Hot Toys The ALIEN Big Chap... Wooksters review

[a-dev]

Strangely enough, now that I have it I dislike the overall body sculpt more than the face itself.
It just looks fat. The hips, the legs, the neck... ugh. It only looks good from the side.

Now what kind of message does that send out to young impressionable xenomorphs? Just when they're trying to tackle size zero culture someone comes out with that to reinforce these aliens' body dismorphia

 

[plasmid303]

He looks...fat? Really?

 

[Dwibzle]

Strangely enough, now that I have it I dislike the overall body sculpt more than the face itself.
It just looks fat. The hips, the legs, the neck... ugh. It only looks good from the side.

I'm going to take that with a huge grain of salt! It's a bit of a gay thing to say!

Weren't you one of the biggest proponents of the NECA Alien? Saying it was the most accurate figure EVER, that and the Mamit.

 

[Dwibzle]

Just wanted to add to my other post by saying that the articulation is MUCH better than any previous Hot Toys Alien fig. The range of motion and rotation in the head, the arms and legs bend like no other figure I've seen. It's easily got the best articulation of any figure out there, and it almost perfectly represents the movement and construction of the film suits. It's like a mini Balajio prop to boot!

 

[abake]

I'm going to take that with a huge grain of salt! It's a bit of a gay thing to say!

Weren't you one of the biggest proponents of the NECA Alien? Saying it was the most accurate figure EVER, that and the Mamit.

Uhm, yeah...
I'm still sure the NECA and Medicom are the most accurate figures out there, overall. Why, do you think this one's more accurate?
And yes, the HT alien does look fat viewed straight on IMO, if yousee it differently that's fine.

Just wanted to add to my other post by saying that the articulation is MUCH better than any previous Hot Toys Alien fig. The range of motion and rotation in the head, the arms and legs bend like no other figure I've seen. It's easily got the best articulation of any figure out there, and it almost perfectly represents the movement and construction of the film suits. It's like a mini Balajio prop to boot!

Actually, the articulation around the hips is very poor because of the "suit", but that's not surprising and most people were willing to sacrifice articulation for looks.
In general I feel this one's less posable and articulated than previous HT aliens (with the exception of the A3 dragon). As I said somewhere else, it especially surprised me how little movement the arms permitted. The head has almost no tilt either, although good forward and backward motion.

 

[Dwibzle]

Um, yeah... I totally disagree with you about the NECA and Medicom being the most accurate ever.This shot pretty much says it all in regards to the NECA, Marmit, Medicom... Nice, but then they all are, all of them are artistic interpretations differing greatly from the original, each in it's own way.

Lets not over exaggerate here, you make it almost sound like a rock. It's nowhere near it. The articulation in the hips and spine is amazing in every direction, what are you talking about man! How could you get much more out of it without ruining the film suit look to it? I think it's as good, if not, arguably better than any of the ALIEN 1/6 out there. None of them have the ability to flex their ankles, knees, and elbows as far as this one can, without breaking. You can practically rotate the head 360 degrees if it weren't for those 2 little air hoses. The heads rake up and down is as good as it gets. The only real limitation is the 15 degree limit on spreading the legs apart, which is fair enough, considering that it still has the range of movement that we expect from this character. It would have been nice if the arms were able to be spread out so that you could get the pose that we see when Brett gets taken, but no figure really allows for that. It's no biggie for me.

 

[BARLOW]

Somebody didn't pay any attention to Giger's design over there in Korea.

 

[prefused]

In general I feel this one's less posable and articulated than previous HT aliens (with the exception of the A3 dragon). As I said somewhere else, it especially surprised me how little movement the arms permitted. The head has almost no tilt either, although good forward and backward motion.

you think it's less articulated than the dragon? at least the dragon has separated hip joints.
i dare somebody to try to get this thing in a crawling pose without tearing the suit, or snapping a leg.

 

[Dwibzle]

Apples and Oranges prefused. Of course that design has better hip rotation/movement.

The A L I E N movie suits were basically just a pair of latex pants, you wouldn't be able to do the splits in them, without them doing the splits as well.

It's got a better range than the Medicom.

Try move it's head in the same motion as the Big Chap... RIP.

 

[siquisiri]

This is gettin ridiculous. You like? it buy. You dont like it? dont. Its as simple as that.

 

[abake]

Um, yeah... I totally disagree with you about the NECA and Medicom being the most accurate ever.This shot pretty much says it all in regards to the NECA, Marmit, Medicom... Nice, but then they all are, all of them are artistic interpretations differing greatly from the original, each in it's own way.

Lets not over exaggerate here, you make it almost sound like a rock. It's nowhere near it. The articulation in the hips and spine is amazing in every direction, what are you talking about man! How could you get much more out of it without ruining the film suit look to it? I think it's as good, if not, arguably better than any of the ALIEN 1/6 out there. None of them have the ability to flex their ankles, knees, and elbows as far as this one can, without breaking. You can practically rotate the head 360 degrees if it weren't for those 2 little air hoses. The heads rake up and down is as good as it gets. The only real limitation is the 15 degree limit on spreading the legs apart, which is fair enough, considering that it still has the range of movement that we expect from this character. It would have been nice if the arms were able to be spread out so that you could get the pose that we see when Brett gets taken, but no figure really allows for that. It's no biggie for me.

