Aside from the 2018 Deluxe Xenomorphs, it has been nearly a 2 year wait for NECA's next foray into the Alien movies. Series 14, released in August 2019, finally brings the series to the fourth movie Alien Resurrection. It brings us a new Ripley figure, a Resurrection Xenomorph and the figure we are reviewing here, the terrifying Alien Newborn.
Packaging 3/5
The Newborn is a bit of an odd release for NECA's Alien line in that it sits within Series 14 alongside the other two Resurrection figures, but is so big it warrants a differing packaging design. To contain the size of the Newborn, NECA have used a window box design similar to the Ultimate and recent Godzilla figures. It is a closed box with an opening flap that then reveals the figure within.
Unlike the Ultimate and Godzilla figures, the design is quite plain and simple with a subtle starscape overlaid only with the Alien Resurrection logo. The front carries the figure name, and it is here we find the word "Deluxe" preceding the Newborn name.
The back of the box bears the only real resemblance to other Alien packaging with inset panels of the figure in diorama settings and a short piece of text.
"Two hundred years after her death, military scientists aboard the USM Auriga are attempting to clone Ellen Ripley in order to extract the Xenomorph Queen embryo that was in her body when she died... And on the eight attempt they succeed. Contaminated with Ripley's DNA, the Queen gives birth to a grotesque human/alien hybrid called the "Newborn," which escales, forcing the crew into a desperate race to destroy it and the other cloned Aliens before the ship reaches Earth."
Opening the front flap, held in place by Velcro, reveals the figure as well as a chilling further image of the figure on the front flap. Sadly this inner panel is not aligned well and is borderd in plain cardboard.
The whole box design feels quite plain and boring and for MIB collectors of the Alien line will be a problem.
Paint & Sculpt 5/5
The Newborn stands an impressive 11 inches high when fully stood out of the packaging. The sculpt is fantastic, capturing the look of the Newborn fully down to those hollow eyes and gaping jaw. It is cast in an almost translucent cream plastic which makes it look slick and wet. Over this is a degree of washes and dry brushing to darker areas around the head and arms. There are further paint applications around the creatures head and into its mouth - and also on its abdomen.
While horrific, it is also a thing of beauty that NECA could create and release this thing in scale to the other 7 inch figures (apologies for the photo we do not have Ripley 8 at time of posting).
Accessories 3/5
While the figure looks brilliant, it is not designed to stand on its own - those spindly legs cannot support the bulk of the upper body and protruding head. To help NECA have included one of their Dynamic figure stands within the box. This needs assembling, and once built can grip the figure around the waist and with the height adjuster can help the figure stand.
While this all works, we have to be mindful that the NECA Dynamic stand (as we reviewed a while back) has issues. It is quite brittle and also the grip piece is not spring loaded in anyway and is reliant on the screw that holds the two parts of the claw together.
I am also disappointed the stand is black and not clear. While I appreciate most Alien displays will be a darker display type - the black does clash very much with the pale skin of the Newborn.
In fact I have ditched the NECA stand within a few minutes of opening and have found that one of my cheaper secondary market stands for dolls works just as well.
Whichever display option you choose, ensure the Newborn is away from any long drops. Even on either stand my Newborn has taken quite a few shelf dives already.
Articulation 4/5
Our Newborn arrives with 17 points of articulation.
Head : hinged jaw, articulated ball joint neck
Body : ball joint torso
Arms : ball joint shoulder, double joint rotating elbow, wrist pivot
Legs : ball joint hip, single joint rotating knee, single joint lower shin, ankle rockers
Articulation is very much tied into the stand and overall balance of the figure and the legs in particular are key to this with the joints working well to allow the figure to stand tall or indeed get into low crouching positions. Working with the arms as counter balance points it is even possible to have the Newborn stood unaided in some of these low crouch positions.
The arms give the widest range of motion, with some clever double jointed elbows allowing the forearms to bend fully back on the upper arm while also rotating.
The jaw works well, but opened too far will expose a gap at the back where the two pieces meet. The neck joint allows the head swivel and tilt, while the torso joint also adds upper body swivel - but sadly no real lean or pitch.
Summary
Like the Power Loader and the Alien Queen, the Newborn is a centrepiece release for any Alien collector and also adds some stark contract with its pale translucent skin against so many dar blue and brown Xenomorphs from the original movies.
The box is a little boring, but does its job. And the stand too might have been better if it was clear and a simple design like the ones used for the Dog Alien releases.
Sculpt and paint are spot on, and articulation for such a beast is good. I score the NECA Alien Resurrection Newborn a 4 out of 5.
