Due to circumstances largely outside my control (and because concerts don't exist even as a concept to me at the moment), I've suddenly ended up with a lot of free time. And I've spent a portion of my newly found free time catching up on movies I missed out on over the years, with a particular focus on various popular blockbuster franchises. This is partly because as funny as it is saying that Terminator: Salvation is the only Terminator movie you've seen, willingly avoiding Judgement Day for the sake of preserving a dumb joke is definitely idiotic in hindsight. That's why I sat through all six Terminator movies (mostly a mistake) and all five Jurassic Park movies (ABSOLUTELY a mistake) before stumbling upon Alien. I never cared to watch any movies from that franchise due to unfortunately seeing Prometheus in theatres when it first came out, but I decided to give the first movie a shot out of curiosity. I wanted another sci-fi hit, and Dune wasn't slated to come out for another year (at the time). Eight movies and four video games later, I unexpectedly found my newest hyperfixation.
Having watched every single Alien film and game I managed to get my hands on (including AVP: Requiem and Colonial Marines), I guess it was only a matter of time before I started branching out into other aspects of the franchise. And what better way to display your newest interest to the world than with overpriced plastic. I bought this figma mostly out of sheer surprise at discovering that it even existed. And since my random offhand obsession has dragged me down to this point, I might as well review it for the amusement of literally none of you. You're probably all here for Princess Connect content. This has nothing to do with that. This is a pure vanity piece.
Let me tell you: this thing looks FANTASTIC. The sculpting, the design, and the proportions are just absolutely amazing. GSC have nailed the look of the Alien perfectly. Each long, spindly limb is covered in minute detail. The joints are mostly out of place and well hidden. And the transparent head is just COOL AS FUUUUUUUUUCK
The body is a pretty uniform black, but there's plenty of brownish-tan dry-brushing all over to really accentuate the small sculpted details covering every surface. Barring the lower back, there simply aren't any smooth patches anywhere, and it makes for a fantastic looking figure. Only the Alien's second mouth is colored differently in a nice striking bluish-white, which really helps to make it stand out once it's extended.
In terms of poseability, it's a figma. If you've bought one before, then you know what to expect with the joint placements and general range of motion. The two things that set the Alien apart from most other figma, however, are the aforementioned second mouth/jaw and the pretty long tail. The jaw can be opened to let the second mouth be extended a half inch or so, with some small up/down movement also included. The tail is connected to the body by a ball joint, with two points that you can twist in different directions.
Unfortunately, there are some limitations on how far parts of it can bend. The Alien's super long head and the positioning of a spike on its back prevents it from looking up almost at all, and it can't look down very far, either. There is a ball joint in the chest, but it has very limited movement in any direction at all due to how the abdomen is sculpted, with its long ribcage and upper back. Even the arms and legs don't have huge ranges of motion due to the extra plastic bits that hide the joints so well.
You still can pull of some good poses, but compared to other figmas, it is rather lacking. The tail not being fully articulated also might be a problem for some, especially since the end is in a permanent curl. The chest joint is also especially loose, but that might just be specific to mine. It's clear that some trade-offs were made to make it look amazing, but I don't mind them too much. Especially since the transparent head is still COOL AS FUUUUUUUUUCK
The one thing that actually disappoints me is the relative lack of extras. The Alien comes with one extra set of hands, a facehugger, and a stand. That's it. Some of the other figma I have come with multiple faces, a couple accessories, and sometimes four extra sets of hands, so it's such a paltry amount in comparison.
The alternate hands are unfortunately just like the normal hands, except opened just a liiiiiittle bit wider. Viewed from a distance, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. That leaves the facehugger as the only good accessory. It's just as detailed and sculpted as the Alien, thankfully enough. And it comes with two different tails to allow you to display it either scuttling across the ground or ready to attack. You can even use it on your other figma!
I'm mostly just annoyed because the price for everything hovers around $90, so you would expect at least a couple more things to use with it. An alien egg or even just two more pairs of hands would have been sufficient. Maybe I'm just unfairly comparing everything to the last time I actually bought a figma (like five years ago) when the prices were more around $40-50. Or maybe the other options for alien figures that I'm currently completely oblivious to are around the same price or cost even more and I shouldn't be complaining at all. Who knows.
All things considered, I still absolutely love this figma. I had a tons of fun posing it for the different pictures in this article, and I'll be sure to keep it prominently displayed on my desk as I wait for my next hyperfixation to roll along.
Pros:
-Sculpting is absolutely amazing. It nails the look of the Alien perfectly
-Really fun to pose and play around with
-Transparent head is COOL AS FUUUUUUCK
Cons:
-$90 is pricey for a figma
-Relatively small amount of accessories
-Poseability is lacking in some areas