Aliens Series 13 Kenner Tribute Assortment by NECA – Toyark Photo Shoot

With Aliens Series 13, fans get another wave of figures that pay homage to the 1990’s Kenner Aliens toy line. In this assortment, you get three very unique additions in Apone, the Snake Alien and the Scorpion Alien. The Apone figure is an oft requested character to the Aliens line up. Though fans may have hoped for a movie version, it’s great to see another Colonial Marine. Each figure is packaged on a classic Kenner style blister card, with a mini comic included with each. The figures are shipping out now to retailers, and are currently available via the NECA eBay Store and NECA Amazon Store. You can order those at the links below.

• Apone – eBay, Amazon
• Snake Alien – eBay, Amazon
• Scorpion Alien – eBay, Amazon

Our friend at NECA have sent over a set for us to check out. After the jump, you can find over 75 high resolution photos in our gallery. We also have a full review, so read on to check those out.

Aliens Series 13 Kenner Tribute Assortment by NECA

Pros

• All three are outstanding sculpts
• Apone has some amazing mechanical parts
• Snake Alien is beautifully creepy
• Tail of the Snake Alien can fully support weight
• Snake Alien has a complex double extending inner jaw
• Scorpion Alien has some great articulation
• Excellent paint application

Cons

• Scorpion Aliens head is a little tough to turn

Overall
Like the previous releases in the Kenner Aliens tribute lines, this assortment comes packaged in classic style blister card packaging. The backs of the cards include bios for each character, as well as cross sell photos of previous non-movie Aliens and Predator figures. Each figure is packed in a plastic tray, held in by some twist ties. All three figures include a character specific mini comic from Dark Horse comics. While the Scorpion and Snake Aliens include no additional accessories, Apone has a few really fun ones. Apone includes a rifle, two heavy duty grenades, and two attachable tubes for the grenades.

Apone
The new Apone figure is a near perfect update to the Kenner figure. NECA took Kenner’s odd approach to the character and turned it into a wonderful update. Apone is bright and colorful, like his classic counterpart, right down to his “No Bugs” shirt. The mechanical arm is handled perfectly, with just the right mix of soft and hard plastic to keep the range of motion intact. It never feels fragile. Apone has a good amount of articulation. He’s basically in line with a standard release, with the addition of double jointed knees. He can hold his rifle with both hands without any issue, and the grip on the weapon is nice and tight. The included heave grenades are fantastic. they can be mounted on Apone’s back just as you could with the original. You can separate the explosive tops to attach bendable tubes to recreate the classic “mace” style grenades. The fit on the grenade heads is a little tight, so you may want to soften them up a bit with a hair dryer or warm water for a better fit. Paint work here is fantastic, with no noticeable paint bleeds, and nice clean lines throughout. Joints were strong, with no locking issues to be seen.

Snake Alien
Wow…Just wow. What a fantastic figure the Snake Alien turned out to be. The Snake resembles more of a cobra, with a long thick tail, and an upper body that flares out int a classic Cobra style shape. Along the edges of the upper body are numerous poseable spiked appendages, that have ball joints allowing for posing in any direction. The tail is thick and heavy, with a strong wire (or multiple wires) inside. This allows for the tail to be bent as much as you want, and it never felt like the wire was going to break. It helps to support the body in an upright pose, or you could wrap it around a diorama tree base if you so desire. Sculptign is incredible here, with wonderful exoskeleton details throughout. The head sculpt is a lot of fun here. The jaw features two fanged mandibles that can be adjusted a number of ways, such as rotating, or opening up Predator style. The inner jaw is double extending, which is another nice touch. Again, paint work is top notch, with a nice mix of greens and browns that transition nicely throughout.

Scorpion Alien
Of the three figures, the Scorpion is the most traditional looking of the bunch. The body has a very familiar Alien look to it, but the new details really come out as you look closer. There are spikes on his elbows, arms, back and knees. the appendages on the back are more exaggerated, and you can’t miss the spiked dome or the stinger on his tail. Articulation is strong here, with a ball jointed waist, double jointed knees and elbows, as well as hinged fingers and toes. The tail is bendable, which is great for balancing the figure, and the mouth opens to reveal the extendable inner jaw. The head can tun, but it seems to be a really tight joitn connection, so I didn’t try to force it too much. I love the paint work here as the Scorpion has a mostly brown body paint that is covered in a gold wash that makes thedetails really pop. There are mixes of black wash, blue transitional color and more. It makes for a great looking figure that can work fine in the Kenner or movie collections.

This assortment is a great example of why I tend to enjoy the non-movie assortments more than the film assortments. While it’s always great to see your favorite movie characters as figures, I find myself more drawn to the variety and originality that comes with homages to comics, classic toys or video game versions of Aliens and Predator. Movie versions of the Xenomorphs tend to have a very similar aesthetic to them. Bu the Kenner waves of Aliens have given fans some wild designs, like the Mantis Alien, the Gorilla Alien, and now the Snake Alien. Three very unique looks that have proven to be a lot of fun to pose and shoot. Aliens Series 13 fits in perfectly with those previous Kenner tribute figures and is right up there with the great Aliens Series 10 figures. I think fans will find a lot to like here.

Check out some select photos below. After that, you can see the full gallery. Also, for those wondering, the backdrop was a previous NECA Holiday Printable Download, which you can find Here.