Have you noticed an Aliens theme recently? Well, you should, because we got Aliens. Well, ReAction has produced a few figures here and there, with my favorite one being the Alien - of course, that figure was based on an old Kenner prototype, it wasn't built with a faux-retro aesthetic. But, not one to just let a goo thing die on the vine, there is now a special two-pack at Toys R Us: Ripley Vs. the Alien Queen!
It's a pretty big window box, actually decent for display on its own - you can find this set at Toys R Us for about $35 or so, which evens out relatively well considering. The figures are small, but depending on how you count the Power Loader, it comes with three.
Ripley is in her iconic look from the second movie (Well, of COURSE. Seriously, could you imagine if she didn't? Silly), and she translates well into the retro 3 3/4" aesthetic. Super7 put more effort into her than many other ReAction figures, and it shows. The watch is a nice touch.
Her face is a little suspect, though, but it may just be the eyes. It probably is just the eyes.
And of course, Ripley fits into her loader, though it is somewhat hard for her to clamp the controls with her stiff, no-elbow hands. You can make it work, though you will have to cheat for a few poses.
"Get away from her, you britch!"
The loader itself is really good, especially for this scale. You could put it up next ot the larger loader from the '90s series, and the detail is comparable (when you allow for scale). It's got good articulation, too - the clamps swivel, making it essentially better at posing than the regular figures.
And yes, it's got the light and everything. A gain, in a comparison with the '90s figure, this looks like an industrial loading device, whereas the '90s toy had guns and a rocket launcher attached. Yay accuracy!
Even though it's kind of small, this is a good power loader. For one thing, it won't break your bank, and it does look good on a shelf, retro aesthetic or not.
And now the Queen. The awesome, awesome Queen. So, how to shrink a huge, complex monster into a retro style? Do you gimp it completely? Make it totally inaccurate (like the '90s toy)? Nah, they kept her accurate. She does, in fact, resemble herself from the old arcade game, as far as detail went. The figure is realy, really good, despite fitting the ReAction style pretty well.
Her face, for example, is great. The figure itself is shiny black, almost metallic, which has it pluses and minuses. On one side, it is a good effect, but on the other, it makes the figure resemble a black trash bag a bit.
And that's my one complaint. The Queen's back spikes are thin, and feel like... I don't know, the tab from a milk jug cap. They feel extremely fragile. er tail is unarticulated, and also feels like it is about to snap. The legs are loose, and although her tail props her up like a tripod, she can fall down really easily.
Don't take those criticisms to mean the toy isn't good, just that it's not perfect. It really is good! But an actual retro Kenner figure would have had thicker, less fragile back spikes, and a swivel tail. This is more of a display piece than a kid's tpy but it is great for what it is.
The size comparison is more or less accurate. I'm sure it's not perfect to the movie, but it functions for what it should be. They fit together well, even though the set does not have Newt (or half a Bishop).
So, overall? $35 isn't cheap, but it makes sense when you add up the costs of individual figures. The set isn't perfect, but it is quite good. If you're an Aliens fan, it's more than worth it, just treat the Queen with some care.
