Review : Dog Alien NECA, Alien 3 Wave/Series : Aliens Series 8 Released : June/July 2016
£22.99
When the Dog Alien was initially released in 2014 as part of Series 3 of the Alien range it stole the show and soon outsold both Bishop and Kane and saw its secondary market price begin to climb.
It was therefore logical as NECA returned to Alien 3 with Series 8 for the Dog Alien to be re-introduced to the wild. And as this is NECA there was of course an extra nod to fans who may already have the first release with two variant colourings released within the wave.
The Dog Alien is presented in the usual blister card, and retains the same card art on the front as the Series 3 release. The Alien 3 green logo adorns the card top, with the green curled alien graphic down the back of the card behind the figure. The two side inserts depict the figure in an atmospheric shot and the character name is then positioned in white text in a card insert.
While the front was a re-use, the back of the pack has been adjusted. The main image is new, but along the same lines as the side art with the figure itself in an atmospheric diorama shot. The bio of the film is word for word vs Series 3 and details the circumstances that Ripley finds herself in for Alien 3. And of course the "also available" section is updated to show off the Alien 3 Ripley and the Weyland Yutani Commando. It is interesting that at no point on the packaging is it indicated their are two variant colours of the figure.
Out of the box and you will find your Alien curled up within the plastic insert. Beneath him is then a two part clear acrylic stand that we will discuss a little later.
Those who have the original Series 3 "brown" Dog Alien will find nothing new in this Series 8 release. Unlike some other Xeno's, NECA saw no need to update any articulation or sculpting on this figure. That being said, the Series 3 figure was pretty awesome anyway - and the sculpt is amazing. We start with the clear domed head, under which you can see the defined skull ridges. There is then two extended shoulder ridges, with a rib cage under this that encircles the whole chest area. Beneath this is a smaller exoskeleton that links into the hips, and round the back it is this section that eventually transitions seamlessly into the articulated rubber tail.
The two arms are gangly and slim with a continuation of that ridged exoskeleton, but more so with ridges and panels down the length of the arm. The arm ends in four spindly and wickedly sharp looking fingers. Likewise the legs continue this theme with interconnecting outer skeletal joints and ending in an almost cloven hoof. The tail is huge and whips out from the body and out to a 2 inch long curved blade.
All of this is painted with a base colour, and then a number of darker washes applied to bring out all of this skeletal detail.
Although I loved the brown version, it is the grey variant that stands out a little more. The brown is much darker and therefore even with the washes a lot of the detail feels lost unless inspected close up. The grey however is a lighter base colour so as the washes are applied the figure has a wider transition from light outer skeleton to darker recesses.
Articulation starts with an innovative neck joint that allows the head to be positioned in what you would call a standard position, but then also to slide it back more horizontal to the back so that you can position the figure in a running position on all fours. The jaw remains articulated also, although I found the grey version we bought to review a tad tight to open the jaw and bring out the inner jaw piece.
The arms are ball joined, and as the arms are so slim they have a full range of movement out to the sides and rotating round. The elbows are double jointed, so the forearm can almost fold back against the upper arm. The arm then ends with a swivel jointed wrist which can bend the hand to a 90 degree position to the arm as well as rotate fully.
Legs have always been an issue on NECA Alien figures, more so due to the design of the Alien on screen making it a near impossible job translating that look to a figure that can also stand on its own. The Dog Alien does have a couple of advantages over previous Xeno's, particularly as it is often depicted on screen on all fours anyway. The other benefit of course is the stand.
The hip joints on the Dog Alien are articulated, but unlike the arms, the outer carapace that extends around the hip does block some of the movement. Down into the legs and the knees, like the elbows, are double jointed with a further joint further down the shin and a final ankle rocker just above the feet. The tail is fully articulated a a rubber piece over a metal armature and this pretty much means you can shape the tail anyway you like and the shape will hold in place.
The key to a good pose with the Dog Alien is therefore a combination of the tail as a counter weight or even a point of contact with the floor. You are also probably going to need at least one hand on the floor also to keep the thing from falling over - the leg joints themselves are too weak to do that job - even if they were pegged into a foot stand. In fact both the knee and elbow joints all feel a bit too floppy for my liking.
The most stable option, and one that has been thought through by NECA as a solution to the posing problem, is to use the stand. The stand consists of a round floor disk, into which slots the arm section which is joined just under the U shaped hook. It is this inverted horseshoe section that cups the underside of the Alien and allows him to be positioned in a running, standing or even attacking position without awkward posing and more importantly without risking the figure falling over.
I was quite harsh when scoring the S3 Dog Alien, and this time round I think it is fair to award either flavour a 4 out of 5. The grey, for me, is a touch ahead on overall looks but nothing significant enough to warrant scoring him any higher than his brown counterpart.
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