Anyway, I've been haunting the toy stores for this playset ever since I got that Predator 2 figure. The first thing that you may notice is it's impressive size... this thing is HUGE. It seems perfectly in scale to the movie, unlike the previous Kenner Queen Alien. Actually, this thing absolutely destroys the Kenner Queen Playset. It's amazing how far action figures have come in the time I've been collecting. Anyway, on with the review...
Looks - 5 out of 5: This set looks even more amazing than the Predator figure. If you see one in the stores, take some time to gawk at this thing's wonderful detail. Even though the figure uses different types of plastics and rubbers (the neck and the tail are made out of flexible rubber, while the rest of the figure is hard plastic), there's no visual difference and the transitions between the plastics is seamless. That reminds me... the tail is a bendy, but it doesn't have the blatantly apparent holes that most bendys have. It's also not lacking in detail in the slightest!
The paint application is great, and really brings out the details of the sculpt. There's a nice "wet" shine on the head, too. And, the Queen's teeth are transparent! Sweet!
The rest of the playset looks nice, too. The victim has a good "corpse" coloring and her slime looks great. The background is very impressive as well.
Accessories - 5 out of 5: The Queen Alien comes with a stand and a victim. The stand works well and does its job nicely. And the victim is awesome! I'm glad they didn't go for a "Egg Room" type of playset. The victim is much more interesting and fun!
Articulation - 3.5 out of 5: The Queen has a good deal of nice articulation: ball-in-socket shoulders and hips, a turnable fore-head (somewhat like the old Kenner version), a flexible neck, and swivel secondary arms. Also, as mentioned before, the tail is a bendy, so you can put it in all kinds of cool positions.
Play Value - 3.5 out of 5: The victim really shines as the major play factor of the set. You can push a lever behind the set, and a chest burster can break through the victim's chest! Disgusting! In a cool way, that is.
Unfortunately, the Queen is entirely dependent on the stand, which limits the fun you can have with the toy.
Coolness - 4.5 out of 5: This figure is huge and awesome! The detail is freakin' amazing! And that chest burster is a hoot! This is the ultimate Alien toy! (Besides the 24" one, of course.)
Overall - 4.3 out of 5: I can't stress enough how awesome this thing looks. My only problem is that the Queen can't really function without its base. But hey... that chest burster makes up for it. "Kill me..."
I got my playset at Suncoast Video for $25. I thought it was well worth it, but you may be able to find it at a major retailer like TRU for $20.
And, by the way... the shirt of the victim is made of flexible rubber so that the chest burster can break through. I checked under the shirt for anatomical correctness, but alas, it was not to be...
EDIT (9/25/03): You know, many times a toy seems really cool at first but loses that coolness quickly, leaving me to ask myself, "Why the hell did I buy this?" I've decided to add another factor to my older reviews to reflect this...
Staying Power - 4 out of 5: I'm still amazed by this toy! Its detail is incredible and I'm continually fascinated by it! I think it will continue to be on prominent display for a long time!
Adjusted Overall - 4.25 out of 5
On with the pics! In the first picture, you can see a basic picture of the overall set.
Attached Files
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queen1.jpg 50.34K
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Edited by Tortle, 25 September 2003 - 12:22 PM.