Yes, I agree with you on the varying degrees of "interpretation" and manufacturing issues that come into play when comparing the heads, but I was talking overall. Still, the teeth, skull and general face details on both NECA and Medicom are more accurate than the HT figure. Anyway, overall, in proportions, feel and general accuracy of the entire figure, the NECA and Medicom are better, that's all.

As for articulation, as I said, the suit hinders poseability a lot around the hips, but it is what it is due to the nature of the suit, so I don't really have a beef with that. Again, what I found a bit of a let down was the inability to spread out the arms. Which both the NECA and Medicom can do. But then again, the HT gets closer to the "ball" pose, so each has its advantages and disadvantages.

But again, take the HT Aliens xeno, poseability is much better on it than on the Alien version, which isn't surprising since it's constructed differently (and rather poorly ).

And to your point on range of movement HT vs. Medicom, having both I can say this:

Head/Neck: lateral movement is roughly the same for both, the Medicom is slightly hindered by its accuratelly placed tubes. Up and down movement is much better on the HT, the Medicom -although it has a similar range- does not hold the pose. Sideways tilt would go to the Medicom, but it's a moot point because it doesn't hold the pose. HT's doesn't have any tilt (incidentally, NECA's figure has a great range of movement on the head/neck).

Arms: Medicom all the way. The figure has the full range of movement of a Medicom base body. The HT is more limited in every movement except for the wrists.

Torso/Waist: range is basically the same, but the structure of the HT body holds the sideways twist of the waist better. The forward and backward motion is the same on both.

Hips: HT all the way. It can bend much deeper and holds the pose better, the Medicom is a lot more restricted.

Legs: Medicom FTW. Again, the figure has the full range of movement of a regular Medicom body. The thighs have the cut joint, the knees bend almost 45° and the ankles have tilt and swivel movement. The HT has no cut joints on thighs and the knees don't even bend to 90° (at least I haven't tried it for fear of breakage). The ankles have full range of motion though.

So which is better articulated? On paper I would say the Medicom, but it really depends on what you want your alien to do: if you want the ball pose you'll like HT's articulation better; if you want the Lambert hug, you'll like the Medi-culation better.

@prefused:
It's a good point about the hip articulation on the Dragon, but the lack of movement on the lower legs kinda ruins the whole thing for me. However, point taken!

@siquisiri:
Chill dude, nobody's fighting, we're just exchanging views. Dwibzle is making his points very well and I hope I am too, without any name-calling or belittling of each others opinion. Besides, I bought the damn thing, I have it in hand and can comment on its faults and positive aspects till I turn blue.
If "buy or not buy" were all there is to a board it would be a very boring place.

I hope Dwibzle feels the same way.

 

[Rotfish]

Awesome review, man. MWC's the first place I go for reviews. I was so psyched to see that you finally got ahold of the Big Chap!

Although... I can't help but look at that last shot and pick the AVP Alien. Funny how HT's first Aliens were the best, yet when it comes to Preds, the most people favor the newer ones. I love my Grid Alien, for instance . The only other I'd think of getting would be Doggy.

 

[FACEBOX]

Just wanted to add to my other post by saying that the articulation is MUCH better than any previous Hot Toys Alien fig. The range of motion and rotation in the head, the arms and legs bend like no other figure I've seen. It's easily got the best articulation of any figure out there, and it almost perfectly represents the movement and construction of the film suits. It's like a mini Balajio prop to boot!

NO IT'S NOT.
That's just your opinion. Fact says otherwise.

This is gettin ridiculous. You like? it buy. You dont like it? dont. Its as simple as that.

Ill informed comments like the quote above yours is why this discussion will go on forever. He obviously doesn't own any the other HT ALIENS.

 

[abake]

Awesome review, man. MWC's the first place I go for reviews. I was so psyched to see that you finally got ahold of the Big Chap!

Although... I can't help but look at that last shot and pick the AVP Alien. Funny how HT's first Aliens were the best, yet when it comes to Preds, the most people favor the newer ones. I love my Grid Alien, for instance . The only other I'd think of getting would be Doggy.

Agreed, the AvP aliens had a great design as toys and are extremely sturdy! I love my AvP alien and actually am thinking of tracking down an AvP-R alien as well, it's the same body design.

 

[Dwibzle]

Yes, I agree with you on the varying degrees of "interpretation" and manufacturing issues that come into play when comparing the heads, but I was talking overall. Still, the teeth, skull and general face details on both NECA and Medicom are more accurate than the HT figure. Anyway, overall, in proportions, feel and general accuracy of the entire figure, the NECA and Medicom are better, that's all.

