Customer Reviews

Classic Alien 18-Inch Action Figure

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're a fan of the Alien franchise (and chances are you are, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this) you simply MUST have this figure.
That's all you really need to know, but if you want to, read on.

First off, the most important (IMHO) part: accuracy and sculpting.
You won't find a more accurate figure or statue of this seminal H.R. Giger design anywhere! It perfectly reproduces every little detail of Giger's work, including the oxen jaws on the heels, the two thumbs on each hand, the tubes that connect the jaw to the back, the flat (not round!) tail... everything's here! Even the white gums! The detail is mind-boggling.

Paint apps: they are fairly basic, but mostly well done. The one bothersome detail is the detail underneath the clear dome, where the paint apps are not the best. Fortunately, they are not that noticeable from a normal viewing distance and are not distracting. Otherwise, the color scheme is perfect to reflect the bio-mechanical nature of the creature in the movie.

Articulation: excellent. This figure is extremely well-articulated for a figure of this type. The joints are engineered and designed in such a way as to be the least intrusive and respect the flow of the sculpt as much as possible. Also, they are very very tight, so care should be exercised when moving them. Best bet is to heat them up a bit either with hot water or a blow-dryer to loosen them up a bit. Don't force them or you might break them! In any case, it holds poses very well and is very well balanced.

Packaging: I'm not a big fan of packaging... so I don't really care too much either way, but be warned, this is twisty hell! Also, the figure comes unassembled inside. You have to attach the back tubes, the fifth spike and the lower legs. The lower legs are designed to have a very tight fit (important to hold up the weight) so, again, use a blow dryer or hot water to soften the female part. Do NOT under any circumstance heat up the male plugs!

Overall: fantastic figure! Could easily cost twice as much and would still be a great value. Oh, and do get the 9" as well. Incredibly, the detail is just as crisp!

It didn't take long. What started as an incredibly detailed model ended with the situation from which I now post this Amazon review. Pardon any misspellings or typos in this review as its rather difficult to proceed stuck to a wall covered in goo. First they came for the elders in the household then the children. They appear to have completely avoided the synthetic human models in my house. I attempted to hide as long as I could in the ventilation shaft only to scavenge food during the day as they mostly come at night, well mostly. Make sure you are very careful assembling the model I personally used a hair dryer. Avoid their blood as well it stings like hell. Also be sure to check above and below don't just rely on your motion tracker to locate them when they eventually become loose.

great action figure i have been collecting ALIEN merchandise since 1979 when alien debuted my first collectible was the 18 inch kenner figure...but this neca figure blows that away the most accurate alien figure done ...next to my cinemaqeutte alien statue for which cost me $1.500.00 "this is one hell of a bargain" measures 22 inches once assembled...pick up the neca 9 inch alien as well if your an alien fan you will be sorry if you missed out on these

'Big' doesn't even begin to describe it. I've been a huge 'Aliens' fan since I was a kid, so when I saw this I knew I wasn't going to rest well till I had it in my possession. It looks absolutely stunning. Every minute detail is beautifully crafted and accurately painted to bring to life H.R. Giger's sci-fi creation. Standing at 22+ inches, the Alien is a must-have for any fan.

I didn't buy this as a toy to play around with, and neither should you. It's mostly meant for display in my opinion. The Alien has amazing articulation and you can pose it in just about any position you'd like. Some people found that parts of the Alien broke off when they tried to move it; I've been lucky so far. I've moved every ball joint and hinge on the figure and haven't had a problem yet. I did soak a few moveable parts with hot water to add a little 'give' to them just so I wouldn't risk breaking them, and so far nothing has popped off. However, I wouldn't test its durability by playing around with it as if it were an action figure; though nothing has broken off my Alien, I can easily see how something could if the Alien were handled roughly. As far as moveable joints go: the neck, jaws, inner jaws, shoulders, upper arms, elbows, wrists, torso, thighs, knees, ankles, and tail all move with several degrees of articulation. Just be VERY careful when doing so for the first time.

Some reviewers like to comment on the box art the product came in - I couldn't care less. The box is in the trash. It does require some assembly - 8 pieces total come in the package, and they're accessible once you've twist-tied your fingertips off. As you may have already read from other reviews, some parts are difficult to pop into place; I found this true with my figure as well. I used the hot-water method: soak the pieces to be attached in boiling hot water for a minute or so and then wiggle it into place. As for the legs, they were the most difficult by far. I soaked both the male and female connections at the same time and was finally able to jimmy them on with some effort.

