NECA Alien Series 6 – Alien Isolation Wave – Toyark Gallery

Yesterday, NECA announced that Alien Series 6 was shipping to retailers. They also placed the figures up on the NECA Ebay Store for those who wanted to get their hands on it early. The latest wave is based on SEGA’s Alien Isolation video game, which was released in October of 2014. In the game you play as Amanda Ripley, daughter of Ellen Ripley, as she searches the Sevastopol space station for clues to her mother’s disappearance. There she encounters the Alien Xenomorph and other dangers.

The figures include Amanda Ripley (Jumpsuit Version), Amanda Ripley (Compression Suit Version) and the Isolation Xenomorph. NECA was kind enough to send along the figures for us to review. We have a high resolution gallery of 80 photos as well as a full review of the wave. You can check it out by reading on.

NECA Aliens Series 6 – Alien Isolation 7″ Scale Figures

Pros

• Great expanded universe wave
• Both versions of Amanda work well
• Lots of accessories with Jumpsuit Amanda
• Isolation Xenomorph features great mold retooling
• Paint apps on Isolation Xenomorph are outstanding
• Figure stand included with Isolation Xenomorph

Cons

• Isolation Xenomorph is hard to stand without the figure stand
• Be careful of scratching paint on Compresion Suit Ripley’s face

Overall
When the Alien Isolation game came out, I desperately tried to enjoy it. I loved the premise of Amanda Ripley looking for closure on her mother’s fate as well as the idea of being stalked by a lone Alien. I personally couldn’t get into the slower, backtracking nature of the game. However, the game does have many fans, and the art style and character designs were quite well done. The updated Big Chap Alien was especially impressive looking. Expanded universe releases have been some of my favorite figures from NECA recently, and these are nice additions to the growing Alien line up. The figures features a bit of very smart mold reuse. The Compression Suit Amanda Ripley obviously uses the existing compression suit mold. The jumpsuit Amanda shares some parts with the jumpsuit Ellen Ripley and the Isolation Xenomorph shares parts with the Big Chap Alien. As the games styles were similar to the previous releases, this makes a lot of sense.

Each mold was already very well done and the new parts and paint schemes really help them to stand apart from the other figures. Jumpsuit Amanda includes a motion detector, a flamethrower and backpack. She features plenty of articulation, including a ball jointed mid-section hidden well in the jumpsuit. The Compression Suit Amanda includes a handgun and a removable helmet. The articulation on this figure is decent. Like the other figures, the bulky suit does limit the elbow movement a bit. The Isolation Xenomorph includes a figure stand similar to the one included with the Alien 3 Dog Alien.

The Isolation Xenomorph is the stand out of the wave, for me. The new parts, including a very intricate new leg design, really sets the figure apart from the Big Chap. When fully straightened, the figure stands at 10″ tall, making him one of the tallest Xeno’s released. However, due to the games double reversed knee and shin design, the figure really needs the included stand. The thin feet can only hold so much weight. If you use the bendable tail for balancing, you can definitely forgo the stand if you so desire. The paint used on this figure is quite excellent. The layered washes of green, black and dark gold make all of the sculpted details really pop. The figure has a bit of a sheen to it as well, which gives it a very organic look.

Of the two Amanda Ripley figures, I’d say the Jumpsuit version is my favorite. The figure just looks perfect with the Isolation Xenomorph, and the included accessories ad some nice value. The paint of the Jumpsuit Amanda are near perfect. There were no joint or paint chipping issues. She can grip the flamethrower with both hands. The Compression Suit Amanda has a fantastic color scheme. The uses of yellow here help to really separate it from previous space suit Alien figures. The head sculpt on here is strong as well. The removable helmet is a really great feature on these molds. However, be sure to take the head off when yo want to remove or add the helmet on. The narrow opening for the neck can, and will, scratch the face of the figure. I didn’t follow my own rule, causing the paint to scratch on the face here. If you take the head off, then you won’t run into this issue.

Overall this is a very solid wave, with an especially fantastic addition to the Xenomorph ranks. If you’re a fan of the game, or just want more figures for your growing Xenomorphs to take out, then there are definitely worth grabbing.

*NECA supplied the figures for review purposes