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Review : Detective Jim Gordon Gotham Select (Diamond Select Toys) Wave/Series : Series 1 Released : November 2015 £19.99 - £22.99 Diamond's Gotham Select figures debuted in November 2015 as the show itself started it's second season. The first series of figures was made up of three characters as seen in season 1; Penguin, Selina Kyle and the figure we are looking at here, Detective Jim Gordon. The future commissioner of Gotham arrives in the familiar Select packaging. For those unfamiliar, the select boxes are huge and that is so the team at Diamond can expand up to larger characters if needed (think Hulk from Marvel) and pack in some significant scenery/diorama pieces. The majority of the front of the packaging is a giant blister which shows off the figure really well. To the left is a wrap around card side piece which has the Gotham logo, and underneath this the tag line "Before the Legend". The character name is then placed in a triangular insert to the left of the blister and sat behind the character name is an image of the character from the show. Spin the packaging round to view the left side, and as is usual form for Select figures the whole side piece is made up of an image of the character from the series. This allows for MIB collectors to present these figures side on like a book with this gorgeous side panels on view. Being Gotham, this side piece is quite dark compared to say the Marvel Select figures and the dark theme is prominent round into the card back. The card back leads at the top with a further Gotham, before the legend header. And to the right of the card is an image of the figure itself. Overlaid onto this image to the left is a white text bio of the character. At the bottom is an also available section showing the other two figures in the wave, and to the right of this is smaller image showing the completed diorama piece - the Gordon and Selina sections combine to create a larger piece, more on this later. Once opened, Gordon is strapped into an inner tray and behind this is a further tray containing the two piece background display. Unusually for an action figure, Gordon comes with his revolver already in hand rather than packed in a separate segment as an accessory. Out of the box and Jim stands dead on 7" tall and a tad taller, and beefier, than the Penguin. Facially, it isn't a bad representation of actor Benjamin McKenzie but is certainly not a perfect likeness. The biggest problem with the overall likeness seems to be the lack of a neck, and the head sits too squat to the shoulders. The rest of the body is a fairly boring suit and tie affair. By there nature, suits have very little detail, but there is a degree of fabric folds built into the sculpt and the seams, collars and pockets are all picked out. The tie is done as a separate piece to the torso, and with it being a softer rubber it can be moved out from the body if you really want to. Diamond figures are usually well painted, albeit sometimes lacking more in-depth weathering or depth. In Gordon's case the face is neat and the eyes particularly neat and realistic. There is some definition in the skin tone, I think this is more a lighter tone on the prominent parts like the forehead, chin and nose. The hands have a similar finish and that picks out the veins and tendons in the back of the hand where Gordon is gripping. The hair is a dirty blonde, with a lighter blonde dry-brush. It isn't great up very close, but at a distance it does the job. The suit coat, arms and trousers are all a drab grey and this is a flat colour all over with no wash or highlights and to be honest it doesn't need it. The shirt likewise is a flat blue, and the tie a flat black with neatly applied stripes on top. Gordon's only accessory is his gun, which is a pretty decent sculpt but simply cast in black plastic, some touches of gun metal would have brought out the detail nicely. Articulation, as fans of DST will know, is improving and has taken a big leap forward in last 2-3 years particularly on their more recent Marvel Cinematic figures, and that has been carried forward into Gordon. The head is ball jointed and can be rotated fully round, whilst also looking up and down. Had he had more of a neck this would have allowed more defined up and down motion. The shoulders are ball-jointed and move both fully around the rotation of the shoulder, and outward away from the body to almost 90 degrees. There is no clash with the coat sculpt as the shoulders slot neatly away into the torso as they raise upwards, but that does mean a small visible gap when you view the shoulder from the side. Elbows are a pinned bend and also rotate. The wrists rotate also, all of which allows Gordon to handle his gun into most one handed poses including firing out to the side with arm straight. The torso has a joint, a trait again carried forward from most Marvel Movie figures, but as this is behind the coat it doesn't really add to much movement, and against the light blue shirt does spoil the looks. Gordon has also inherited the loose feeling hips from the Marvel Select range, but thankfully the coat tails do stop the hips sliding the figure into unnaturally wide stances. The coat is however flexible enough to allow Gordon to sit down, and with the double jointed knees you can also achieve some kneeling positions.The final articulation is the ankle rockers, a valuable asset on such a heavy feeling figure to allow you to plant the feet flatly and keep Gordon stood on display. Moving to the diorama now, and this arrives in two pieces. The first is the base which includes two moulded dustbins and a damaged cardboard box. Into this slots a grey bricked wall piece. There is no instructions on how to do this, and with the wall having pegs on both sides you need to be careful you are lining it up the right way. It will still need forcing into place and once clicked I suspect you won't get it back apart. The base is nicely sculpted and really well painted. The floor is suitably grimy with its very own suspicious puddle of "something". The brick wall section is a darker grey, but still painted to include a depth on the bricks via a darker wash into the mortar. There is one peg on the left hand side of the base into which Jim slots fairly firmly. Unlike Penguin, who has a stand alone diorama base, Jim's base is designed to link up to the piece that comes with Selina Kyle. I will be reviewing Selina very soon, but I will talk briefly about the combined piece. With Selina you get a five piece affair which is made up of a further section of wall, a balcony, two support struts and a ladder. I will talk about these in more detail when we review Selina. Once the whole thing is assembled you end up with a two story affair where you would assume you can pose Jim in the alley way with Selina on the balcony. Sadly it's too small, with Jim's head banging on the overhead