Bandai’s latest addition to their S.H. Monsterarts line was released last week, and after some painful back and forth with the post office, I picked mine up yesterday. This is Big Chap, or the creature from the first Alien film from 1979. I’ve blown enough smoke up everyone’s ass about why this is the greatest movie ever made, and to do that again would be just beating a dead horse. And, truth be told, you only really want to know about the figure and not my life-long obsession with Alien.
NECA’s been pumping out 7-inch plastic beauties for years. VeeBee recently reviewed their updated Big Chap, and I reviewed the original figure not too long ago. Back in February we reviewed the Aliens vs Predators Warrior (Drone) Alien from S.H. Monsterarts and loved it. I was super excited when Big Chap was announced from Bandai.
And then I got the box. I looked at it and thought, “It’s small,” which fit with some of the first impressions that I was seeing. The figure was listed at 180mm, meaning it should top out at slightly over 7 inches tall, but instead the figure is 6 inches tall, to a T, which was like getting a sledgehammer in the heart.
The figure sculpt is really gorgeous. They nailed it left and right and it’s just a thing of beauty — the details! They are amazing! I can get lost studying this figure. But then I stand him next to the other drones, or Predator, or a Marvel Legend and I am immediately saddened.
It’s like they forgot that this was supposed to be part of the large Monsterarts scale and not the S.H. Figuarts scale. Or I misunderstood and it is. ‘Cause if it is, well, then it’s perfectly scaled. Just look as White Ranger tries to console him — Big Chap is a good head taller! I want to go on bitching in the hope that it removes this sledgehammer from chest.
The articulation is perfect. It’s exactly what we want in a superposeable Alien, Monsterart, or just any plain old 6-inch action figure. There’s so much articulation that I’m not certain what to do with it. There is some exciting articulation in there: he’s got an extra ball joint at the pecks, separating the chest in three pieces and allowing for some extra forward posing. The sculpt of the spine prevents further backward posing, but I don’t remember Big Chap crawling around that much. Here is the breakdown:
Hinged toes
Swivel toes
Ball ankles
Hinged ankles
Double-hinged knees
Swivel thigh
Hinged crotch
Ball hips
Ball waist
Ball abs
Ball chest
Ball neck
Hinged jaw
Moveable inner mouth
Double ball shoulders
Swivel bicep
Double-hinged elbows
Swivel forearm
Swivel wrist
Ball wrist
Swivel hand
Ball hand
Ball tail x15 (need to double check)
The head is amazing. They captured the skull shape of the head perfectly. The only flaw is that the soft plastic top isn’t smoky enough — you can clearly see the skull beneath it. If memory serves, you could see the underlying skull in the movie. It’s kind of a bummer, but, on the same note, I like seeing the skull. But the clear dome cover is very rubbery, and I worry about the longevity that it might have over the years. Might be wise to get someone to make a harder plastic casting, just in case.
The paint is interesting. It seems that there is only a silver drybrush over the figure. I’m gonna have to check the movie stills, but I don’t remember silver on Big Chap in the movie. Regardless, it gives the figure a “slimy” feeling.
While I am disappointed with the actual size of the figure, I can still find a place in my collection for these. Yes, I bought two. After all, maybe there were some drones that weren’t as tall as Big Chap? Maybe. At least that’s how I’m going to play it. It helps take that sledgehammer off my chest.
You can still buy this figure at
No, you. ;-p
Jester, you crazy.
I like Aliens better.