3 replies to this topic

[Ridureyu]

Today on Life In Plastic, you need to GET TO DA CHOPPA, and read this review of "Dutch" Schaefer!

http://nerditis.com/...dutch-schaefer/

[iwao]

Is this pic of the new 25th anniversary Jungle Hunter Predator or an older Predator figure?:

 

 

I've got the new one, but it didn't come with an extra head and I haven't figured out if the helmet is removable.

 

Cool review. I saw both the new Dutch figures at TRU, but only bought the Predator. It's my first NECA Predator figure. It's nicely done, but I think I should've waited to get a battle damaged one or whatever they are doing for the next wave. They should've put a dead scorpion in the palm of the Predator. That would've been a nice touch.

Edited by iwao, 22 May 2013 - 11:07 AM.

[Ridureyu]

That's one of the new Predators, released in a 2-pack last December.  So they're perfectly in scale with each other.

[Ridureyu]

Hey, did you know that Predator was originally supposed to be a sequel to Commando? This does explain why Dutch Schaefer looks almost exactly like John Matrix...

Alan "Dutch" Schaefer is the leader of an elite team of ex-military mercenaries. When they are hired for a routine rescue in the jungles of Val Verde (the same country from Commando!), little do they know that they would be stalked by an extraterrestial killer, hunted down until only Dutch remained to try to fight back.

NECA has expressed a lot of concern over making any of the human characters from the Predator movies, as it might be hard re-use pieces, and they could be slow sellers. Dutch is the only one that seems safe enough for them to try for now, and we are going to get four of him in two figure waves, based on his varying looks throughout the movie - much like a female anime character, Dutch gradually sheds his clothing as the movie goes on. This outfit is arguably one of the two most iconic from the film, with the other best being a vest with no shirt. Those two are almost interchangable, with the other two Dutch figures looking quite different. I managed to find one of these guys in Toys R Us, so let's have a look at him!

PACKAGING: ****

Like all Predator figures, Dutch comes in a big blister pack with info on the character, some artwork, and photos of other figures in this release wave. Like all Predator figures, it's just fine. No complaints here!

SCULPT: ****

Arnold Schwarzenegger has a history of not licensing out his likeness to toy makers, resulting in strangely sketchy figures, like McFarlane's Terminator toys. NECA was able to secure his license for Terminator and Conan the Barbarian, so it's natural that they could snag him for Predator, too. And this sculpt is pure Arnie - it's got everything from his heavy cro-magnon brow to his oddly pursed lips! His face perfectly captures how young he looked back then, and it's almost eerie... or maybe that's just me talking becuase I have so few photorealistic human toys.

The rest of Dutch doesn't disappoint, either - his arms are the same big, beefy, veiny, muscly tree trunks we have come to know and love, and none of his proportions are exagerrated - he may look scrawny next to He-Man, but it's Arnold Schwarzenegger! Awesome! His uniform looks great down to the tiniest fabric wrinkle, and is a mixture of plastic and soft rubber depending on the article of clothing. He also has two very loose holsters on his hips, so he can hold some of his weapons.

I can't really find any complaints about this figure's sculpt - it's awesome!

PAINT: ****

Even though it has a four-star rating, there are a couple of things about Arnold's paint job that bother me.

The first thing is his skin - it's really tanned, possibly a little sunburnt. This is perfect, but it might stand out as odd until you get a good look at it. His body is also sculpted from flesh-colored plastic, which works a LOT better than merely painting it that way. Great job, despite the dirty/muddy/sunburnt look! Which, again... kind of fits. Dutch has been running through the jungle, not sitting in his living room. He's not going to be as pale as I am.

The other is that, when you view his facial paint from under a microscope, the camo apps look a little spotty, like newsprint. This is also not a problem - in fact, to people with normal eyes, they are awesome! Same deal if you have good eyesight, too. His face is great, with no particular details standing out as bad or overdone - and NECA even remembered to color in his surprisingly pouty lips!

The uniform looks great, without any slop that I can think of. His flak jacket is green, though it shows up as black in most promo pics... but it's also green in the others. It depends on lighting, which is just fine.

ARTICULATION: ****

Sometimes I get tired of handing out four star ratings. So here's another one!

Dutch has a ball joint head, wrists, and ankles; ball-and-socket head shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees, and an ab crunch. These are pretty standard, but NECA did a good job with each of them - you can put Dutch in any of his movie-specific poses, or just have him do kung fu, run-and-gun around, or cartwheel... all with the same dead stare and surprisingly pouty lips. The big thing is, you can pose him so he holds his pistol in both hands - VERY few figures can fold their arms in enough to do that! Certainly none of the Predators can! Dutch's range of motion is excellent, and none of the joints feel particularly loose yet. He can also stand in just about any pose, for which I am grateful.

ACCESSORIES: ***1/2

AH-HA! A MISSING STAR! well, a half a star...

Dutch is missing his big "Steek Around" machete, but that one comes with another figure - and besides, by the time he stripped down this much, he didn't have the machete anymore. That's not the problem.

Dutch has a movie-accurate M-16 with a grenade launcher, which fits perfectly into his hands or slung over his shoulder. It's pretty much his default for posing. He's also got the aforementioned pistol, which buckles into a holster or fits great into his hands. And finally, he has a knife - you can put the knife in a sheathe, or try to get him to hold it... but Dutch can't hold his knife. It's just too tiny for either hand, and it took me a lot of work to balance it to it stayed in for a photo. That's the half-star loss - so he has a knife, but you can't do anything with it! That's too bad (the machete would have been fun, too).

VALUE: ****

This guy will run you about $17 at Toys R Us. So he costs half of what a He-Man figure would. Awesome!!!!!!! On-line, expect to pay about $25, which is still okay for this level of detail. He-Man can barely afford a flat matte paint job, whereas this figure even has paint on his surprisingly pouty lips!

THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR:

Nothing comes to mind, though I'd advice comparing the paint if you have a choice.

OVERALL: ****

Awesome! We've waited many, many years for a proper Dutch Schaefer, and... well, he's here! Though granted, the shirtless one might be more your style if you want to imitate those photos, that's coming, too. And a muddy Dutch. Having four like this might not be too good for individual sales, but it's awesome for the fans and their power of choice!

WHERE TO BUY:

Go to Toys R Us while you still can! And if not... well, troll the internet for a good price. He's definitely worth it!

Edited by Ridureyu, 16 June 2013 - 05:57 PM.