balcony when stood directly underneath. Another inch or so and it would have been much more effective. Diamond are a personal favourite of mine and with new licences, like Gotham and the upcoming Ghostbusters and X-Files ranges, they look like they will have a strong 2016. You know what you are getting with DST, a solid well built figure - albeit with potentially weak hips - a neat paint job and a decent sculpt. Human head sculpts remain their Achilles heel, and Gordon is no different, but they have come a hell of a long way since sculpts like their first Wolverine. For a 7" figure with a pretty massive diorama accessory they also present good value for money, and are a bit different in terms of presentation for MIB collectors. Some will argue Gordon is a little plain, but that is what the show is all about. There is no latex suits or super powers as yet, it's gritty and dirty and plain and Jim's figure represents that. He isn't perfect and my frustrations include the neck and the badly thought out diorama. I am going to score Jim the same as Penguin, a standard 3 out of 5. Gotham wave 2 is on they way, and like most wave 2's it should see a step up in quality - after that then I guess it will all be down to sales and fan reaction. Purchase from Amazon UK Purchase from Amazon US

This weeks Action Figure News that caught my eye is now live and after a couple of weeks off for the Festive period, it is time we caught up on the news - and also looked back at 2015. In this issue we have a look at the Christmas Eve sneaky peeks that NECA were publishing on Twitter. We look at the Hasbro Pulse Star Wars Movie Poster, and what hints lie within. We pop over to the Far East to see the first images of Mafex Wonder Woman and also the SH Figuarts Civil War Captain America It is then with pleasure that I get to pick my favourite 5 figures of 2015, and also start to look ahead to 2016 CLICK HERE to read Issue 07 and to access back issues and if you wish, sign up to receive the Sat-TOY-Day news direct to your inbox each week in PDF format. Thanks for reading

NECA have always been very slick in their promotional photography and convention booth displays, with professional looking backdrops and diorama's in which they showcase their figures. Now, we as fans can get a little bit of this with the release of the Alien Xenomorph eggs. The eggs arrive in a very "tongue in cheek" cardboard egg box. On the front of the package is a Weyland-Yutani logo in what looks to be a thick black factory stamp. To the side is an expiry date of 3rd June 2122, which fans may know is the date the Nostromo first encountered the Alien Eggs on LV-426. On the top label is the text ALIEN and the subtitle of LV-426 FREE RANGE EGGS. There is a hazard panel showing a human silhouette looking into an Alien Egg, and then series of consequences of this with the final silhouette being an Alien Big Chap. The final panel is some nutrition facts, which are smeared with what looks like slime. The one thing to say is that if you saw these in a store and weren't a big Alien fan then you would overlook these and have no idea what they are - they could, to certain people, look like those cheap Alien Eggs you find in the £1 stores. Only when you peel back the label as directed do we find the image of the actual eggs themselves, as well as an advertisement of other NECA Alien figures - including the soon to be released Alien Isolation figures. The pack should be sealed with a strip of plastic, and once opened you should find 6 eggs in the pack. On the inner lid you will also find some handy safety instructions, including the brilliant line "Discard broken, cracked or open eggs & run far,far away". Of the six eggs packed into the box. three of these are unopened. The other three are open and inside should be a small baggie in which you will find a Facehugger. Putting the Facehuggers aside, the eggs themselves are nicely sculpted with a flat bottom that means they sit fine on a flat surface display. The egg is textured with what I can best described as a dried riverbed cracked surface and this is then painted in varying shades of green and brown. On the open eggs the pink egg flaps are peeled back, and between each flap on the outside are strings of goo which are painted in a creamier colour. The inside of the egg is decorated in a "brain" texture which is painted pink with a cream wash. Onto the Facehuggers, of which you get 3, and these are sculpted really well and in scale with the 7" figures. From the 8 spider like legs, to the two air sacks, they are really well done and then painted in a brown with a darker wash to bring out the details on the spinal tail. Articulation, as such it is, is delivered by a flexible tail which is achieved by the plastic being sculpted over a metal bendable armature. The Facehuggers all come out of their eggs with their tails bent under themselves. Be careful when straightening them as one of mine simply saw the plastic break when put back into a flat shape - this is unfortunate that they are so brittle. This weakness in the tail without similar pose-ability in the legs will leave fans who want to display these attached to their figures disappointed. Once you over that disappointment then there isn't much issue in getting these to look like they are crawling, or even jumping, out of their eggs. Once lined up in a display alongside the NECA Alien figures, then this is where these items come alive. They look brilliant alongside the Alien Queen, or perhaps in a diorama with the Alien crew in spacesuits - for example having Kane, who already comes with Facehugger attached, posed above an open egg looks awesome. Cost wise these vary between £22 and £25 which I know will be down to the cost to bring this to market as a niche item. It does feel a bit too much for what you get, but then again this is almost a unique release in terms of a diorama item rather than a figure and for those not skilful enough to make their own diorama effects then these fill that hole really well. If you don't fancy investing in the full 6 eggs, then bear in mind you can get one opened egg and one Facehugger with the Queen Attack Bishop figure that has also just come to market. I am hoping that NECA may consider throwing a few more of these eggs into Alien releases going forward, and I also hope that this is a sucess for them and that they can give us more diorama packs for their Alien range and beyond. Rating wise, this is a difficult item to score as there is simply nothing else to compare them against. The packaging is great in terms of a sense of humour, the items are solid and decent enough in terms of sculpt and paint. The Facehuggers are well done, but it is a pity the flexible tails seem to be so fragile. I am still also not sure that paying £25 for 6 static eggs is good value for money in today's toy market. All that being said I am going to come in for now on a 4 out of 5 scoring.

