Predator 2 – Armored Lost Predator Ultimate 7-Inch Scale Figure by NECA – Toyark Advanced Photo Shoot

The Lost Predator, also known as the Borg Predator, was one of the Lost Tribe from the Yautja Mother Ship, which was hidden beneath Los Angeles in 1997 during the events of Predator 2. The tribe revealed themselves to Mike Harrigan after he defeated the City Hunter Predator in combat. The tribe, knowing that the victory was honorable, collected the body of the City Hunter, and presented Harrigan with a Flintlock pistol as a trophy and show of respect. After the battle, the tribe left Earth. In the film, the Lost Predator is portrayed without a mask. Toy companies have come up with their own interpretations of what the mask would look like.

NECA is releasing an upgraded figure based on the Lost Predator. This re-release features an updated body with new articulation, and numerous accessories. It is based on their Armored Lost Predator from Predator Series 11 (2013). Included are a masked portrait, two unmasked portraits, a number of interchangeable hands, a sword, and shuriken. The figure is scheduled to ship out on September 22, and will be in stores by early October. Our friends at NECA were kind enough to send the figure along for review. After the jump, check out my thoughts and gallery for the upcoming figure.

Pre-Order Links: Entertainment Earth • Megalopolis

Predator 2 – Armored Lost Predator Ultimate 7″ Scale Figure by NECA Toys

Pros

• Three solid head sculpts
• Built in light feature on masked portrait
• Excellent articulation and range of motion
• Very good paint work
• Parts swap out easily
• No issues with joints
• Great packaging art by Tristan Jones

Cons

• Light up feature on masked head didn’t work great

Overall
For the Armored Lost Predator packaging, NECA brought in longtime Alien and Predator artist Tristan Jones. Fans of the Dark Horse Comics series should be very familiar with his excellent work. It features a foil Predator logo as well. On the back, you can see some photos of the figure, and a check list of the Predator 2 30th Anniversary collection. The Lost Predator sits in a plastic tray that also holds the accessories.

As someone who has handled and photographed a number of Predator figures over the years, I’m always glad to see an older figure get upgraded to the Ultimate body type. The added articulation is always welcome, and makes posing with accessories, especially a sword, much easier. The Lost Predator works great with the addition of double jointed knees and elbows. Poses look more natural and I love being able to have him hold the sword with both hands. The articulation is helped by an excellent overall sculpt. The sculpted netting is sharp, and the exposed skin areas have very different texture work compared to the armored areas. This release is based on their Battle Armored Lost Predator, which re-imagines the Lost Predator in full armor. The armor itself is a softer material, which helps in posing. Paint work is strong here, with great transitional colors on the portraits and exposed skin. The armor has a nice metallic look to the paint. Areas like eyes, teeth, and nails all have crisp edges with no paint bleed. The netting is painted on, and those lines are also really cleanly applied.

Joints are all very solid here. The elbows, shoulders, hips, and knees all had noticeably tight joints. After handling for a few days while shooting, none of the joints ever felt loose, and the figure stood with no issues. Parts all swapped out easily, with no need to heat up any of the connectors. The three heads are all outstanding. I like that both an opened and closed mouth portrait are included. The mask is a great futuristic looking design. It has built in electronics for a light up eyes effect. You can access the batteries by removing the center portion of the forehead. there’s a small button at the top of the mask that turns the electronics on and off. The eyes functioned just ok. They would be nice and bright for a few seconds, and then begin to die out pretty quickly. This was a really early advanced sample, so I had to source my own batteries. However, the final shipped product will include them. I’m hoping the electronics will be a little stronger on the final released piece.

Overall, you get a great looking Predator figure with the new Lost Predator. The paint, articulation, and sculpt are all handled really well. If you own an original Armored Lost Predator release, then I would highly recommend this upgrade. Check out a selection of photos below, and the full gallery after that.

Backgrounds featured in some of the pics are from Extreme Sets – use code TOYARK at checkout for 15% off your order!