Action Figure Feature – NECA Predators Series 6 Lost Predator

Predators series six is made up of three Predators from the group of Predators shown briefly at the end of Predator 2, commonly known in fan circles as ‘The Lost Clan” or “Lost Hunters.”  First up, we’ll take a look at the Predator NECA has named “Lost Predator.”

Even though it’s not as good as the original, I actually like the second Predator film quite a bit.  Sure, you are missing out on Arnie, but he’s replaced by Hudson, Murtaugh, and Gary Busy’s teeth.  Not too bad.  I also prefer the look of Predator 2‘s City Hunter to the Jungle Hunter of Predator.  One of the cooler moments in Predator 2 is when the Lost Hunters appear to cart off the remains of City Hunter Predator and present Murtaugh with his trophy for having defeated the aforementioned Predator.  You get a brief glimpse of nine brand new Predators!  As a kid, that just fired my imagination, and I wondered about the nine other movies that could have happened while Danny Glover fought this Predator.

Sculpt

Since the Predators aren’t named in the films, fans have had to come up with their own monikers for them.  The Lost Hunter has also been called “Borg Predator” in reference to his unique, robotic-looking chest armor.  As you would expect from NECA, the sculpt is a perfect match for the source material.  There is smart reuse where appropriate and the unique chest armor is extremely well done and highly detailed.

The armor is a little warped on mine as it doesn’t quite sit right on the figure’s right ribs.  Fortunately, I was able to pop the head off and slide off the armor, reheat it, and reposition it to fit better.  It’s not a big deal, but something to look out for if you are picking these up at Toys R Us.  Most of the pics here have the armor as I received it in package.

Accessories

The Lost Predator comes with an alien-looking machete that fits in a holster on his belt.  It’s a wicked looking weapon that I can’t say I noticed in the movie, but it’s extremely cool and helps further differentiate him from his Predator clan brothers.

Articulation

Articulation follows the Predator 2 figure an articulation layout with ball-jointed ankles, double-jointed knees, swivel/hinge hips, a ball-jointed waist twist, ball-jointed wrists, ball-jointed neck, swivel-hinge shoulders, and swivel-hinged elbows.  Predators from Series 4-6 of NECA’s predator line have this enhanced articulation.

This articulation is quite an improvement over Predators series 1-3.  This isn’t news to anyone who has series 4-5, though; it’s just the first time I’ve had occasion to write about this articulation layout.  The ball-jointed waist is almost as good as an ab joint  and allows for some fine posing.  The double knees assist in getting deep crouches, though the ankles don’t allow for crouches as deep as the knees would allow.  The joint is also well hidden and doesn’t add a gangly look to the leg you often see in, say, a Marvel Legends double knee joint.

For me, this is more than enough articulation for a Predator figure.  The only thing I would change is the elbow joint.  You can’t get the 90 degree bend on this joint due to the bulk of the forearm guards on most of these Predator figures.  Still, it’s very good, and I love all the articulation strides NECA has been making over the years.  It makes their stuff really hard to resist, even when I don’t care about the license.

Paint

Paint on this figure is pretty fantastic.  He’s cast in a shiny, lightly translucent plastic that really conveys the slimy look of Predator skin.  The cool snakeskin pattern in this guy’s crown isn’t quite as clear as I would like, but it gets the idea across.  The netting lines match up as well as any I have seen for this line as well.  I absolutely love the metallic blue paint on the armor and there is some cool weathering added to the armor for increased realism.

I grabbed all three Predators from series 6 from figureoftheday.com.  It was $50 dollars for all three with free shipping, so at $16.66 each, I feel like I got a good deal on these guys.  For the price, nobody else is offering this level of detail and articulation at this scale.

Additional links:

Discuss this article