Speaking of Aliens, I think now is a good time to go over all the upcoming licensed properties I'm allowed to talk about. That's right, it's time for the
BIG REVEALS!
ALIENS:
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Aliens Series 1, due out in June, will consist of an
Alien Warrior (Brown),
Hicks (with calm head sculpt) and
Hudson (with "Game Over" head). Both head sculpts here will be featured without a helmet. Coming at the end of the Summer and into Fall, two
Marines vs Aliens 2-packs will see release, each set pairing a Marine with a battle-damaged Alien Warrior (Blue, Exploding Head w/ Hicks; Brown, Torso Damage w/ Hudson). Hicks and Hudson in these sets will include additional accessories and star all-new head sculpts. These are the two "screaming" portraits shown on the stands in the picture above. These heads
WILL come with helmets on them - the helmet will not be removable.
However, the first Aliens 2-pack that will see release this summer will be
Aliens: Genocide. Based on the Dark Horse comic, this set will include black Aliens Warrior squaring off against a Red Aliens Warrior.
Aliens Series 2 will include an
Alien Warrior (Blue Highlights), a brand new version of the
1979 Original Alien with new and improved articulation, and a new
Colonial Marine with Flamer. Details on the Marine will be announced at San Diego Comic-Con.
The
Alien Queen, which was not on display at NECA's studio (sculptor Kyle Windrix is sculpting away on this at another location), is still coming along nicely. NECA hopes to have it ready for the Holidays, if not, in early 2014.
A last thing to note is the
Alien Egg (open and closed) and
Facehugger. These three accessories revealed on my tour will NOT come with Aliens Series 1 or the 2-packs. NECA has yet to decide their method of release. I hope they figure it out soon, that Alien Egg is awesome!
BATMAN:
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First shown at Toy Fair (
HERE), NECA had the
Michael Keaton as Batman (1989) quarter scale figure in their studio. They're tweaking the figure and getting it ready for its summer launch (August/September). Final touches are also being made to the
Adam West Batman which should see release this July.
FREDDY:
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NECA had on display 2-Up prototypes of their recently announced
A Nightmare on Elm Street Series 4 action figures. Due out this September, this assortment stars
Springwood Slasher and
Powerglove Freddy.
HALF-LIFE:
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Later this month NECA will release the anticipated
Half Life 2 Prop Replica Gravity Gun. The collectible has a fixed price of $149.99. It measures 2 feet in length and features glowing orange LEDs, 2 handles, 2 triggers, and 4 unique sounds directly from the game. As a bonus, a carefully concealed fold away kick-stand allows you to display your device on the shelf or desktop when not in use. Requires 3 “C” Batteries, not included. NECA's even throwing in an optional piece of duct tape to place on the gauge towards the rear of the device, if one so chooses, for a more game accurate look. I played around with the production model and it's rather impressive, Half-Life fans will be thrilled.
KICK @$$ 2:
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Hitting retail this summer just in time for the movie's August debut will be NECA's first series of Kick @$$ 2 action figures. Large and in charge with great sculpts and screen accurate costumes and weapons, this wave will star
Kick-@$$ himself,
Hit-Girl and
MF, better known as The Mother ******. 2-Up prototypes were on display for all three, with new head sculpts revealed for Kick-@$$ and Hit-Girl. NECA hasn't decided how these new head sculpts will be released yet. Most exciting was the unveiling of
Kick @$$ 2 Series 2. This assortment due out later this year will include
Armored Kick-@$$ and
Colonel Stars and Stripes (w/ his dog Sophia).
THE LONE RANGER:
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As revealed at Toy Fair, NECA will be releasing Lone Ranger action figures based on the major motion picture hitting theaters July 3rd. NECA's pair of 7-inch scale figures will include
Tonto (Johnny Depp) and the
Lone Ranger (Armie Hammer).
1/4 scale figures of the Lone Ranger and Tonto all for movie release. We will also see the release of
3 3/4" figures of Tonto and the Lone Ranger with their horses. These are due out with the home video release of the movie later this year.
PACIFIC RIM:
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I cannot wait to see Pacific Rim, Guillermo del Toro's epic vision of towering robots (Jaegers) fighting off a monster menace (Kaiju). Series 1 7-inch scale action figures, due out in June, will include Jaeger's
Crimson Typhoon and
Gipsy Danger, along with the yet to revealed Kaiju,
Knifehead. The studio is keeping the Kaiju a surprise as long as they can, but I will say that what I saw looked
AWESOME. I got to play around with Randy's favorite Jaeger figure, China's Crimson Typhoon and I have to say that photos do not do these figures justice. Nice and chunky and loaded with fun articulation and detail, these Pacific Rim figures are sure to please the most discerning mecha fan. In addition to Series 1, collectors will be treated to a massive
18-inch figure of the
Gipsy Danger later this summer and a
second three figure assortment of 7-inch figures is also on tap for release (
Striker Eureka is one).
PREDATOR:
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There seems to be no stopping NECA's popular Predator series, the line getting ready to see its ninth assortment next month.
Predator Series 9, releasing in June, features
Jungle Disguise Dutch,
Jungle Encounter Dutch, and
Water Emergence Predator. Fans that can't get enough of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch Schaefer will be pleased to know that two additional 7-inch Dutch figures are in the works (I'm sworn to secrecy, but I saw both in the studio) and that a
quarter scale Dutch is planned for release either later this year, early 2014.
Other Predators on display at NECA's studio was
Series 10. This Kenner tribute series will star
Nightstorm,
Lava Planet and
Hive Warrior. This summer at San Diego Comic-Con, fans will be treated to the
Albino Predator from the fan film
Dead End.
NECA showed me several other top secret Predator figures in the works that are going to amaze fans. And of course there are the
AVP: Alien vs. Predator characters to look forward to in 2014. There appears to be no shortage of Predator designs for NECA to produce and for figure fans to enjoy.
TEAM FORTRESS 2:
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As revealed earlier, the Team Fortress 2 action figure line will continue with a third assortment. Following Team Red Heavy and Soldier this August, as well as the two in Team Blu colors will be
Team Fortress 2 Series 3: Team Red Spy and Engineer. A full list of accessories hasn't been revealed yet, but Engineer will come packing a pistol, wrench and gear box. If these are successful in Team Red colors, Blu will see release.
NECA DIRECT:
Last but not least, NECA revealed the big news that they will be launching a direct to consumer program. While full details are expected to be announced soon, the goal is to provide fans with items that otherwise wouldn't see retail release. Items confirmed include a
Predator Trophy Skull 10-Pack and a
Bioshock Splicer 2-Pack featuring the Crawler and variant Ladysmith. There are some plans for
Borderlands as well. Stay tuned for a full announcement, but this is amazing news for figures that would normally not see release at traditional retail locations.