Unpacked one (the one with the ok dome) and I'm very happy to say that I have no QC issues.
I've only had a couple of stuck joints that move perfectly now thanks a quick hot water bath. The jaw seems slightly misaligned, but I'm hoping that a bit of moving around with some more hot water will set it straight.
So first impressions.
Absolutely beautiful sculpt. Other than a slightly wide pelvis (due to the articulation), I don't think I can find any fault in it. The detailing seems as sharp as the previous version, whereas the Aliens 2.0 seemed to be slightly softer in that department compared to their predecessors. The newly sculpted legs, feet, hands, dome and mouth all look brilliant and better than the previous figure. I wasn't a fan of the curling lip at first, but it just looks wonderfully menacing and it's won me over. The dome is perfection now IMHO. The legs might be a tad too long, but it's really difficult to judge... Bolaji Badejo looked so different every single time he put the suit on, it's hard to find a definitive look. I suppose the original statue would be the way to go, but it's different form the suit itself. At any rate, if you ask me, I think Kyle absolutely nailed the look of the alien this time around.
Up close the paint apps seem rather crude, but from a normal viewing distance they look appropriately bleak and dirty. This is, however, a step back from the paint apps of the first version.
The material seems like a softer plastic, especially the back spines which are quite clearly rubbery. I suppose the upside is that it's not brittle, but I do prefer the older material.
So there you have it, that's my mini-review.
If you're an Alien fan, get this. Hopefully you'll get a figure with no QC issues. Which brings me back to the point that NECA really should give these figures their due. Just go to a top factory and get the paint apps, engineering (a better engineering would certainly been able to make the hip joints smaller and thus the pelvis narrower) and QC up to a higher standard. The standard these sculpts and iconic monsters deserve.
Oh, and a-dev, the dome is also a soft PVC type of plastic, so I think it should be easy to remove or realign to make it fit better.