Over the years there have been a number of lines that have tackled the Alien licence. From Kenner in the early 1990's through a number of Far East kits and models to the McFarlane releases in the early 2000's. But it has been the guys at NECA who have taken the Alien licence to the next level and doing what many fans have dreamed of for a number of years and are bringing us a consistently scaled line from the Alien movies. Starting in 2013 with the Xenomorphs themselves, NECA then brought us Colonial Marines and their fantastic Alien Queen (see our review HERE). This was followed this year (2015) with Bishop, Kane, Ripley herself and we will be ending the year with Amanda Ripley from the Alien Isolation video game. Before Series 6 hits however, it is time to welcome the P-5000 Power Loader... and boy is this thing impressive. For many the P-5000 Caterpillar Power Loader is part of one of the most iconic scenes in the sci-fi horror genre. The machine was essentially a futuristic Fork Lift Truck, but was later turned into a weapon in the climax of the 1986 Aliens enabling our heroine Ripley to defeat the Alien Queen. Retailing in the UK around the £85 mark this is not a cheap piece, and when you first pick one up you may find yourself looking at the box and thinking "is that it". Size wise it is no where near that of the Alien Queen packaging from last year. It is more comparable to that of the NECA ED-209 from Robocop. There is no perspex window, but instread the box is beautifully decorated with actual images of the model itself and also features its companion Ripley figure (sold separately). The scenic settings of the model photography is stunning and I kind of wish NECA could bring us prop packs as well as figures to enhance our display with the type of backdrops they create for their promo images and trade fair displays. Out of the box, and the Power Loader is sandwiched between two interlocking perspex trays. Once prized apart the loaded comes out pretty much fully assembled, you will find a small plastic bag taped to the perspex and this contains two hands and two aerials - make sure you don't throw these away. The hands will come into play later, and the aerials are designed to slot into two sockets either side of the flashing light on the top of the loader. The aerials are a tight fit and I would leave these off until you have got a pilot in place. The first thing I did was just appreciate the sheer design on this vehicle. Have a look at all the rear hydraulic pipes and consider the design work that went into getting those all in place without impeding any movement. Play with the arms which are articulated at both the shoulder and elbow, and feel the ratchet within each joint that will stop the arms dropping under their own weight when posed. Look also at the rear hydraulics that all move with the vehicles articulation. The claw hands rotate fully and also open and close ready to be clasped around the throat of any passing Alien Queen. The legs are similarly articulated with ratchet joints at hip, knee and ankle. The weight, and therefore balance of the loader, is pretty much spot on. Even with the arms outstretched the vehicle is not top heavy and still stand securely on the weighted feet. The pilots cage lifts up and over the head and then there is a working seatbelt system. I would have preferred an instruction sheet at this point. I figured out the aerials, but I wasn't sure if the seatbelt actually came apart and was worried that these may not be designed to be pulled apart - it would have been nice to have had confirmation in advance of trying. My one gripe so far, and it is minor, is that I am not sure I like the cloth type mesh over the drivers cage. I think I would have preferred a more robust version and I worry about this discolouring and perhaps fraying in the future. This vehicle is essentially the second part of a 2-part set and only by combining it with the previously release Ripley 7" figure do you get the full effect that NECA had planned. Ripley needs a bit of "work" before you strap her in place as the driver. Firstly you need to remove her ammo strap which has to be carefully stretched over her bent elbow and then her head. You also need to pull off the original hands that came with Ripley. These pop off reasonably easily, but my advice is to NOT put the new ones on just yet. Unstrap the seatbelt on the Power Loader and Ripley slots neatly into the compartment, with her feet locked into the feet controls. Once strapped back in you can lock down the protective cage and then the fun begins. My advice here is to have a bit of patience with getting Ripley to hold the arm controls as it has the potential to frustrate a lot of people. The easiest way to do this is to put the loose hands on the control levers first then carefully move the loader arms and Ripley's arms till they are in the right position - don't forget the levels slide up and down the arm to help. Once you have got the position you should then be able to clip the hands into the wrist. NECA have ticked off plenty of positives so far. The Articulation is really good, the weight and balance is spot on and the Ripley figure fits neatly into place - albeit a little fiddly. The final element is the paint and decor of the loader, and thank fully NECA have done this justice as well. The loader is essentially a flat yellow colour, exactly as per the film prop, but it has been decorated with a number of decals which add directly to the realism. There are hazard chevrons added across the arms and legs of the loader as well as red warning labels and arrows that all add to the reality of the piece. There are a couple of well placed company logo's and an embossed manufacturer stamps on the arms. On top of the decals and base colour, it is the weathering that finishes the whole piece off. There is a wash applied to the machine which gives the impression of a well used machine rather than being fresh out of a factory. Around the joints the paint is applied to look like hydraulic grease, and then the hydraulic rams themselves are a clean and shiny silver as you will see on any hydraulic machinery.. There is also a few silver chips and scratches where the marines have had a few dings in the loading bay. I have seen a number of Power Loader products from the Halycon models to the Sideshow 1/6 version. I also owned the Aoshima 1/12 scale version, which was in my opinion the best Power Loader released... until now. NECA trumps all of these. At an £85 price point the detail on this model is fantastic. The articulation is well done and realistically engineered and the ratchet joints mean that despite the size and weight the item holds the poses really well. The Ripley figure fits really well and the two were obviously designed together and not done as an after thought. I also like the fact that NECA didn't pack Ripley with the loader and charge an extra £20. If I am nitpicking a working warning beacon would have been awesome, but I appreciate would have also driven up the price. If you are an Aliens collector, then you must have this. It is a display piece and it needs to be handled as such but once set-up it is a thing of beauty and can score nothing less than a 5 out of 5. And we haven't even mentioned how this piece lines up with the Aliens Queen from last year, if you have both pieces - and as you will see from the pictures below - you have one hell of a diorama on your hands and a true centrepiece for any Aliens collection. Buy it!

