NECA: Alien Movie Franchise Figures

[P.]

Not sure what you mean by the last. I worked on the assumption that the Ripley figure is the correct scale and only changed Parker and Brett to fit with her as she is.

so it's "Brett reduced, Ripley enlarged, Parker reduced".

better to make it "Ripley as a base, Brett and Parker reduced a lot more".

I really need to bring this to Randy's attention.

if you know how to do that... well, what if it really works.

 

[VonMises]

Any idea when Ash is going to be released?

 

[MProjects]

Randy said on Twitter wave 3 should be released by the end of next month.

 

[a-dev]

so it's "Brett reduced, Ripley enlarged, Parker reduced".

better to make it "Ripley as a base, Brett and Parker reduced a lot more".

if you know how to do that... well, what if it really works.

I got in from work and just said screw it and opened up the ones I have. This is frustrating.

It's frustrating because these are indeed excellent figures in and of themselves and I believe that's going to be enough for the majority. Take Parker, the figure isn't inhumanly large - a man can be this big - it's just inaccurate for this particular guy and, as we know, most people don't notice or particularly care about mere inaccuracies. Heck I myself had a mistaken impression about how big Yaphet Kotto was when you initially made the comment about the figure being huge. So I don't think enough people will care about this scale issue for NECA to do anything.

Considering they're the first company to ever make these characters I'm disappointed NECA didn't correctly observe reference material for something as basic as their relative heights & size - especially when these aren't the kind of mass-appeal characters that there'll be ample opportunities to sell over and over again in the future where issues such as this could be corrected.

 

[abake]

Yeah, got mine as well and had a bit of time to take them out.
As soon as I took Brett out of the packaging I knew there was something wrong with the size
If you've been collecting these NECA figures for a while, you already have a feel for the size, and these two clearly are way too big. I didn't really need to put them next to other figures to compare, the size difference is obvious.
As a-dev said, it's a shame, because both figures are really great, especially Brett. Parker's likeness is so-so.
I wonder how these f-ups happen... these things are sculpted as "two-ups", i.e. twice the size, and then scaled down in manufacturing/production, right? So did the factory screw up when doing the molds? I suppose that once the molds are made it's just too expensive to change them. Who knows who is to blame, but I'm sure that once the molds are done, it's basically impossible to go back.

Anyway, from just a quick look over, the figures seem to have excellent paint apps, very solid material and only minimal stuck joints. Great figures. Just too big. I guess they might be in scale with the alien though... that was always over-sized as well.

I don't know what to hope for... for Ash, Dallas, Kane (pressure suit Kane will certainly use the same body as pressure suit Dallas and Lambert, so no problem there) and Lambert to be in scale with Parker and Brett, or in scale with Ripley... Probably better if they are in scale with Brett and Parker, and have Ripley be the odd one out.

 

[a-dev]

Yeah, got mine as well and had a bit of time to take them out.
As soon as I took Brett out of the packaging I knew there was something wrong with the size
If you've been collecting these NECA figures for a while, you already have a feel for the size, and these two clearly are way too big. I didn't really need to put them next to other figures to compare, the size difference is obvious.
As a-dev said, it's a shame, because both figures are really great, especially Brett. Parker's likeness is so-so.
I wonder how these f-ups happen... these things are sculpted as "two-ups", i.e. twice the size, and then scaled down in manufacturing/production, right? So did the factory screw up when doing the molds? I suppose that once the molds are made it's just too expensive to change them. Who knows who is to blame, but I'm sure that once the molds are done, it's basically impossible to go back.

Anyway, from just a quick look over, the figures seem to have excellent paint apps, very solid material and only minimal stuck joints. Great figures. Just too big. I guess they might be in scale with the alien though... that was always over-sized as well.

I don't know what to hope for... for Ash, Dallas, Kane (pressure suit Kane will certainly use the same body as pressure suit Dallas and Lambert, so no problem there) and Lambert to be in scale with Parker and Brett, or in scale with Ripley... Probably better if they are in scale with Brett and Parker, and have Ripley be the odd one out.

That might be the most viable option because Ripley as the main character is a more likely prospect to remake and sell again. Of course that'd still leave the spacesuit figures being undersized plus all of the Alien '79 figures being larger than the figures from the other movies. *sigh*

 

[Drone]

Randy said on Twitter wave 3 should be released by the end of next month.

Quick clarification: he said that preorders would go live on The NECA Store closer to shipping date, and so he anticipated pre-orders (not the actual shipping or arrival of the wave) to be in about a month.

