Review : Sewer Mutation Warrior Alien NECA, Aliens Wave/Series : SDCC 2017 Exclusive / UK Alien X Club Exclusive Released : July 2017
£25.00
Pros : another Xeno for the shelf and a nod of the head to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Sewer Monster
Cons : exclusive and limited in numbers
NECA always do something special with their San Diego Comic Con exclusives - even if it frustrates a lot of their fans when they keep them as limited as they do (think Newt 2016). For 2017 they have taken inspiration from their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle exclusives and given us this "Sewer Mutation" Alien - a nod to the Pizza Sewer Monster from the 1987 animated series.
The packaging remains the same as the main Alien line, with a clamshell package that sandwiches a thin paper sheet that then acts as both card back and figure backdrop. The backdrop is a brick wall sewer scene complete with pipework. A further front insert quotes the figure as the Sewer Mutation Warrior Alien and to the side of this is an illustrated image of the Mutation.
Round the back and the card is headed with the electric blue 1986 Aliens logo. Under this is an atmospheric shot of the actual figure in one of NECA's many impressive figure dioramas. There is then some invented backstory for the figure being an experiment on a Weyland Yutani outpost - well done NECA for using a bit of artistry to give the figure a backstory.
The "Also Available" segment at the bottom of the cardback focuses on the Series 11 figures with head images of Lambert, Defiance Xeno and the Blue Kenner Warrior.
The Sewer Mutation is essentially an Alien vs Predator warrior in terms of sculpt and therefore comes with the upgraded articulation including articulated head & neck. Ball jointed shoulders, jointed elbows, wrists and fingers. Ab crunch and ball jointed hips - followed by articulated double jointed knees and ankle rockers.
The head is not a direct use of the AvP model released in Series 7 (2016) and looks to be based on the Alien vs Predator : Requiem drone. This is potentially from the original AvP:R 2008 release (see below). This bodes well for Alien/Predator collectors in that a film accurate Requiem Xeno could be due in 2018.
The figure is coloured really nicely with a variating sand colouration which is one of the best colours I've seen in terms of showing off the sculpt of that Xeno body.
Being a limited release, our Sewer Alien is staying boxed - hence this new "mini Review" format. Assuming you got this at the SDCC price or via the Alien X Club then this is a very impressive figure, even with it's niche background and not essentially being part of the Alien universe - either comic book, movie or Kenner.
I score the Sewer Mutation a 4 out of 5.
