GEARS OF WAR BOX SET- NECA REVEAL FIRST IMAGES

The recently released action figures based on the games hit Gears of War have been snapped up almost as fast as stores have been able to get them onto the hooks. Now, NECA have unveiled the next addition to the figures range- a brand spanking new Gears of War action figure box set. Erm, the only thing is, this box set contains the full set of figures that have already been released, along with one variant figure. Pardon me being picky, but wouldn’t it have been more lucrative for NECA to have released this box set first, and THEN the individual Gears of War figures? Or at least simultaneously? Okay, there are new accessories included in the pack that weren’t included with the original release of the figures, but is that really enough to get the fans to buy them again? This set is perfect for anyone who is yet to get their hands on some Gears of war figures, but for those that have already got them on their shelves, I can’t see it being snapped up that quickly. That said, the Gears of War action figures have been flying out at a mad rate, so maybe I’m wrong. Oh, and not forgetting there’s a movie of the game in preproduction, so we may well be on the brink of it taking over more aspects of the media. We shall see. If anything from the games arena has a chance of breaking out into the general public’s consciousness, I’d say it is Gears of War, even over Halo. I dunno, it just seems to have a bit more of a brain. A bit, anyway.

NEW ALIEN FIGURES COMING FROM NECA

It has been reported that NECA are to expand their range of officially licensed ALIEN figures this year with the addition of two new items, namely 9 inch and 18 inch versions of the original Alien creature itself, as seen in the legendary first movie! The creature that first thrilled audiences back in 1979 with Ridley Scott’s science fiction masterpiece has become a staple of SF fandom, adorning myriad posters, Alien action figures and collectibles since then, and across the sequels and the AVP spinoff movies. Now NECA have produced two very special figures, and if I remember rightly, the 18 inch version is the FIRST EVER 18 inch Alien action figure to be produced. Both the regular figure and the deluxe 18 inch figure are due to ship later this month, and thus should arrive in the UK in early June. The figures ;look superb, and it is great to see that the designs have closely matched those of HR Giger, who, of course, designed the creatures in the first place. After the various AVP figure versions of the Alien, it is wonderful to see NECA going right back to the original source material and creating something spectacular. I can see both of these figures being a major hit for NECA, and I can’t wait to get them in. Now, if only someone would make a new Alien Queen set of some description, to fill the void left by the retirement of McFarlane’s gorgeous set from 2001. Any takers? That said, an 18 inch Predator action figure would also be a great idea, but a Predator based on the original 1987 film and not the modified versions from the AVP flicks. That would be a massive release, both in terms of interest and the size of the figures! Getting back to the basic essence of these creatures is something that has been missing from both the movies and the merchandise in recent years, and it looks like NECA have put the style back into the range with these new releases.