We are almost there! NECA’s 2020 Convention Exclusive figures go on-sale on July 23rd (that’s tomorrow) and just in time, we have our preview of the final figure in the set ready for your perusal. We have looked at Turtles, Gremlins, and Predators (oh my!), and as you can probably guess, NECA was not about to leave out Alien.
Much like Predator, NECA has a long and storied history of action figures based on the seminal 1979 Alien film, and the countless movies, comics, and vintage toy lines it spawned. I am such a sucker for that original movie, so I am pleased as can be about all of the plastic support NECA is bringing for the poor souls of the doomed Nostromo ship. But, the original Xenomorph, nicknamed “Big Chap” is the historical draw of the franchise and it once again takes the spotlight for this exclusive. Like the previously-discussed Predator exclusive, this figure makes good on a new paint deco, but it is not necessarily something that is “essential” to a collection, like a unique character. That said, glow-in-dark is pretty damned irresistible.
If you are familiar with the latest generation of Ultimate Big Chap figures, you know what you are getting in terms of the construction and accessories of this figure. This is the third time (by my count) this base has been used thus far, first with the original release, and then in the 40th Anniversary prototype colorway. The glow-in-the-dark deco scheme is the exclusive part of this figure, but it is really nicely done, and the glow feature itself is very bright and helps bring out the intricate detail of the Giger design.
Yes, the glow effect is neat, but I also like the look of the color palette in general. The nuclear waste green is actually pretty perfect for the Alien design, and there is actually quite a bit of subtle variation in the green from part to part. The chrome silver accents are also really cool, especially on the teeth. There is almost a radioactive meets industrial effect going on here, and while I am not convinced it would work in an actual movie, it makes for a really fun, if non-essential, color scheme. That is beauty of going with a design like this as an exclusive, but since it is so neat, hopefully it won’t be too difficult to get.
The accessories are also carryovers from the original Ultimate release, but they pretty much make this a complete set in terms of needed essentials for Big Chap, and like the figure, they look neat in this deco, especially the egg. So, you get the open egg in two parts (the egg and the tentacle base), the Facehugger and baby Alien, with the latter two featuring bendy tails to help balance, wrap, and attack. Like I said, the egg looks really cool with the glow effect, and it certainly feels appropriate in terms of look when the eggs actually open.
I don’t know, I feel like this GitD Alien is perfect to join the previous SDCC-exclusive “Sewer Mutation” version to figure the Ninja Turtles. I mean, it absolutely looks great hunting Ripley and crew, but there is a bit more fun in this version that goes a bit outside the more somber and horror-based serious tone of the actual Alien franchise. Either way, this is a fun figure that Alien fans, and fans of glow-in-the-dark figures in general will most definitely want to get.
Speaking of, check out NECA’s site to get all of the details about the release of this figure coming tomorrow. You will want to be on their site or haunting your local Wal-Mart soon. Don’t miss out!
*Thanks again to Peter and NECA team for sending this figure and all the rest along for an early look!