REVIEW: NECA Aliens Series 3 - KANE IN NOSTROMO SPACESUIT

[JeffSaylor]

Deep Sea Diving Samurai In Space...

CLICK HERE FOR OVER 55 NEW PHOTOS OF KANE!


While not as widely popular as H.R. Giger's terrifying biomechanical vision, Jean "Mœbius" Giraud's concept designs for the Nostromo spacesuit still played an important part in shaping the otherworldy look of ALIEN. With NECA's latest wave of 7" ALIEN action figures, fans receive an up close and personal look at this exotic outfit with Kane.





A cross between an old deep sea diving suit and ancient samurai armor, the Nostromo spacesuit's design perfectly captures mankind's technological struggle to cope with the hostile unknown. Like exploring the bottom of the ocean for the first time - with hose-fed oxygen and weighted boots - the Nostromo spacesuit invokes a sense of claustrophobia and danger. It's far removed from the polished high-tech suits seen in 2001: A Space Odyssey or Interstellar. Simply a spectacular design and one captured flawlessly by NECA's talented artists. Here is finally a replica where I can fully admire all the intricate detail of the Nostromo spacesuit in daylight, and not some on-screen profile cast in shadows.





Amazing paint apps elevate the Kane figure's spacesuit to a new level of eye-popping awesome. Already wonderfully mastered on NECA's BioShock line, hyper-realistically painted oxidized copper returns to great effect on the spacesuit's armored plates. Further depth is added with weathered mustard yellows and burnt umbers for the underlying cloth jumpsuit. The varied color palette, while in the same spectrum, really works hand-in-hand with the sculpt - there is just so much texture going on in the cloth sections and the paint really helps define it. For that extra pop of realism, tiny logo stamps - "Kane" on the chest and a US Triangle Flag on the figure's butt - help bring the figure to life.





Accessories for this figure include a flashlight and a laser pistol. The flashlight slides nicely into Kane's right hand, while the laser pistol can be stowed vertically in the strap on the figure's hip. With some prying and force you can get the gun in his right hand as well, but I'd proceed with caution. Detailed gear, for sure, but that laser pistol really got me thinking: If the Nostromo crew had laser guns, why didn't they use them against the Alien?! The answer, according to this handy wiki is that "all of the Nostromo's laser pistols were destroyed when the ship's self destruct system detonated".





Speaking of Aliens, that brings us to the cute, cuddly creature attached to Kane's face: the Facehugger. While the detailed Nostromo spacesuit is the main attraction to me, the Kane figure also has another, more playful side: that of Kane's unfortunate encounter with the xenomorph lifeform. As most have heard by now, NECA could not secure the likeness rights to John Hurt, either because the actor wanted too much money or simply didn't want his face on a figure. NECA's creative workaround to this dilemma was to plant a Facehugger squarley on his head. It's absolutely brilliant if you ask me, not only delivering fans a figure of Kane in his spectacular spacesuit, but also by capturing one of the most memorable scenes in the movie (well, aside from the other scene involving Kane To accomplish the effect, NECA sculpted the helmet, so when worn, it looks as if the Facehugger melted right through his visor. The melted "glass" is super cool looking. Collectors can also choose to display Kane sans his helmet. To do this, the helmet is split into two sections. It's possible (and I've seen most reviews online show this method) to slide the lower helmet section over Kane's head sculpt, secure it on his collar and then place the upper portion of the helmet on. The much easier solution is to just pop Kane's head off, place the lower helmet half on, pop the head back on and then pop on the lid. Bingo bango.





Much like NECA's Prometheus "Pressure Suit" Engineer action figure, Kane in Nostromo Spacesuit is more of a beautifully sculpted piece of art as opposed to a cool-looking toy with action appeal. Don't get me wrong, this figure is certainly cool, but to me it is all about the intricate design. I also really admire NECA's clever Facehugger approach to getting Kane made. It's a unique way to launch their fantastic Nostromo spacesuit sculpt, something we'll see much more of in Series 4 with the release of Captain Dallas, as well as Ellen Ripley!


CLICK HERE FOR OVER 55 NEW PHOTOS OF KANE!

Review and Photography by Jeff Saylor

Review Sample Courtesy of NECA

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