NECA is doing the right thing by making a different head as opposed to a removable mask. A removable mask would kill the accuracy of the sculpt. We all know that Preadtors have large heads because the human actor has to wear a big mask over his entire head. But they don't wear their Predator face masks under their bio helmets when they shoot the film. It's a human head under that bio mask most of the time.
That is why Hot Toy's masked version, although beautifully painted, looks like a bobblehead (see pics below). Because the mask has to be big enough to fit over the already oversized head. I'm not dumping on Hot Toys; their figure has its strength and its weaknesses, just as NECA's has its strengths and weaknesses.
Of course, we would all love it if NECA gave us a removable head, but they have the right to make a profit and this is the next best thing. The only way to accomplish accurate proportions in a masked Predator is to either have another head entirely OR to sacrifice accuracy in the UNmasked figure by making the head smaller than in the movie. The latter is actually what Hot Toys did with Berserker. A step in the right direction, but a whole new removable head would work better.
Take a look at the NECA promotional pic again, below. Look at those three heads on the bottom right. Notice that the masked head is almost the same size, height and width as the unmasked head. That is the correct proportion, and is very important to making him look impressive and intimidating. Giving him an oversized helmet and exacerbating it by making his body skinny does not create an impressive, intimidating figure IMO. Look at the Hot Toys masked Predator pictured below; his head is nearly the same size as his torso. It is nearly a bobblehead or a Kubrick, albeit an amazingly detailed one.
Of course Hot Toys has the great paint job, the jungle base and the accessories, so it really depends on what you are looking for. For me personally, I'll take the more accurate sculpt and the larger size over the smaller, less accurate but better painted and better accessorized one, even if it means I have to buy all three for $200 so long as the paint job isn't too bad on the NECA. I think that this will all come down to the paint job; if it is good, I think even the naysayers will be convinced. It really looks as though NECA is well aware of this and is doing everything it can to improve its paints; so let's all hope they can make it happen.