As for articulation, as I said, the suit hinders poseability a lot around the hips, but it is what it is due to the nature of the suit, so I don't really have a beef with that. Again, what I found a bit of a let down was the inability to spread out the arms. Which both the NECA and Medicom can do. But then again, the HT gets closer to the "ball" pose, so each has its advantages and disadvantages.

But again, take the HT Aliens xeno, poseability is much better on it than on the Alien version, which isn't surprising since it's constructed differently (and rather poorly ).

And to your point on range of movement HT vs. Medicom, having both I can say this:

Head/Neck: lateral movement is roughly the same for both, the Medicom is slightly hindered by its accuratelly placed tubes. Up and down movement is much better on the HT, the Medicom -although it has a similar range- does not hold the pose. Sideways tilt would go to the Medicom, but it's a moot point because it doesn't hold the pose. HT's doesn't have any tilt (incidentally, NECA's figure has a great range of movement on the head/neck).

Arms: Medicom all the way. The figure has the full range of movement of a Medicom base body. The HT is more limited in every movement except for the wrists.

Torso/Waist: range is basically the same, but the structure of the HT body holds the sideways twist of the waist better. The forward and backward motion is the same on both.

Hips: HT all the way. It can bend much deeper and holds the pose better, the Medicom is a lot more restricted.

Legs: Medicom FTW. Again, the figure has the full range of movement of a regular Medicom body. The thighs have the cut joint, the knees bend almost 45° and the ankles have tilt and swivel movement. The HT has no cut joints on thighs and the knees don't even bend to 90° (at least I haven't tried it for fear of breakage). The ankles have full range of motion though.

So which is better articulated? On paper I would say the Medicom, but it really depends on what you want your alien to do: if you want the ball pose you'll like HT's articulation better; if you want the Lambert hug, you'll like the Medi-culation better.

It's like you're talking about a different figure or something man... Have you really got it? You aren't bending the joints anywhere near far enough man. The HT has almost the same basic range of motion as the human skeleton, and beyond in many areas. The head can actually rotate 360° if you carefully manuver it over the shoulders, I just discovered that! Arms flex about 140° from the elbows, knees go about 130° as well, hips are about 110°. The only limits are the 15° leg adduction and 40° shoulder adduction.

I own the Medicom too, and it doesn't have a greater range of motion when I compare them...FAR from it. Anyway, the paint peels when you try to pose it with the same range as the Hot Toys figure, you wouldn't dare keep it in tight poses for long. I was surprised that an expensive figure like this would be painted with the rubbish they used. Very disappointed by that major oversight. It's only a mater of time before I have to paint it, when I do, it will be a similar job as the Hot Toys. Finding the right paint is going to be a pain in the arse. I might just leave it standing straight, still looks cool that way.

The HT rubber suit has very thick pliable rubber that thins out in the abdominal area. The paint is fused to it's surface, almost like it's moulded into it. The arms also have a very solid rubbery feel to them. It's a very, very high quality piece, I think it's easily the best around in it's class. Not a toy for the kids to muck around with that much, no way. I'm in for anything that can improve on the articulation we get here. I feel like it's going to hold up a lot better than the Medicom, without any doubt. Bend the HT ALIEN, it won't break unless you use excessive force. It's a huge improvement over older figures like these. I think they have addressed the problems some people were reporting with previous figures.

You joking about the NECA or what? I think it vaguely resembles that original, I think the HT, Medicom and Sega version cane it in comparison, even though we are talking completely different things here, apples and oranges. The NECA's throat and mouth/teeth details are totally exaggerated and stylised, it's almost pure fantasy compared with most of the others, looks even worse with the mouth closed. Cartoony, but cool. I think it far from the best sculpt out there, look at the photo. The 18" is still a bargain for (as low as) $20! It's a must have. Double check before you buy, the quality on these things is really, really, really dodgy and patchy. That explains the price I guess.

 

[FACEBOX]

Please go out and get yourself a Hot Toys ALIENS Warrior Alien, play around with the articulation....hope it doesn't fall apart, then come back here and re-evaluate what you just said.

The articulation on the Big CHAP is OK, but (Beyonce` had the best video....lol) the HT ALIENS figure range of articulation is far superior to the BIG CHAP. Abake has both and was speaking from experience, so I don't think you should question him like that if you don't have all the figures he has.

Don't believe me? I'll bet you a free Hot Toys figure that you can't get the Big Chap into all the extreme poses that the Warrior alien can. One major factor is the rubber-suit-joints, and the chest of the Big Chap is solid....unlike the others.

 

[FACEBOX]

Double post to prove a point:

Just try to get the ALIEN figure into these poses (pix by edwint).

 

[Matt13]

Not to derail but those pictures are amazing!

 

[kl241]

Hoe do you keep the knee joints from snapping?

 

[FACEBOX]

Not to derail but those pictures are amazing!

I think so too.
edwint52 is "Da man"! The ways he poses his figures are awesome!

Hoe do you keep the knee joints from snapping?

I think the figure was relatively new back then, and the plastic was still a bit sturdy.