NECA continues to help me relive some of my favorite 1990s moments with their Kenner-inspired figures, and Cracked Tusk was reason enough to bring me out of my MonsterArts-induced retirement!
First off, if you haven’t all ready, do yourself a favor and visit Robo’s look at Cracked Tusk’s wave-mates Renegade and Scavage.
…man, I love me some Robo video reviews. He’s like the Bob Ross of Fwoosh vids- I can come home after work, watch him paint some eyes on some turtles, and feel instantly relaxed.
Anyway, back on topic here. Cracked Tusk and Scavage were among the very first Predator figures released by Kenner back in 1994. That’s actually an almost recent history, when I think about it. Kenner’s Predator (and Aliens) figures were possibly some of the last figures I bought as a rough-and-tumble action figure “player,” and over the course of the line I think I started that “collector” transition. At least until I manned up and decided I was never too old to play with my toys, that is. My best friend Paul and I got tons of mileage out of the odd-couple pairing of Cracked Tusk and Scavage, as they served as the dynamic duo of alien monsters. At the time, I think I was a little bummed that they weren’t more like the two movie Predators, but that certainly didn’t dull the experience for us. They were supplanted by the Renegade Predator from the two-pack later on, which ironically in retrospect isn’t that much more movie-like, but I’ve always had a soft spot for those guys. After all, Cracked Tusk led the first “Batman Hunt” ever carried out in my backyard, something that my Preds still go on at my house to this day. Hopefully they do in Paul’s backyard, too.
Nostalgia is obviously what these guys trade on, but they are just good figures in their own right. For Cracked Tusk, NECA uses their already time-tested Predator method, in this case that’s combining City Hunter’s body and armor with some unique Cracked Tusk parts, like mask and gauntlet. The colors and sculpt totally recall the original, although I don’t recall the Kenner figure having the body mesh. A removable mask like the OG’s would’ve have been great as well, so you could see the actual cracked tusk of his, but at least Scavage got one.
I do like the articulation and layout of the NECA Preds, but I am a little jaded post-MonsterArts on the slow progression on upping the articulation they promised with their still-upcoming AVP revisit. What’s included here does the job fairly well, but some better elbow range and an abdominal joint would be massive gains for these figures.
Much like Robo, I couldn’t just take the one, I had to make at least the pair, if not the whole set. Together, these Predators strike a mean profile, look good on the shelf, and remind me of some good times. That’s not bad for $21.99.