The Alien stands very well on its own without any support once you pose it into a good position. That in itself is amazing considering how top-heavy it feels; it definitely has some weight to it. Bottom line, it's a great piece to have if you're a fan. This is the Alien that started it all for the big screen. But again, if you're looking for something that you or your kid can play with, stick with the toys from the old Kenner line and let this puppy stare at you from a mounted shelf.

5 stars for fun since I'm a big fan, 1 star for educational value since...come on, it's not meant as a teaching or learning tool, 3 stars for durability since I'm sure things would break off rather easily if the Alien is mishandled or fell off the shelf, and 5 stars overall since it meets and beats my expectations for the purposes that I intended for it, not to mention that it's still available for a fairly good price considering how much detail and craftsmanship went into designing it.

Better than I could have imagined ! Makes the 1979 Kenner toy look like it was made of Lego's . As stated in previous posts , assembly can be a bit problematic , as the plastic joints are stiff as stone . But the hot water technique works like a charm . If I have one complaint , and only one , is that it's not nearly as posable and articulate as implied . Wont stand up un-assisted , and I'd love to know how the pose depicted in the above photo was attained . Still , it's a magnificant specimen ... best ALIEN I've ever come across . Buy now or regret later as one reviewer here put it , and at $40 , how could you pass it up . Pulled out the Giger's ALIEN earlier to do a comparison on it from the original sculpt , and it's perfectly precise ...every groove , every tube , every single line is as exact as the Giger original used in production . And it's HUGE ! Weighs in at 5 or 6lbs , and I can't even get my hand around it when holding around its waist area . And as many reviewers have stated , it's not 18" ...but easily 24" in height . Better clear some space for this bad boy .I could go on and on about it but from the level of reviews you see here , it's a true must have collectible for any ALIEN fanatic .

I'm sure everyone knows of Aliens, a great horror movie that had an iconic symbol of fear itself. Who isn't scared of a creature that, to reach adulthood, must eats it's way out through your chest cavity? Here's the rundown on this 'toy'

Let's start off with the basics. This masterpiece can bend it's ankles, twist it's legs near the hips, bend at the arms and knees, twist it's wrists, move it's upper torso right or left, move it's shoulders up and down, has an obsosable tail, and can open it's mouth to expose, no surprise here, the classic extendible 'second' mouth. The other great thing about him is his durability- he's made out of grade-A plastic that DOES NOT BREAK. He's also virtually impossible to destroy, and I'll give you an example. While trying to get his ankle to move, as this toy is VERY stiff, his foot detached. To my surprise it wasn't just glued on, but was actually a peg meaning I could fit the foot right back in- it's never given me problem since.

As far as sculpting go he's grand, right from the silver screen. Now there's some movie wiz out there who can find a flaw, but why would you? At first glance your going to get the impression it cost the person somewhere between $60-$80. Now paints a different story. His body is well enough, but there are minor and noticeable flaws. The first is universal from what I've heard- a white discoloration near the tip of his tail. The second is mine came with black paint strokes on his clear head. This could be just mine as I purchased him from a store at the local mall, but none the less both "problems" are easily remedied if one chooses to paint over the errors.

Now let's talk about his shortcomings. His head can only move left,right, and down due to a design flaw which prevents any movement up beyond a few centimeters. The tail could've also been thought out better, as it suffers a few issues. It' uses a wire that buckles under it's own weight. In other words, instead of getting a tail that sticks in a position with little difficulty you get a tail that must be rolled up like a whip for it to even be in a *slightly* different position than what it used to. Second the tail is glued on to the back, rather than just being part of it's normal body. Now I can see what they did this, as the body's plastic and plastic doesn't really bend, but it causes problems along the way. You can forget aiming his tail over his head, as the most you can bend the tail is into a straight line, maybe slightly more.

Now let's talk about your children. As far as educational value goes he's a big zero unless you consider the movie history behind it, which isn't really an education. It won't teach him math or English or history, but it will teach him anger management as the joints are incredibly hard to pop in (I put mine in hot water, worked like a charm). As far as playing with this guy I wouldn't recommend it. I don't say that because he's easily breakable, but because he is awkward to work/play with, and is kinda heavy- you must have a really gifted child if they can hold this guy up AND work his arms/tail/mouth.