This is my 3rd Ellen Ripley review in as many months, and they just keep getting better. Following the series 4 releases depicting Ripley as seen in Alien from 1977 we have now fast forwarded to 1986 where Series 5 Ripley is released in her Aliens final battle outfit. Despite a move to boxed packaging on a lot of their other lines, NECA are staying faithful to their clam-shell packaging for the Aliens series which will please MIB collectors. The clamshell is headed with the Aliens 1986 movie logo, with side panels depicting atmospheric shots of the figure itself. On the rear are more figure images, some blurb about Ripley, and images of the other figures in Series 5 - that of battle damaged Bishop and the Red & Black Xenocide Aliens. Ripley stands 7" high once out of the box, in scale with all the prior Alien releases. The head sculpt is brand new, and in my opinion is even better than the ones they used on the 1977 Alien figures. The sculpting team have captured the steely resolve of Ripley as she heads into the Alien nest and the face has been really well painted to make the most of the sculpt. The hair is accurate to the film, albeit perhaps a little too big, and is painted in a flat brown. The shirt is well sculpted, capturing Weaver's figure perfectly rather than going generic as often happens with female figures. The shirt is painted a flat white then looks to be weathered ever so subtely with a wash. There are patches of grey added to the neck and arm areas which at first I thought were part of the costume. After consulting some reference pictures it seems not, and I think these are an attempt to represent sweat and grime but sadly are too grey and contrasting to the shirt and don't resemble staining at all. Ripley's arms are uncovered with the only accessory being a watch sculpted on the left wrist. The shirt is crossed with a set of braces which connect down to Ripley's belt, then slung over that is an ammo sling which contains the flares that Ripley uses to navigate the Alien Hive. The first set of braces are sculpted onto the figure and painted in grey with parts picked out in black and silver. The Ammo Sling is a separate piece and can be removed. The lower half of Ripley is a pair of plain blue trousers from her jump suit. These are again well sculpted with pockets and zips and some really well concealed knee joints. If anything the trousers could do with dirtying up a little, but that is me nit picking. The figure is finished in an accurate set of Reebox Alien Stompers and these have even meant a Reebox TM mark had to be stamped on the box to recognise NECA using the trainers licence. Articulation on NECA figures is getting better with each release, and not only are they increasing articulation they are also doing a great job of concealing the joints within the figure. Ripley starts with a ball jointed head which can look round to both sides by a reasonable degree (to the shoulder) and also has a smidgen of movement to look up and down,. The arm articulation had to be right on this figure to achieve the movie pose with her hybrid pulse rifle and NECA have succeeded. With a ball jointed shoulder and a clever elbow joint that also swivels Ripley can achieve a really good pose with the weapon. My only slight concern with the pose is that the wrist joint seems stretched on her right hand when holding the weapon and as well as leaving a gap, I would be slightly worried on this breaking. My other niggle on the figure I had was the shoulder joints seemed to be overly painted and were stuck in place out of the box, I soon got these moving but it stripped all the paint on the joint - thank fully this was on the under arm section and is not visible on the figure. Looking at the figures waist you would assume there is no joint, but hidden under the belt is a waist ball joint that although doesn't really allow Ripley to turn on her waist, does allow her to lean forward and backward to get her balanced when holding the weapon. You probably won't do a great deal of posing in terms of Ripley's legs, there is limited hip and knee movement - so you won't get her sat down or doing the splits. As I have said the knee joints are really well done with the knee joint looking like a fold in the trousers from a distance. The figure finishes with an ankle joint that can we tweaked slightly, no great movement, to get Ripley standing well. Now the bit I don't know at this stage, so we won't review Ripley on this element as yet - is the articulation enough to get her into the Power Loader? I would assume yes as NECA will have had these two items planned together for a while, and we have seen the Ripley figure in a loader. How much movement you will get out of Ripley in the Loader is another matter and we will review this when the Loader lands later this year. The final part of the figure is the weapon that she is packed with. This is one piece but still looks as thought he two weapons had been strapped together with differing paint jobs on the Pulse Rifle vs the Flame Unit. NECA have even gone as far as sculpting the gaffer tape on the back end that holds the two weapon butts together. The hybrid gun is slung over Ripley's shoulder with a flexible rubber strap which could do with being a touch longer as mine has already snapped at the rear connection as I was a little heavy handed squeezing it over Ripley's head. Ripley's right hand is designed to grip the handle of the Pulse Rifle, with her left sculpted to cradle the barrel. NECA rarely disappoints with any figures and Ripley is no different. In fact I have gone from the intention of buying one figure and putting it in the loader to actually now wanting two as I love the pose with the Hybrid Pulse Rifle and want that on display as well as the Power Loader. There are a couple of minor niggles with this figure, but not enough to stop it getting top marks - another 5 out of 5 score for NECA and for Ripley

