“So I made a decision and it was wrong. It was a bad call, Ripley. “ – Carter Burke
NECA is continuing make good use of its Aliens license, and with the release of the Hadley’s Hope 2-pack that includes Carter Burke and a prototype Warrior Xeno, it is now firmly in hardcore fan territory.
It’s almost 2018 and I just paid $50 for a Paul Reiser action figure. Let’s find out if it was worth it!
Packaging
We get a nice clamshell that protects and displays the figures nicely. What more can we really want?
Sculpt
There was a time when seeing figures with this quality of sculpt would have completely blown me away. With pretty much every release in the Aliens line being of the same fantastic quality, I’ve become a genuinely spoiled collector, and this set maintains the high standards NECA has set. The main draw is, of course, Carter Burke, who I am absolutely thrilled to be getting. The true villain of the film (as the Xenos are just doing what they do), Burke is an absolutely essential character. The sculpt of the figure is just about perfect. He’s in full L.L. Bean dad-bod glory, and while it’s often said that civilians don’t sell well, he really does stand out in my display. I was initially put off by the facial expression (shock/fright) as I typically prefer neutral looks, but it works well enough here. One minor complaint is that the overlay used for the shirt is just a tad too short. Thankfully the body underneath is white so that it blends well with the shirt pattern, but it’s a little odd on close inspection.
The Xenomorph is a prototype version that we never actually see it in the film. (Check out the behind-the-scenes design details here for all the information you never you knew you wanted!) In terms of the action figure, what we get is a domed version of the same warrior alien that has been released numerous times. It’s not exactly a needed variant (and the backstory is nowhere near as interesting as the prototype Alien for the first film), but I get why they needed something cool looking to pack with one of My Two Dads. Reasoning aside — it’s a gorgeous figure, and if you’re able to use your imagination, it will fit just fine with your Aliens display.
Paint
Paint on both figures is top notch and it serves the sculpt very well. The colors on Burke really pop and they’ve done a great job with his face and hair. I ended up having to order this set online, which always makes me a bit nervous, but I’m happy to say that all the cuts were clean and neat, and I had minimal case of wonky eye syndrome. The Xeno is just as good as you’d expect. It’s more in the brown tones than the blue, and the translucent dome adds a nice shine to the figure.
Articulation
The Xeno has the same articulation scheme as all the other Warrior Alien figures. I should say the more recent Warrior Aliens as this one does have finger articulation. In short, it’s pretty great. You can get a great number of poses and for the most part, all the joints were tight. There are no surprises with Burke either if you own any other modern NECA human figure. He had plenty of articulation and the design doesn’t limit any of his movement. One thing I would like to see from NECA is some improvement in the articulation of the neck and head. It would be great if they could use the ball-and-disc joints that Hasbro uses on their Legends figures to make them be able to look straight up. With the xenos running all over in the ceilings and floors, it would be particularly useful for the Aliens lines. As of now, the up-and-down motion is pretty limited.
Accessories
We’ve been given all sorts of cool accessories in this line, but this one took me by surprise. It’s a sign for Hadley’s Hope — the human colony that the Colonial Marines are sent to investigate. Beyond the obvious quality (which is great), it’s a really nice piece to have and shows NECA’s appreciation for the franchise.
Overall
I’ve covered a number of figures in this line so I know I sound like a broken record, but these are some of the best toys out there. I really have to applaud NECA for its commitment to the line. It’s not very often where we get a spineless civilian like Burke in action figure form, but they pulled through. Turns out that he’s actually a fun toy! At $47 for the set, this may not appeal to the casual buyer, but hardcore fans I can’t see skipping this set. And I feel like I got every penny’s worth of my money.
Thanks for reading!
