welcome to the first installment of this year's Halloween countdown: The ABCs of 31 Days of Toy Terror! This is the 11th year of 31 Days of Toy Terror and it's still something I eagerly look forward too every time the Halloween season rolls around! While I don't strictly collect horror figures and I certainly don't buy as many horror figures as I used to, I still have a bunch of horror themed figures in my collection. I also generously stretch the definition of horror figures, sometimes, to allow for aliens, robots, and all sorts of supervillains who are frightening, intimidating, or just plain creepy. This year I'm challenging myself to review one figure for every letter of the alphabet, which also leaves me a few extra reviews for unique and interesting stuff that just happens to show up during the Halloween season. To kick the season off right, today I'm starting with a figure from one of the horror themed line I loved as a kid: Kenner's Aliens and Predator line!

   For the letter A, I'm taking a look at the Acid Alien from Kenner's 1998 Aliens: Hive Wars line. Released the year after the film Alien: Resurrection and it's tie-in toyline, Aliens: Hive Wars was a bit of a dumping ground for multiple molds that Kenner had worked on but hadn't released when the Aliens/ Predator line was ongoing. It was also released exclusively through KB toys, who managed to score a lot of exclusives of previously unreleased figures through different manufacturers. This fellow was pretty cool as he really looked like one of the movie Xenomorphs, particularly the dog alien from Alien 3. I'm not sure what makes this guy more of an "acid" alien than the rest, though. Maybe Kenner just needed a cool moniker for this guy? Let's check him out after the break...

The Facts:

 Height: 4 3/4ths inches

Articulation: Swivel hips, swivel tail, swivel shoulders, and a swivel neck.

Accessories: None

Year of Release: 1998

Original Retail Price: $8 dollars

The Positives:

* Kenner had some really impressive sculpts on their Xenomorphs and this guy is hands down one of the best. Check out the sharp detail on him. The paintwork is really working overtime, too, as this is a very impressive looking toy. This originally was probably intended to be released around 1995, but he looks as good or better than most of the Alien: Resurrection figures released in 1997. 

* The head is excellent. Long cranium, no eyes, sharp teeth, and lots of H.R. Geiger influenced biomechanics. Gorgeous and terrifying!

* Flip this guy around to observe more of Kenner's mastery of sculpting Xenomorphs. The back, the neck, and the tail are all just phenomenal. The paint effects continue to impress here, really showing off every small detail of the sculpt. 

 

* The Acid Alien's legs are really unsettling, which I like. Very dog-like, for sure.

* The Acid Alien only has 6 points of articulation, but that was pretty standard for this line. In fact, it's a bit better than most xenomorphs in the line and it's unhampered by an action feature. He's sculpted in a pose, like he's stalking forward towards his prey, but it's a solid pose that works for the figure and doesn't detract from the play value. 

The Negatives:

* It's a cool pose, but I can't keep this guy standing up without a stand. He just wants to keep tipping over! Imagine watching Alien, but the alien keeps tripping and falling like a dog on a new hardwood floor. Not so scary, huh?

   The Acid Alien is a really cool figure in the Kenner Aliens/ Predator line. While including something like a Face Hugger or an egg would have been cool, it's pretty clear that the Hive Wars line was done on a budget. Of course, while they initially sold for $8 or so, they were typically put on clearance for 3 for $10, or whatever those KB stickers always said. Remember the ones that looked handwritten? I never even realized they weren't until recently. The Acid Alien is a Good and a 1/2 figure and was a nice final addition to Kenner's Aliens and Predator releases. 





I've reviewed so many different versions of the Xenomorphs that they have their own review archive. Check out LV-426 for all of my Xenomorph reviews.

For more Aliens: Hive Wars reviews check out the following:
Night Recon Predator