So you wait 36 years and then two turn up at once. I am of course referring to Ellen Ripley who NECA have finally brought to life as an Action Figure. Ripley makes her debut in NECA's series 4 of their Alien licence, and arrives in two different outfits from the 1979 Sci Fi Classic alongside a Spacesuit Dallas who makes up the 3rd figure in the series. Checkout our review of the flight-suit Ripley HERE, or read on for my thoughts on the spacesuit Ripley. Ripley arrives in the usual plastic clamshell that NECA have been using throughout the Alien series to date. There is a front panel design which shows a 35th Anniversary logo around an Alien egg. Each side panel features an atmospheric photo of the figure. The reverse of the pack shows the three figures that make up series 4 as well as a bio of Ripley from the 1979 film. Once opened you find Ripley as well as a plethora of parts and accessories, I will look at these a bit later on. This version of Ripley obviously uses the same essential space-suit base that we have had in series 3 Kane and in series 4 Dallas. That being said it is a very nice sculpt with lots of little details built in including webbing, straps, pockets and pouches. NECA have also made some minor changes to the Ripley suit, which are obviously screen accurate. The helmet light has gone, as has the holster and the panel that covers the groin area on Kane & Dallas. There is also a minor change to the name plate on the front which on Ripley contains what looks like a sculpted relief design. The head sculpt is different to the flight-suit Ripley which surprised me as I expected NECA to use the same sculpt for both figures. It is a good likeness for Sigourney Weaver and to me is the better of the two, although it still suffers from a flat expression. This is a shame when you consider the sculpted expressions that NECA have got onto prior releases like Hudson and Hicks. The hair is sculpted with the obvious need to allow the helmet to fit over the top, that means there is a weird floating feel to Sigourney's hairdo. The helmet comes in two pieces again and I would be wary of paint rub if you try and squeeze the neck collar in over the head. It is however pretty easy to pop off the head and then add the collar. As with the other spacesuit figures the top section slots neatly into the collar and a couple of flexible pipes push up into sockets on the helmet. Paint is pretty plain as the whole suit is white with a bone / off white colour added to all the trim to give the suit definition. It is all very clean but if you look closely they have still put in a wash to bring out the definition of the suit. Throughout the suit are some spots of colour. There are two red valves on the back pack and some grey panel details. There is also a triangle logo on Ripley's rear end - the same logo you can find on Kane & Dallas. The head is perfectly painted, again much better than the flight-suit and the eyes on this are really striking. Articulation was always going to be restricted by the suit. Ripley can rotate her head and look up and down, even within the confines of the helmet. Arms can be extended directly out from the body, supported by clever, flexible shoulder pads. The elbow joint allows some bend, but not a full 90 degrees. The hands are then on what looks more like a ball joint so they swivel and turn really nicely. There is a torso joint, neatly hidden by the chest panel, and that allows Ripley to turn to either side. The hips are much more moveable than they look, and I bet you could get Ripley almost into a splits position. Like the elbows, the knees bend but not enough to get into a kneeling position. Feet are on rockers that allow you to stabilise the feet on the surface to keep Ripley standing. Ripley is packed with the Nostromo Spear Gun and two spears that sit into a hole in the gun barrel. The gun is painted and weathered with a metallic dry brush and is then trimmed in red. Spears are done in silver and gold. Ripley once again is supplied with Jones the cat. And once again NECA have done a different sculpt for Jones vs the flight-suit pack. Jones is essentially a static piece, but there is a joint in the neck that allows the head to move round. Jones is sculpted in what is best described as a "hissing" pose and is nicely painted with green eyes that are really neatly done. My niggle with this version of Jones is stability and I have found it really difficult to stand, and when I do get it balanced it doesn't seem to stay that way for long There really is not a lot wrong with this figure. It is faithful to the movie, has more articulation than you would expect when you first look at it and the head is much better than the fight-suit version. Even with a wobbly cat there isn't enough to lose Ripley a full star, so she joins the 5 out of 5 club.

