With the Alien prequel Prometheus almost a month away, I’ll be devoting a few posts in the next few weeks to some of the more unique items that I have in my personal Alien franchise collection. (I would have done the same for Avengers, but my Alien collection greatly dwarfs my Avengers collection.) This post is a review of the 12-inch Alien Warrior Drone figure that was released by Hasbro under the Alien Resurrection name. Of the many Alien figures that have been released over the years that you can buy for under $50, Hasbro’s figure ranks among one of the better plastic renditions of the classic space monster. Read on for my complete review.
The Hasbro Alien Warrior Drone figure was released in 1997 after Kenner ended its run of the Aliens and Aliens vs. Predator toy lines. In fact, Hasbro acquired the license after it purchased Kenner in 1991 (the Kenner name wasn’t completely retired by Hasbro until 2000), so it probably saw the release of the new Alien movie as a chance to revive the license with a new set of action figures. Six other action figures were released under the Alien Resurrection name, but they were of a smaller scale with less detail and few points of articulation. I’m guessing that the 12-inch Alien Warrior Drone figure was sold later in the Alien Resurrection run, since I only saw it for sale once and at a greatly discounted price.
The Hasbro name is on the Alien Warrior Drone box ...
... But the Kenner name is still on the figure's foot.
Even though it had the name of the fourth Alien movie on its box, the figure itself strongly resembles the H.R. Giger’s original Alien design as it appeared in the first movie. The head is not ridged like the creatures in Aliens, and it does not have the reverse articulated legs of the creatures in Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection.
As Alien figures go, Hasbro’s isn’t as movie accurate as some of the later figures that were produced by McFarlane Toys and NECA. Furthermore, the head is a single, solid piece with no moving parts; thus, it does not have a semi-transparent dome and neither its exterior or interior jaws move.
Yet its lack of movie accuracy doesn’t keep the Hasbro figure from being a quality Alien collectible. It’s a durable build with a body sculpt that is detailed enough to compensate for its shortcomings.
Furthermore, this figure has many points of articulation, with swivel joints in the neck and waist; hinge joints in the elbows, knees and ankles; ball joints in the shoulders, wrists and hips; and a bendable tail.
The Alien Warrior Drone figure, assuming the don't-blast-me-out-the-airlock pose.
The Alien Warrior Drone figure from Hasbro may not be the very best low-cost Alien replica on the market, but it’s certainly worth the purchase. It’s more detailed than most of Kenner’s and Hasbro's other Alien figures, and it’s much more durable than McFarlane Toys' Alien figures in its Movie Maniacs line.
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