RE: the scale issues with Parker and Brett, that is disappointing, and very unlikely that it ever gets corrected. When prototypes were shown, I was very impressed that Parker, Brett, and Ash all had different sculpting for their legs. Since they all wear the same type of pants (or similar enough), I would have assumed that NECA would save costs by using shared tooling for all the male Nostromo character's legs - and certainly few fans would have noticed or cared - but nope, NECA made the pants accurate to the way each character wears them.

Now that this scaling issue is apparent though, I wonder if NECA budgeted their tooling costs by re-using pre-existing torsos. Are there any NECA male torsos styled in the 'blank-torso-underneath-a-pliable-rubber-shirt' variety that are smaller than Ripley? If not, that's probably why Brett ended up being the size that he is. And are there any other NECA figures with torsos the same size and shape as Parker's? Like a-dev said, Parker isn't inhumanly large, so maybe he uses the torso (and possibly forearms and hands as well) from another NECA human figure, and NECA doesn't have anything in their existing tooling library the right size for a more accurately scaled Parker?

 

[abake]

Quick clarification: he said that preorders would go live on The NECA Store closer to shipping date, and so he anticipated pre-orders (not the actual shipping or arrival of the wave) to be in about a month.

RE: the scale issues with Parker and Brett, that is disappointing, and very unlikely that it ever gets corrected. When prototypes were shown, I was very impressed that Parker, Brett, and Ash all had different sculpting for their legs. Since they all wear the same type of pants (or similar enough), I would have assumed that NECA would save costs by using shared tooling for all the male Nostromo character's legs - and certainly few fans would have noticed or cared - but nope, NECA made the pants accurate to the way each character wears them.

Now that this scaling issue is apparent though, I wonder if NECA budgeted their tooling costs by re-using pre-existing torsos. Are there any NECA male torsos styled in the 'blank-torso-underneath-a-pliable-rubber-shirt' variety that are smaller than Ripley? If not, that's probably why Brett ended up being the size that he is. And are there any other NECA figures with torsos the same size and shape as Parker's? Like a-dev said, Parker isn't inhumanly large, so maybe he uses the torso (and possibly forearms and hands as well) from another NECA human figure, and NECA doesn't have anything in their existing tooling library the right size for a more accurately scaled Parker?

So if I want to get Ash and Kane I can order them at NECA's store?

 

[Drone]

So if I want to get Ash and Kane I can order them at NECA's store?

If you are living in Columbia (or anywhere outside of the USA for that matter), I'm not sure. Recognizing that scalpers were using bots to snatch up huge quantities of the US store exclusives, NECA has been making some of their TMNT stuff available for single-week pre-orders, usually starting and ending on Fridays. Randy has said on several occasions now that collectors will get a similar pre-order opportunity with the Ash/Kane/Big Chap wave (though only available as a full set of 3, not individually), but I think that's for US only. For international, none of the Alien 40th anniversary waves are exclusive to any specific retailer, so I think the assumption is that international collectors can get them through their usual distributors - which I know for a lot of you is BBTS, which unfortunately won't be getting the next Alien 40th wave... But, for SDCC exclusives and some of their turtle offerings, NECA had two separate product pages for the same item: one page designated for US customers, and another for international, so... maybe they'll do the same for the upcoming Alien wave? It's worth keeping an eye on their site since exactly how and for how long the next wave will be offered is uncertain. Also worth noting that some of the TMNT pre-orders weren't officially announced (possibly to avoid upsetting NECA's retail partners?), so Alien wave 3 pre-orders could very well be handled the same.

 

[abake]

Cool, thanks for the detailed info!

I'll keep an eye on their page.

 

[P.]

well, after 3 days staring at micro Ripley next to Parker and Brett... it became ok, i think. i accepted that.
still would be nice to remake a Ripley figure with proper height - her face paint is so outdated next to these two anyway.

don't even need to mention leg issue, of course it's there, on both of them.