Dallas Arthur was the captain of the ill fated Nostromo that touched down on LV426 and picked up a very unwelcome hitch hiker. 2015 and NECA have brought us the first Dallas Action Figure in 7" scale to compliment their every expanding Alien range of figures. Dallas comes in the green and black 35th Anniversary clam shell with art work panels on both sides and rear which depict atmospheric shots of the actual figure. Dallas is part of series 4 and the rear of the packaging shows the other figures in the series, namely Ripley in flight-suit and Ripley in space-suit. Out of the packet and the sculpt on Dallas is immense. Yes, it is a repaint of the space suit that came with Kane in series 3, but with such a detailed sculpt - why not re-use it. Working from the boots upward there are a wealth of details to admire. From the cricket pad type shin guards, the stitching across the thighs and the pouches on the belt. There is then the centre panel, with personalised name plate, shoulder guards and then a replication of the leg detail down the arm to a couple of wrist panels and some heavy duty gloves. The crowning glory, pun intended, is the two part helmet which clips neatly into the neck of the space suit with it's own pipes that connect from the rear air supply up into the helmet. Unlike Kane, who's face was obscured by a facehugger (likeness issues), Dallas is fully sculpted and is a great likeness to Tom Skerritt. The paint detail is brilliant with so many shades and textures across the suit - I have yet to find one area of paint bleed. I do however have two niggles about the paint on the suit. The first is the same issue as I had with Kane that the bronze paint feels tacky and if you press too hard comes off in your hand. Having revisited Kane who has been on display around 3 months now the paint seems to have air dried, so am hoping the same happens with Dallas. The other issue I have is probably a nit-pick, but I find the space suit too clean particularly on the white areas. Some grime wash may have been nice. The face paint detail is lovely and along with the sculpt gives the figure a real character as Dallas has a stern expression - rather than the neutral look many other companies would go with. Articulation is good, especially considering the bulk of the space suit. The head looks up and down and can move to look to both sides. The arms are on a ball jointed shoulder and can move out to a full 90 degrees to the body, unhindered by the shoulder pad which moves with the arm. The elbows are jointed but cant bend fully, just a bit of a bend. The wrists are on a twist and swivel so the hands move well enough - and it is interesting that the hands are different to that on the Kane figure even though the accessories are all the same? There is a chest pivot which is hidden behind the chest panel and allows Dallas to pivot a little bit from side to side. The hips are deceptively articulated as at first glance they look like they wouldn't move at all. In fact you can get Dallas into the splits, or a sitting position if you want. The knees are not so good, but do bend to about 30 degrees - but not enough to get Dallas kneeling to inspect an Alien egg. The feet are on a rocker so are easily planted and therefore the figure is very stable, helped by its weight. Accessories, as mentioned, are the same as came with Kane. The first is a torch which will fit into either hand with a bit of force. The gun also goes into both hands, and can be hung (tentatively) by the belt loop. I am not convinced on either accessories and wonder if packing Dallas (and Kane) with an Alien egg may have been better received. There is not a lot wrong with Dallas, and in terms of display he is very striking with the pink and white colouring of the suit. He certainly stands out along side the muted greens, blues and blacks of the other figures in the Alien series. I score Dallas the same as his counterpart Kane, a solid 4 out of 5. Marks were lost purely on a lack of weathering on the suit and limited elbow and knee articulation. The tacky paint is a frustration, but am hoping it will sort it's self out.

NECA's Alien range has reached series 4 and after bringing us Marines and Xenomorphs to date, this year we are getting the star of the Alien franchise, Ellen Ripley. Sigourney Weaver has been reluctant in the past 36 years for her likeness to be used in Action Figures and it sounds like it has taken a lot of work from NECA to get her agreement on a sculpt and as fans we must thank them for bringing Ripley to the 7" scale. Series 4 contains the standard 3 figures, all from the 1979 Alien movie, and these figures are the usual mix of new sculpt and some re-use of parts. The series contains both Dallas and Ripley in their Nostromo space suits which re-use the sculpt from Series 3 Kane. The 3rd figure, and the one we are reviewing here, is Ripley in flight suit. Despite a movement to cardboard box packaging recently, NECA have kept these Alien figures in the clamshell packs with the usual artwork panels on the front, both sides and the rear of the figure. Using a green and black theme there is a very nice 35th Anniversary logo built into the front panel within the Alien Egg. The artwork is very dark, but is taken from actual atmospheric shots of the figure. On the rear is a paragraph of blurb about Ripley and her situation in the Alien movie, and then leads on to show the other figures in this series. Once unpacked the inner box contains Ripley, her flame thrower unit and a Jones the Cat. In hand the sculpt on the figure is very good, but is one of those that looks better from certain angles and in certain lighting. You can see that in the gallery below where some of the side on shots do look off, but then the front facing shots are a decent likeness for Sigourney Weaver. The hair was probably an area where the margins of error to get it looking natural and accurate were quite small but the sculptor has done really well. Like Bishop in S3 the jumpsuit looks quite plain at first glance, but once you start inspecting it there are a wealth of little details including zips, pockets, straps and texturing. I was very impressed by the ribbing and strapping on the rear of Ripley which could quite easily have just been skipped in the sculpting process. Body proportions are nicely done and having played with a photo'd the figure from numerous angles I haven't found any significant complaints with the sculpt. Painting has always been pretty good with NECA save some issues recently on S3 with tacky finishes. Ripley is nicely detailed across