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REVIEW: NECA Quarter Scale Predator - BIG RED
Putting the BIG in Big Red...
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There's nothing quite like owning a larger version of your favorite action figure. That small figure that you thought couldn't possibly get any better? It DOES when tripled in size. Gentle Giant's Jumbo Kenner Star Wars Boba Fett. Mezco's 18" Comic Hellboy. Medicom's 400% Alien Kubrick. I love the originals of all these figures, but boy do they pop on display now. Large and in charge, these towering toys command my shelves - immediately catching the eye as something special.
NECA is no stranger to super-sizing their figures. Their 18-inch Friday the 13th Part VII Jason Voorhees is just as cool now as it was back in 2003; a remarkable milestone in quarter scale action figures. Ten years later and NECA is still at it, their Quarter Scale figures looking just as good, but now packing far superior articulation. Leading the charge is NECA's popular Predator series, their newest titan releases being two fan favorites: the Elder Predator (see our 2-part video review HERE) and Big Red. The Elder has already sold out at most stores, but surprisingly, Big Red can still be found in-stock at a few select retailers, including ToyWiz.com and BigBadToyStore.com where it's priced at $94.99.
Big Red is a testament to how successful NECA's 7-inch scale Predator series has been. A character from the 8-minute-long fan film "Batman: Dead End" as an action figure? I would have never thought it in a thousand years. Part of Predators Series 7 released last winter (HERE), Big Red impressed collectors with a fresh and exciting new design. It's all about that bold blood red armor (and the twin samurai swords don't hurt either). NECA's new Quarter Scale Big Red takes everything awesome about the 7-inch figure and cranks it up to 11. Well, more like 18, as in inches tall, but the Spinal Tap reference is fitting. This is an amazing action figure to behold.
What's particularly nice about Big Red senior, aside from his size, are his accessories. Yes, this larger version includes two katanas just like the smaller figure, but on this scale the swords work so much better. Perhaps it is an illusion, but the larger swords appear to me more in scale - more menacing. Big Red junior's swords always struck me as too thin and tiny, an issue heightened by the fact that he could never hold them firmly. With BIG Big Red, each blade can be held nice and tight by the two interchangable weapon grasping hands.
Speaking of interchangable hands, when Big Red is not dual wielding his swords fans can arm (har!) him with a splayed open left hand and/or a relaxed and open right hand. An improvement here is NECA's use of an attached peg on each hand. On previous Quarter Scale Predator figures fans had to push (and I mean push) the extra hand socket onto a ball mounted in the arm. With Big Red it's the opposite: simply slide the hand with attached peg into the hole in the arm. The pegs are sturdy and thick, so there's no fear of breakage.
Everything else on Big Red is what collectors have come to know and love about NECA's Quarter Scale Predators. There's the use of real plastic body netting for a more realistic appearance and the ever-present retractable wrist claws, this time painted a regal gold (and located on the opposite arm, Big Red's a lefty). Articulation is just like the smaller figure, which as I pointed out earlier in this review is just a phenomenal achievment in Quarter Scale figure making. These Quarter Scale Predators aren't some cheap hollowed out roto-cast toys with limited posability. These are some seriously robust (read: HEAVY), fully articulated oversized action figures. It blows my mind everytime I pick one up.
NECA puts the "big" in Big Red, quite literally. 18-inches of Predator looks incredible on display... especially in red. If you're a fan of the smaller figure like I am, then the Quarter Scale Big Red is for you.
All Photos by Jeff Saylor
Review Sample Courtesy of NECA