If you are living in Columbia (or anywhere outside of the USA for that matter), I'm not sure. Recognizing that scalpers were using bots to snatch up huge quantities of the US store exclusives, NECA has been making some of their TMNT stuff available for single-week pre-orders, usually starting and ending on Fridays. Randy has said on several occasions now that collectors will get a similar pre-order opportunity with the Ash/Kane/Big Chap wave (though only available as a full set of 3, not individually), but I think that's for US only. For international, none of the Alien 40th anniversary waves are exclusive to any specific retailer, so I think the assumption is that international collectors can get them through their usual distributors - which I know for a lot of you is BBTS, which unfortunately won't be getting the next Alien 40th wave... But, for SDCC exclusives and some of their turtle offerings, NECA had two separate product pages for the same item: one page designated for US customers, and another for international, so... maybe they'll do the same for the upcoming Alien wave? It's worth keeping an eye on their site since exactly how and for how long the next wave will be offered is uncertain. Also worth noting that some of the TMNT pre-orders weren't officially announced (possibly to avoid upsetting NECA's retail partners?), so Alien wave 3 pre-orders could very well be handled the same.

what i understood from that is that if i'm not in USA, the only way for me to continue buying Alien crew is from ebay scalpers for $80 per figure. please tell me i'm wrong.

 

[a-dev]

Quick clarification: he said that preorders would go live on The NECA Store closer to shipping date, and so he anticipated pre-orders (not the actual shipping or arrival of the wave) to be in about a month.

RE: the scale issues with Parker and Brett, that is disappointing, and very unlikely that it ever gets corrected. When prototypes were shown, I was very impressed that Parker, Brett, and Ash all had different sculpting for their legs. Since they all wear the same type of pants (or similar enough), I would have assumed that NECA would save costs by using shared tooling for all the male Nostromo character's legs - and certainly few fans would have noticed or cared - but nope, NECA made the pants accurate to the way each character wears them.

Now that this scaling issue is apparent though, I wonder if NECA budgeted their tooling costs by re-using pre-existing torsos. Are there any NECA male torsos styled in the 'blank-torso-underneath-a-pliable-rubber-shirt' variety that are smaller than Ripley? If not, that's probably why Brett ended up being the size that he is. And are there any other NECA figures with torsos the same size and shape as Parker's? Like a-dev said, Parker isn't inhumanly large, so maybe he uses the torso (and possibly forearms and hands as well) from another NECA human figure, and NECA doesn't have anything in their existing tooling library the right size for a more accurately scaled Parker?

Yes it's most impressive that there doesn't appear to be shared tooling amongst Parker, Brett (and Ash?). As we've said, great figures in their own right and a major win to get these characters at all.
Regarding whether the underlying torsos are reuses from other figures or not - I can't answer that and not sure anyone will be able to other than customizers. I feel like they're probably unique to these figures though.

well, after 3 days staring at micro Ripley next to Parker and Brett... it became ok, i think. i accepted that.
still would be nice to remake a Ripley figure with proper height - her face paint is so outdated next to these two anyway.

don't even need to mention leg issue, of course it's there, on both of them.

That Ripley face paint was actually one of their better ones of its time.

On the scaling issue - well, we probably have no choice but to deal with it. I'll still moan about it at every opportunity here or if I see a good opportunity on twitter but I don't expect it'll be of any use. Another thing to realize I suppose is that NECA figures have gone up and down in general size throughout their history. I have an old Conan figure they made and he's huge, and that's with legs in a preposed bent position. If he could stand up straight he would tower over any other Arnold figure they've made since. I also remembered that Dutch is taller than the T-800s and yet has a smaller head and smaller muscles. Dark Fate Sarah Connor is slightly bigger than T2 Sarah Connor - she had a growth spurt in her old age. And of course the Aliens and Predators are too big and too small respectively.

So we shouldn't have been surprised by this. It's just a damn shame that it has happened within one movie line.

They could go some way towards addressing it by making a new larger Ripley in the Nostromo overalls - considering the crew in spacesuits are only ever seen separately anyway. Alas I can't see this happening.

what i understood from that is that if i'm not in USA, the only way for me to continue buying Alien crew is from ebay scalpers for $80 per figure. please tell me i'm wrong.

I could only get the Ripley wave from ebay so yeah probably.

 

[lttgtimaatisgdaicfi]

I can't believe I never found the new Ripley at retail. Now it's at $60 with shipping. I have the first one so I may just bow out. I don't even think the face was improved. Still doesn't look like her.

 

[scarrviper]

I've lost track of how many weeks in a row I checked Target for Ripley and never found her, or the wave for that matter. I've never had this much trouble finding one neca figure.

Neca either didn't produce very many, or they just dropped the ball with the distribution. Or both. There's been few on ebay at any given time and I refuse to pay $60+ for her, that's insane. What really pisses me off is that Neca seems to be absolutely clueless about this.