the jumpsuit with some level of wash to bring out the highlights and textures. There is a lovely Nostromo logo on either shoulder, but be careful as this is placed right on the joint so when you raise her arms the logo does withdraw into the body so is at risk of rub and wearing over time. The shoes, like the flight-suit, look quite plain but have got a decent detail up close and the paint picks this out really well. The face is painted with an almost glossy skin tone, which does give her a sweaty look. The eyes and mouth are detailed, but on mine I did have a slightly misaligned right eye. The hair is quite dark, but does seem to have slight wash to bring out the depth NECA are never going to do extensively articulated figures, and they do have a nice balance between sculpt and basic articulation. With Ripley her head moves slightly, but is essentially locked stationary by her hair. The arms raise up to just under 90% and can rotate back and forth. There is then an elbow joint and a wrist swivel. There is no chest or waist articulation, so the next articulated area is Ripley's hips. You can't move the legs too far at the hips, she will never do the splits, but there is enough their to get the legs into a couple of positions. The knees bend and there is a rocker on the ankle to get her stood straight - which like Bishop before her is not overly easy particularly when you add the flame thrower. My Ripley didn't have fully drilled peg holes on her feet which was strange, but I have confirmed with NECA that this is a factory over-site and she should have these. The Flame Unit is nicely done and includes a main piece with two gas canisters, a nozzle and a strap added in and all painted different colours and shades. The whole thing has then been washed to give a grimy used look. Ripley can hold this reasonably easily, either one handed or by using that arm articulation to get a two handed hold on the weapon. The strap goes easily over the shoulder but you will need to play around a bit to get it to sit naturally as the hair doesn't allow it to go right against the neck as it would in real life. Jones is a very nice addition, and I was surprise he is not just a static sculpt but has one point of articulation, a moveable head. He is sculpted into such a pose that his legs are quite close together and his body is ever so slightly arched as though rubbing up against a leg - which am sure was the plan. So is this a good debut for Ripley? Absolutely. There is not a lot you can find to fault on this figure. Sculpt and paint are there, articulation is enough and my only niggles are the stability. Not quite enough for that elusive 5 out of 5, but certainly a very high 4 out of 5 from me - and I would urge any Alien fan to snap her up before she disappears from shelves.

Within my 7" Movie Figure Collection, most franchises are limited to 2-3 figures. This is both by my choice, but also mainly in terms of the characters released for these films from the likes of Diamond Select or Neca who often go with limited main characters only. However the Alien franchise, admitidly my favourite film/film series, is breaking the mould on this with Neca expanding the range extensively in 2013/4 with the Hicks & Hudson marines and in 2015 with more human characters and within that the long awaited Ellen Ripley figures. Roll back a bit first, and Series 3 of the Neca Aliens figures is now out in the UK. This wave is made up of Bishop from Aliens, Kane & Facehugger from Alien - and from the often under-rated Alien3 the Dog Alien. All three figures are on my shopping list, but it is January and I am spreading out my purchases as best I can, so I have started with the Dog Alien - supplied courtesy of Films and Figures Dog Alien arrives in the now familiar Neca clamshell packaging. Not overly pretty but definately functional packaging with nice artwork front, back and sides. Once the blister pack is opened you will find the Alien and the nice addition of a clear support stand, similar but smaller than that supplied with the Queen. The Alien himself is nicely painted and is a browner shade as seen on the brown warrior from the early series. Articulation is nice, but as with any Alien figure I have ever handled they seem to be a nightmare to pose - hence I suspect the inclusion of a stand in this pack. After seeking out some inspiration online the pose pictured here is the one I have gone with initially, and doesnt need the stand. Outside of stability and being able to stand, the other issue I have had is that the head feels very very loose - I thought it was going to come off on first inspection. Not sure if that is intentional or I have a slighlty duff figure, will have to see how that pans out. The Dog Alien was never going to be hugely exciting, particularly when you know what else Neca have planned this year, but it is a sold addition to a Neca/Aliens themed collection. 3/5 is probably a fair score considering the issue with the head and the lack of natural posing ability without a stand. Up next for Aliens is hopefully Bishop and then Kane... reviews will follow

You have to hand it to NECA for their determination to bring a figure to market. Having approached John Hurt for his likeness to produce a Kane figure and been refused, they pressed ahead with the ingenious solution of covering his face with an Alien Facehugger. I am not sure what the issue was with John Hurt, especially with his recent 5" Doctor Who figure, but many fans weren't really sure about the covered face approach and whether NECA should proceed. However, on receipt of this figure yesterday from Films & Figures, I am glad they did. In hand it is a real work of art. The figure represents Kane in his spacesuit from Alien having just encountered the Alien egg on LV-426 and been attacked by the facehugger. Kane at present is still in plentiful supply in the UK (review written February 2015) and sits at the usual £17-£20 price point - depending where you shop. Within the range the Dog Alien is outselling the other figures and Bishop is starting to peg warm - so if you don't have any of S3 I would buy them in that order. Kane arrives in the usual NECA clamshell with artwork of the actual figure across the front, back and both side panels. The rear also contains a write up of the film premise, whilst also showing the other figures in series 3 - Bishop and the Dog Alien Once out of the plastic prison, Kane is presented as the main figure along with 2-piece helmet, a gun and a flash light. The sculpt is beautiful on this figure. There is loads of detail on