The original Hive Wars Predator was simply called Warrior Predator and appeared, not in the Predator line, but actually in the 1998 KB Exclusive Aliens: Hive War line. Hence the name. The original is pretty faithfully reproduced here. The Jungle Hunter is used as the base buck, with a new right forearm, new calves, a few other new bits like the back of the loincloth, and a new noggin’ to recreate the look. A few details are off, but I don’t think anyone will miss them because the figure just pops.
The blue somehow just amps up the figure. It’s silly, but I think this blue one has become my favorite Predator in my still relatively small collection. The update to a realistic look with the darker skin on the shoulders and the lighter color on the exposed areas looks great. The silver/bluish armor is fantastic too. Particularly on the helmet, it is non-removable unlike the original, but the design is there and looks great. The inset piece with the green visor is also a nice feature and helps bring the figure home. The aesthetics of the whole thing just really come together for me to make something that is much more than the sum of its parts: a blue repaint with handful of new pieces.
In addition to the great look, all the things NECA has learned the last few years come into play on the articulation. If I can say one thing that makes NECA stand out, is that they learn and change. So often we are told that something is just the way it is or we even see some figures take a step back in the design and execution, but NECA is the opposite. They’ve improved over the years and even though some of the early releases were cool, they just keep getting better. That’s particularly evident on the articulation. There are ball-joints all over the figure and with great range: neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, & ankles. The knees are double-hinge and the waist is a simple swivel. There are a few points I still want every once in awhile, but they would take away from the sculpt and since most of the current articulation doesn’t, I assume that’s why they’re not there.
Hive Wars also included a faithful update of the original’s weapon. It’s a neat piece that has the same great silver/blue color scheme. He looks great holding it, either one-handed or dual-wielding it. It’s look fragile, but it’s got some give and doesn’t feel brittle at all. If I don’t sound as jazzed about it, it’s only because I’m overstaffed on that particular type of accessory and probably won’t have it out for display, but I’m absolutely glad that it was included and it helps seal the deal.
Overall, can you tell I love this figure? I have barely even given his two wavemates, Nightstorm & Lava Planet much time. I need to do that if they’re gonna get reviewed this week, but Hive Wars just stole the show for me. His back story, being abandoned on Xenomorph Prime after a disastrous hunt is even intriguing. It makes me wonder if part of his survival has to do with using so much of that blue solvent from the medi-kit in Predator 2 is partially to blame for his skin turning blue. I mean, if I’m spending time making up back story for a particular toy, you know I love it. It’s an already great figure wrapped in a great color scheme. I can’t ask for much more than that. Well, except a GITD Stalker Predator, and the Hive Warrior Alien, and it might be a good time to think about that cancelled Heavy Infantry Predator Kenner could never quite get too. Just sayin’.
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Neca Deca 2013! 😉
this guy look cool, almost like an Atlantean or Kree gladiator cameoing in whatever massive crossover Marvel is up to this month.
I’ll admit I didn’t get the Worf joke at first, but it does make sense. (is that the DST Worf? no Klingon Borg?)
Looking forward to the story/review on that blue/gold Predator on p2.
NECA Weca 2, NECA hiney ho.
Great review and pics, as always! I had to be VERY strong not to collect these. (I still have all the originals, actually.) As much as I’d love to, I just can’t spare the money or the space.
Now you’ve got this guy sounding like Eeyore in my head. Considering Peter Cullen voiced both the donkey and Predator, that works out rather neatly . . . .
NECAstravaganza?
Didn’t notice these until last year because I thought they were the usual semi-articulated statues. I was proven wrong, now I’m hooked. Delightfully so.
I still have my few Kenner Predators (including the cloaked mail-away), but I never saw the ones NECA has updated on the store shelves – sold out too fast.
my biggest beef w/ these has been the difficulty in finding them locally… i have to venture to st louis apparently, to find the merch i wish my stupid TRU would stock.
that said… if you don’t love what NECA’s done with this line, the aliens and the preds… i just am not your friend. you represent everything i hate about collecting toys. 😉
seriously, does a single line, in modern toy history, do it better than this? ok, you could nitpick individual features, could we add a chest articulation, could the knees get deeper stances, etc… but what the line does do if make repaints into much-demanded repeat buys, they offer very good articulation, great paint aps, some of the best sculpts in the business, and retail availability, at a price point we’re being told is a thing of the past by other toy makers. marvel legends, dcu, dcc, marvel select, motuc, simply put, not a single line out there is doing what NECA is doing with this product, none, not even at 150% price point… how are you not cheering these guys on and rewarding their hard work with your hard earned dollar?
as for the theme week name, i second Necryan’s “NECAstravaganza” suggestion.
Totally agree – personally I have zero interest in the Predator franchise and only slightly more in Alien… but these toys are so tempting just for being excellent figures that I doubt I could resist them if I saw them in store (I actually got staff at the Edinburgh Forbidden Planet to check their stock for a xenomorph on a recent Scottish vacation, sadly without success). The sheer number of cool-looking releases have kept me from bingeing online, but it’s probably just a matter of time…
And I third that suggestion, but the extra ‘A’ is a bit cumbersome – can we truncate it to “NECstravaganzA”?
Toys R Us here in NYC is charging $22 for these NECA figures. Thank God for price matching their website
do you guys generally charge more for in-store merch because you’re such a high traffic location? or are they an anomaly?
I keep hearing Times Square TRU is always higher?
StL ain’t much better for finding anything. It’s grown really stagnant around here, lately. WM won’t carry 6″ SW Black, and everywhere else has the same old stock. Target having an ML sale several months ago then only stocking the Zola/Terrax refresher cases did NOT help. Then what random lines that are out there, show up in weird places, like TWD in Walgreens, and random WMs like Sullivan carrying s2 of Assassin’s Creed! LOLwhut? I didn’t even know there was a s1!
Honestly, I’m buying all my stuff online, these days. it’s cheaper and less aggravating.
NECAphilia Week?
It might attract some weirdos, but think of all the extra hits you’d get!
Predator is one of my favorite movies. Hadn’t bought a single NECA Predator figure until this Kenner wave, something about the retro-homage colors on modern sculpt figs really works. Especially the translucent red Lava Predator. They got me.