NECA Alien LV-426 Cage-Free Eggs
NECA has been doing a lot with their Alien license recently. On top of finally getting the rights to produce Sigourney Weaver's likeness, they made a 12th scale Alien Queen and a Power Loader, and they've started making supporting characters from the first two movies.
What I'm looking at today is a little different. Knowing that collectors like displays, NECA's made a set consisting of three open eggs, three closed, and three facehuggers (nine objects altogether). I've been wanting something like these to display with my McFarlane Alien Queen for years, so I didn't hesitate to pre-order these the moment I heard of them.
They're available at Toys R Us, comic shops, and online stores.
What I'm looking at today is a little different. Knowing that collectors like displays, NECA's made a set consisting of three open eggs, three closed, and three facehuggers (nine objects altogether). I've been wanting something like these to display with my McFarlane Alien Queen for years, so I didn't hesitate to pre-order these the moment I heard of them.
They're available at Toys R Us, comic shops, and online stores.
Appearance and Construction: 8/10
Eight is a respectable score, and - if anything - it might be a little harsh here. The set is beautiful, all things considered. I'm not even sure I'd consider my notes complaints: they're more reflections on choices made.
Let's start with the eggs. Both open and closed are sculpted with textured veins and bumps. The paint is well layered - it looks much darker in person than in the above photo. Honestly, I didn't realize how many colors were used until I looked at the picture - in normal lighting, they're dark green; black at a glance. There's a glossy coat over them, as well, and the end result is pretty close to screen accurate. The open eggs also have a nice mucus effect along the edges, where they're peeling apart. It's extremely realistic in appearance.
The facehuggers might be even better. The detail in the sculpt is gorgeous, and the paint brings out the depth. They're absolutely fantastic.
So, why not a higher score? There were a few minor points. The largest is that there's no variation in the eggs or facehugger sculpts. I'd have loved the eggs at different sizes or the legs of the facehuggers bent differently. This isn't a major issue, but it holds this back from perfection.
The only other issue I have is so trivial, I feel bad bringing it up. The eggs are made of a soft plastic, similar to what you'd get from a rotoscoped figure. They managed to get a good amount of detail in anyway, and it was probably the smart choice. Still, it makes the closed eggs feel a little cheap in hand.
It's a strict score for toys this awesome: I'd feel worse if the review ended here. Fortunately....
Let's start with the eggs. Both open and closed are sculpted with textured veins and bumps. The paint is well layered - it looks much darker in person than in the above photo. Honestly, I didn't realize how many colors were used until I looked at the picture - in normal lighting, they're dark green; black at a glance. There's a glossy coat over them, as well, and the end result is pretty close to screen accurate. The open eggs also have a nice mucus effect along the edges, where they're peeling apart. It's extremely realistic in appearance.
The facehuggers might be even better. The detail in the sculpt is gorgeous, and the paint brings out the depth. They're absolutely fantastic.
So, why not a higher score? There were a few minor points. The largest is that there's no variation in the eggs or facehugger sculpts. I'd have loved the eggs at different sizes or the legs of the facehuggers bent differently. This isn't a major issue, but it holds this back from perfection.
The only other issue I have is so trivial, I feel bad bringing it up. The eggs are made of a soft plastic, similar to what you'd get from a rotoscoped figure. They managed to get a good amount of detail in anyway, and it was probably the smart choice. Still, it makes the closed eggs feel a little cheap in hand.
It's a strict score for toys this awesome: I'd feel worse if the review ended here. Fortunately....
Packaging and Extras: +3
I've reviewed more than a hundred toys on this blog, and the number of times I've given a bonus for packaging can probably be counted on one hand. But take a look at this:
It's an egg carton, more or less indistinguishable from one you'd get from the store. The label parodies normal nutritional information, which is brilliant. The front layer will actually peel back, displaying an ad for other Alien merchandise, but the cover art is more interesting.
Inside, there's some additional flavor text. This is actually repeated if you peel up the label on the front, but it's more fun here. None of this serves a practical purpose, obviously - it just adds to the overall joke.
I love this. LOVE IT. If you didn't own a single piece of Alien merchandise, if you had no interest in displaying these eggs with Ripley or a xenomorph, this would make a fantastic display piece on its own. Buy it, pop it open, unwrap the facehuggers, and leave it on your shelf for someone to find. It's hilarious.
Alternatively, you could pull out the eggs, drop them in a display, and keep the carton as a separate piece. That's what I'm doing - I really want the eggs shown off beside the Alien Queen, but there's no way I'm throwing this out. This is the rare package that adds value to the collectible, which is why I'm giving it +1 for the carton.
You'll note that there's still two points to be explained. This is a rare situation where the toy itself is a set of accessories, which makes it easy to overlook that, relative to the price point, this set's a little heavy. In other words, I think NECA's being generous with the number of eggs/facehuggers in here. They could have trimmed back two or even three of the pieces, and I'd have felt the price was fair. I'll have more to say on this in the conclusion, but for now I'm awarding this two bonus points for sheer quantity.