All in all he has his problems, which are few indeed which is amazing considering his a) size and b) price. A good fully articulate figure will run you anywhere from $110-$190, and be around 7-12' tall; this figure is a good 6' taller AND costs $80+ less! I can't in good faith recommend you buy this for your children, as there are plenty of cheaper Alien figures out there that are easier to work with, so keep searching. That being said it's the best deal around for anyone looking for a great figurine to draw attention

This the most accurate and affordable replica of the Alien that is out there. The 7 inch figure is great, but this one is most impressive.

Buy one before you miss out!

First of all this toy is huge and looks great. The detail is perfect! The problem is it falls apart. I bought this for my boyfriend for Christmas and he was so excited. We had read the reviews and knew it was going to be a bit difficult to put together but after getting it out of the box it just fell apart. While looking at the detail he was holding it by the upper body and the lower body just fell off. When I asked to see it I had the upper body upside down looking at where it broke and the head fell off. The only way to repair it would be to glue the pieces together which he considered doing but then it would never move again. I told him I would send it back and get it replaced. I sent it back and had to pay for shipping which cost me $30 from USPS, which I thought was ridiculous to pay for a $55 item. I was not given a replacement option only a refund. I received my refund and when I went to buy another they were twice the amount I originally paid. I went ahead and purchased another at $98 (because my boyfriend really wants this) and I'm awaiting its arrival. He said if this one breaks he will just pose it and glue it.

A quick review to address some of the (few) criticisms posted below.

Yes, the figure is stiff out of the box. Yes, inserting the legs appropriately takes a measure of strength, force and persistence (although the 'hot water' approach, as outlined in the included assembly instructions, works admirably). Yes, the figure isn't easily posed - but if you find the appropriate angle for the feet, and balance the body via the tail, you can achieve a solid upright pose with arms outstretched. Practice makes perfect.

I've had no issues with any part of the figure falling off, breaking or wearing. Obviously, it's best to apply gentle pressure when moving arms or legs (focused upon the articulation points), and to store or display the figure in a safe place. Simple, no?

As regards the clear cranium dome, I assume later batches have the more 'frosted' dome and thus have addressed early criticisms of the figure (particularly in its 9 inch version). The original Giger alien design did, of course, have a frosted dome - it's just rarely seen in the film itself as the creature is often cloaked in darkness or diffused light (in the original 'Alien'). The extensive 'Making Of' featurettes on various home video releases of the 1979 film also clearly show the frosted dome.

All up? For the detail, size, durability and price, this figure really is exceptional. It immediately evokes the 'Alien' (1979) right out of the box, and the size gives it a degree of menace (and detail) that smaller incarnations of the creature really can't match. Further, the quality of the figure means that it will sit well either amongst other 'Alien' figure merchandise, or on display under a glass case (like more expensive versions, such as the Hot Toys release).

Does that mean you should buy it? As Brett would say: "Right!"

Ok. I was a HUGE Alien fan when I was about 7 or 8. Then it died out. I'm 9 now and my love of Alien has returned, stronger than ever now. I wanted to purchase an Alien toy, and originally was looking at the Sci-Fi Revoltech Alien Warrior, until I found out it was 6 inches tall. After a brief search, I found this monster. I was skeptical of purchasing it at first, and was sucked in only by the size. When it came in the mail, though, it was WAY bigger than I had expected. Let me put it this way: you know that one review called "this suckas huge--like a man!"? That's only half right. I think this thing's, like, a foot taller than any man alive (for those of you who don't know any better, it's not THAT huge, but it's pretty darn big--2 feet or something). Also, it's SUPER detailed and everything. Some people complain about how the detail under the Alien's head shell looks drawn on. I couldn't care less about that. Some people complain about how hard it is to snap pieces on. I have no idea what's up with them because the tubes and spikes on MY Alien snapped on just fine without a lot of struggle when my pop (who, mind you, is NOT exactly a powerful Russian bodybuilder) put them on. Another thing is that everybody says you have to soak and lubricate the joints on the Alien. I didn't lubricate it or anything, and it has all 20 points of articulation fully functioning smoothly. Maybe I just got lucky about this but I highly doubt that. If you are an Alien lover, someone getting a gift for an Alien lover, or someone who just wants an ugly beastie in your room to give you nightmares, this product is totally the thing for you.