MANTIS ALIEN

When i notice NECA was doing a tribute to Kenner i knew i had to have those figures. The Aliens line from Kenner was one of my favorites in my childhood and i even had the entire line in my hands at one point (Colonial Marines and vehicles included) and i had A LOT of fun with them. The odd and bizarre new design for the Xenomorph didnt make any sence but they where really fun to look and play with.

24 years later and NECA is re-doing some of those characters, giving them a modern look and all the attention to detail modern adult toys have. The Queen Face Hugger was a huge dissapointment… and i am really looking forward to put my hands on a Gorila Alien, but for now i got the Mantis Alien, the most colorfull of the series.

First of all, i saw some people complaining this guy used recycled parts from other Alien toys. Well, if thats true, then i can see no problem in here. Building a toy like this needs a lot of money and if NECA recycle a few parts i cant see the issue, this creature is the same species as the other Aliens, soo it makes sence he have elements on his anathomy that match the others.

Aside of that, this guy is one of the coolest and prettyest Alien toys i ever seen. The intrincate design on his head - with the plaques that looks like bug eyes -, the tail with the stinger, the bony “shoulder pads”, he looks elegant and extremelly modern and yet he looks very old school, almost like the monster from a senati TV show.

The paint is really basic, with cooper color fangs and some metalic tones here and there and yet this is incrediblly colorfull, thanks to the transluscent green plastic they used on him. This transparency gives him an amazing vibrant look and makes him quiet hiddeous too. While the Dog Alien was slymmy, this really looks insectoid.

Theres a complete range of articulation in here, from hi head and mouth that can be open (and reveal a transluscent green inner jaw) to the many elbows he have (4 elbors in each arm) and knees, theres no limit really to poseability here. Even his pincers are articulated as well.

He is also tall. He is HUGE, taller than the Dog Alien standing up rigth, giving him the same heigh as a Play Arts Kai figure and matching the perfect size for standar action figures.

The big BIG problem in here is that, he cant stand at all. His heavy head, the stinger on his tail, the huge arms and the backward shape of his insect legs, every single thing works against him and makes him victim of gravity. The theory is that he is supposed to hold himself up with his pincers up front, but the articulations cannot resist the weight and after a couple of minutes he is liying on the ground.

I find it hard to understand why NECA gives a useless base to Dog Alien but nothing to this guy. An specific base for him since giving the shape of his body, not all bases work with him. I ended up using one of my spare PAK bases here tough but a good option for NECA was to give him sturdy ratchet articulations that hold the pose in place and not this run of the mill ball joints.

This figures is the embodimient of style over functionality, since he is incrediblly pretty and cool but is pretty hard to notice that if he is liying in the ground like a green corpse.

He comes with the same accesoryes the Kenner toys had: a little chestbuster with a posable tail and a green color. I asume this thing is the Mantis Alien in baby form and is one of the cutestst things i ever seen, with his tinny arms and silver little fangs.

The other accesory is a re-print of Dark Horse comic that came with this same guy 24 years ago. I love hos NECA didnt forget a single detail in here and is bringing back this silly little comic full of the 90s cliches.

I am in love of this guy, really. But i am just amazed NECA didnt do anything to fix the stability issue - the single thing that keeps this guy from total perfection. Now if only NECA release its own version of the Bull Aliens or the Fliying Queen, that would be rad. But in the mean time, i will hunt a Gorila to pair him up with this green monstruosity.