I love this. LOVE IT. If you didn't own a single piece of Alien merchandise, if you had no interest in displaying these eggs with Ripley or a xenomorph, this would make a fantastic display piece on its own. Buy it, pop it open, unwrap the facehuggers, and leave it on your shelf for someone to find. It's hilarious.
Alternatively, you could pull out the eggs, drop them in a display, and keep the carton as a separate piece. That's what I'm doing - I really want the eggs shown off beside the Alien Queen, but there's no way I'm throwing this out. This is the rare package that adds value to the collectible, which is why I'm giving it +1 for the carton.
You'll note that there's still two points to be explained. This is a rare situation where the toy itself is a set of accessories, which makes it easy to overlook that, relative to the price point, this set's a little heavy. In other words, I think NECA's being generous with the number of eggs/facehuggers in here. They could have trimmed back two or even three of the pieces, and I'd have felt the price was fair. I'll have more to say on this in the conclusion, but for now I'm awarding this two bonus points for sheer quantity.
Play and Display: +1
As far as the eggs are concerned, they're display pieces. They sit flat, do nothing, and... that's it. Then again, what more would you want? I suppose NECA could have tried producing versions that actually open, but I'm not going to hold it against them.
The bonus is for the facehuggers. More specifically, it's for their tails, which contain a malleable wire. Using this, you can display them leaping out of their eggs, coiling, swarming... you've got options. I actually don't think this was required - if NECA had given us ones where the tails were loose or even sculpted in place, it would have been fine at this price. This isn't a huge thing, but it's a little beyond what's required, so I'm awarding them a +1.
A quick note to those of you planning to use these with figures: while they can sort of hang on an action figure's face, they don't work magnificently. The tails are a little too thick to wrap around properly, and the insectoid legs don't hold their position like the tails do. As an example, here's a comparison of Kane (left), who was sold with a facehugger sculpted onto his face, and Bishop (right), sporting one of the facehuggers that came with this set:
The bonus is for the facehuggers. More specifically, it's for their tails, which contain a malleable wire. Using this, you can display them leaping out of their eggs, coiling, swarming... you've got options. I actually don't think this was required - if NECA had given us ones where the tails were loose or even sculpted in place, it would have been fine at this price. This isn't a huge thing, but it's a little beyond what's required, so I'm awarding them a +1.
A quick note to those of you planning to use these with figures: while they can sort of hang on an action figure's face, they don't work magnificently. The tails are a little too thick to wrap around properly, and the insectoid legs don't hold their position like the tails do. As an example, here's a comparison of Kane (left), who was sold with a facehugger sculpted onto his face, and Bishop (right), sporting one of the facehuggers that came with this set:
Bishop doesn't look bad - you could make a case that he's in the process of being attacked - but it's certainly not cocooned around him. Short of some superglue, you're never going to get anywhere near that effect, and even with that kind of effort (not to mention permanently altered figure) it won't be as perfect.
I don't consider this a negative, but wanted to make sure those of you thinking of affixing these to your action figures went in with the right expectations.
I don't consider this a negative, but wanted to make sure those of you thinking of affixing these to your action figures went in with the right expectations.
Price Tag and Final Analysis: 10+/10
I ordered my "Cage Free Eggs" from Big Bad Toy Store for $22.99, which is about as much as I'd expect to pay for a NECA action figure. After giving this a great deal of thought, I've concluded the individual pieces are worth about four bucks each, on average. But at that estimate, these would be worth around $36 for the set, $13 more than I paid.
And that might be a conservative estimate. I'd have paid more if they'd been packaged individually - I just wouldn't have picked up as many. Honestly, I think NECA could have gotten away with dropping one open, one closed, and one facehugger against a card and selling them for the same amount. I don't even think I'd have complained.
I suspect the reason this didn't happen was that someone at that beautiful, crazy company came up with the idea of selling an egg carton with a half-dozen Alien eggs in it, and that idea was so obviously brilliant, it got approved. Whatever the reason, this is a phenomenal deal for a set of accessories that everyone with a collection of Alien toys should rush out and buy. Hell - like I said before - this is worth picking up as a standalone piece if you like the movie. In or out of the carton, they make for a great display.
And that might be a conservative estimate. I'd have paid more if they'd been packaged individually - I just wouldn't have picked up as many. Honestly, I think NECA could have gotten away with dropping one open, one closed, and one facehugger against a card and selling them for the same amount. I don't even think I'd have complained.
I suspect the reason this didn't happen was that someone at that beautiful, crazy company came up with the idea of selling an egg carton with a half-dozen Alien eggs in it, and that idea was so obviously brilliant, it got approved. Whatever the reason, this is a phenomenal deal for a set of accessories that everyone with a collection of Alien toys should rush out and buy. Hell - like I said before - this is worth picking up as a standalone piece if you like the movie. In or out of the carton, they make for a great display.