 

[DioramaMaker]

I can't believe I never found the new Ripley at retail. Now it's at $60 with shipping. I have the first one so I may just bow out. I don't even think the face was improved. Still doesn't look like her.

The first one is hands down superior, minus the accessories. I don't think there's a contest there tbh. Even if the initial sculpt was great, what you'd have gotten at retail doesn't usurp the og release, imo.

 

[abake]

Well, after having a bit of time to hang out with Brett and Parker, I really have to say that they are among NECA's best.

So here goes a mini-review!

Overall
Simply among NECA's best figures in the Alien Franchise line. Great sculpt, great paint apps, great articulation, great accessories. And they are quite hefty, very solid and feel very sturdy, none of that cheap bendy plastic of earlier figures on these guys.

Sculpt
The bodies and clothing are sculpted very nicely, with appropriate details for each of the characters' clothing and physique. The articulation is cleverly worked into the sculpts, so as not to break it up too much, which is always a plus.
On the likeness side, Brett is the clear winner: take the cap off and I'm sure anybody will recognise Harry Dean Stanton. Parker's likeness isn't so good. I don't know if the paint apps hurt this one; in any case there's something definitely off in the overall shape of the face. Parker's sculpt is the opposite to Brett's: take the sculpt, remove the bandana, and I doubt your first reaction will be "oh look, Yaphet Kotto!".

Paint apps
The paint apps are fantastic, really clean lines and very minimal bleed. The weathering is subtle and well-applied, with none of the heavy dry-brushing we usually see on these types of figures. The detail is great for such a "small" scale, I think you can actually read USCSS Nostromo on the patches (my eyesight is not what it used to be).

Articulation
I think NECA has really mastered the art of articulation on these figures. It's so well done, allowing for good posing while not disrupting the sculpt too much. Also, stuck joints are held to a minimum. Usually just a bit of force applied in the right places and the joints move. Still, better safe than sorry, so use a hairdryer if the joints on your figures are hard or stuck. I'm particularly impressed with the way they engineered a double joint for the elbows into Brett's jacket, very nicely done (Parker has single joints in his elbows)! Overall you get a really decent range of articulation on both figures, but obviously there are limitations.

Accessories
The "cattle-prods" look very well sculpted and the paint apps are very clean. Same goes for Brett's tracker and Parker's flame thrower, which is the same sculpt as Ripley's, but with different paint apps (not sure which one is more accurate, will have to check it out). I wish NECA had given Parker a net though, he never did have the cattle-prod, except in the DC.

In short: awesome figures. The only real issue, and it really is an issue, is that they are hopelessly out of scale with Ripley. However, if they do the rest of the Nostromo crew at this same scale, it'll be great, because these two are finally in scale with the alien, which has always been way too big. Brett looks amazing staring up at the alien.
I do hope NECA sticks with this size for the rest of the crew, and maybe we'll get a new Ripley with her hair up for the final sequence in this larger size.

 

[a-dev]

I agree with your thoughts on these. Generally positive - quicker and easier for me to say what I don't like

- the eyes on mine painted (printed?) looking upwards which makes them appear bored or sleepy and I think is one thing harming the likeness on Parker

- the patterns/colours on Brett's shirt were more pronounced in the movie

- the scale discrepancy with Ripley and the spacesuit figures. An accident of production or a failure to observe the correct heights of the actors, frustrating either way.

 

[FriendlyPiranha]

The first one is hands down superior, minus the accessories. I don't think there's a contest there tbh. Even if the initial sculpt was great, what you'd have gotten at retail doesn't usurp the og release, imo.

I thought I'm the only one who simply doesn't care about the new Ripley. At first I was pissed I won't have that beautiful tracker, but it came with Brett, so I'm perfectly fine now. Cat carrier is nice, but certainly not a must. I don't share the mild optimism related to Neca having another look at previously release crew members. I doubt this will ever happen so we'll have to live with it. I can't wait for Ash to arrive.

 

[a-dev]

7ft 2 (minimum) VS 6ft 2.......apparently.

 

[P.]

^
by the way, that's approximately how the difference between Kevin Peter Hall and Kevin Peter Hall in a suit would look. look at the eyes position. and people always forget that "minimum" thing you mentioned.

(at the same time, people were willing to say that a bit of skin and head hair on a terminator can give centimeters of difference between endoskeleton and T2 in 1/4 scale)

oh, and my Parker might be even higher than yours. his neck peg cannot go all the way into the head, leaving a gap (visible from the side only) and - obviously - a longer neck.