the spacesuit that many companies wouldn't have bothered including. The suit itself is textured and layered and then their are the more intricate components around the back pack and the chest area. The head is still well sculpted for the parts you can see, and the facehugger is sculpted just as well and wrapped around the head and neck area. Customisers have found that the facehugger can be removed from Kane's head and used on other figures - but their is nothing other than a big hole where Kane's face would be once the facehugger is taken away. As well as displaying him without helmet, you can add the helmet onto the figure which is then designed with a broken & sunken glass section to show Kane as he was attacked on the Space Jockey's ship wreck. The helmet takes a bit of working into position as you place the neck section first, then the glass dome over the top. Like the body, the helmet is very detailed and links up to the hose sections on the rear of the figure Painting across the figure is pretty much top drawer, with nice shading and intricate patterns - including Kane's name plate on the chest. The suit may be from 1979, but it has a steam punk feel that still feels right today. However, and it is a big HOWEVER, the version I received first had an issue where all the bronze paint was still wet and was coming off both onto the parts of the figure it was touching and onto my fingers while handling it. I had the figures swapped as faulty but this is obviously another worry to add to NECA's quality control - particularly as I have heard reports of Bishop suffering from a similar issue in isolated cases. On to the accessories and here is where the figure drops marks. The flash-light is fine and fits in Kane's right hand easily. The gun on the other hand doesn't fit naturally on either hand, but will fit in the looped holster on Kane's right side . Both also feel a bit redundant and I would have much rather have seen an open egg to place with the figure on display. The other slight let down is articulation. The very nature of the suit makes the whole figure very bulky and therefore there isn't much play in the arms or legs. I am pleased in how the feet/ankle joints work on this figure - they move very smoothly and don't appear to be ratcheted and therefore allow Kane to be stood up quite easily. I always worry about joints on NECA figures so haven't forced Kane into any positions yet, but you can raise his arms, the shoulder pads move to accommodate the arms and there is enough leg movement to get Kane into some variant poses. However the tight & fragile joints do have a knock on effect and the paint is already rubbed on the back of my Kane's knee joints straight out of the box. With all this combined I am therefore not going to be playing too much with Kane's pose ability. Kane marks the 2nd figure from the original Alien movie alongside the Big Chap Alien, and will be joined by Ripley and Dallas when Series 4 hits later this year. Kane is an impressive display piece and one that has changed my mind on the incoming space suited figures from Alien and has convinced me I "need" these other too when I was only really planning on getting Ripley with flame-thrower. Yes, the face sculpt is missing and the accessories are a bit weak, but this release goes beyond an action figure and gets into statue/diorama territory and looks superb posed on an Alien themed display with suitable mood lighting Kane is not perfect so I give him an impressive 4 out of 5 and NECA a 10 out of 10 for making him a reality in the first place. Roll on more Alien Franchise Characters...

Bishop is the 3rd figure from Series 3 of NECA's Alien series. On paper, and in reality, Bishop was always going to be the runt of this wave as he was boxed up with the impressive and sought after Dog Alien and the "innovative" Kane in spacesuit (both of which are reviewed below). This isn't all bad for collectors as Bishop is now being reduced and cleared out quite dramatically at most retailers, so if you were hovering - now is the time to commit as I doubt many people will be ordering any more Series 3 cases. Bishop arrives in the usual NECA clam shell. Artwork on the side is of the figure itself, as is the rear artwork which also contains blurb around the character Once unpacked Bishop comes with an alternative gripped hand, a knife and a lantern. Sculpt is really good and a brilliant likeness for Lance Hendrickson. For a man in a jumpsuit there is plenty of detail, down to his trainers. Paint apps are pretty good. There is good detail in the face and on the shoes. There is also some shade variation on the jumpsuit which may or may not be intentional. Bishop has suffered, as experienced with Kane, with wet paint syndrome and I think there is an element of this in some patches on my Bishop jumpsuit. Benefit of the doubt, as it isn't dripping wet, is that it is intentional (the darker colour not the fact it is tacky) as it also adds some depth and gives the impression of weathering/dirtying of the clothes - as you would expect crawling round ventilation shafts on LV426. Articulation is comparable to that used on the Aliens Marines, and is probably more than he needs. The elbows in particular are very well done. The figure falls down with the swappable hand. It is a nice idea to be able to replicate the Sulaco scene with the knife and Hudson, but the unlike say the swappable hands on a Figma figure, the NECA ones just feel really fragile and the hand holding the knife doesn't click in place particularly well on my figure. The shoes have to get a mention in this review as they are so well sculpted and painted and then weathered. However I have found Bishop another Human from NECA that doesn't stand up very well. In all the photo's I have taken for the review he is almost hunched over to keep upright. I will be sticking him onto a stand as soon as I can. Well done to NECA for making what is in essence a secondary character and bringing more "human" characters to the range. As was always inevitable I think many collectors will skip this version and wait for the post-Alien Queen Bishop which is looking particularly good. I found it difficult to rate Bishop and decide on a generous 3 out of 5 rather than a harsh 2. The paint issue still worries me and I think NECA need to look at this as I have had this 4 times now on my last 4 figures, 2 of which were returned to the NECA rep. The hand is also pretty poor on mine and doesn't swap as well as I have seen it done on other figures. Next stop for Aliens is Series 4 and the long awaited Ripley...