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Toys & Collectibles

Are We Not Men? NECA Limited Edition “Apes” Lawgiver Statue

planet of the apes, neca action figures, lawgiver statue
NECA’s Lawgiver Statue strikes an imposing vision over their stunning Ape City diorama
Dear (Juris) Prudence…
The extraordinary sculpt work produced for NECA’s (National Entertainment Collectibles Association) classic Planet of the Apes (1968) action figures truly imbues them with the personality of their on-screen analogs and is what makes them some of my favorite collectibles. This week the toy company brings another key piece to original PotA fans in the form of the The Lawgiver Statue. The visage of the wizened orangutan was featured at NECA’s New York International Toy Fair 2015 booth as part of the jaw dropping diorama pictured below.
planet of the apes, neca action figures, lawgiver statue
At Toy Fair 15, NECA presented an amazing setting for their classic “Planet of the Apes” action figures.
Goin’ to Ape City, Gonna Have Some Fun…
At a foot tall, the highly detailed resin statue is scaled proportionally to the toy maker’s classic Apes 6” action figures. As you can see it is a perfect compliment to any Ape City tableau. Word to the wise…, it’s expressly limited to a single run of 1700 pieces.
planet of the apes, neca action figures, lawgiver statue, maurice evans, dr. zaius
NECA’s 6″ Dr. Zaius action figure doles out a few rules of his own.

SkeletonPete Says…
As an early teen “monster kid” I well remember the Lawgiver statue being a prominent prop in publicity shots of actor Maurice Evans sporting make-up man John Chambers’ then state of the art prosthetics. I was apparently impressed enough to paint this fairly large Dr. Zaius portrait which I recently discovered during a home basement “dig.”
planet of the apes, neca action figures, lawgiver statue, maurice evans, dr. zaius
Dr. Zaius publicity photo inspired this teenage artistic endeavor.

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Toys & Collectibles

Mama I’m Comin’ Home: NECA’s Ripley and Alien Queen

neca, alien, action figures, ellen ripley, alien queen
Alien Queen faces off against Ellen Ripley for a mother of a fight.

Ripley, Believe It Or Not…
According to recent news Fox’s Alien franchise is poised to gear up again. This fifth installment will feature first Alien protagonist Ellen Louise Ripley as the lead character and apparently ignore the plot lines of Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection. It’s a maneuver by director/writer Neill Blomkamp (Chappie, District 9) that will surely cause controversy in the fan communities for its wholesale revisionism. I personally hope it will finally give the Ripley character a definitive and satisfying third act. Most importantly, actress Sigourney Weaver has just verified taking the lead again. It’s a role that has proven to define the female action hero for several decades and it’s good to know it will be in the hands of its original creator.
neca, alien, action figures, ellen ripley, alien queen
NECA’s P-5000 Power Loader becomes battle gear for Ripley action figure.

In tandem with this exciting news comes NECA’s announced Alien Series 4 action figures. This wave includes Nostromo Captain Dallas (Tom Skerrit) and none other than Ripley herself, based on Weaver’s likeness for the first time. It’s something collectors have been clamoring for and worth the wait as the figure debuts in two different versions. One Ripley dons the distinctive Nostromo spacesuit – what I call the “samurai goalie” look – the other is garbed in her jumpsuit, armed with flame thrower. Spacesuit helmets can be removed, but beware those of ornery face huggers. There are even two versions of Jonesy the Cat, one calm and the other with his hackles up.
neca, alien, action figures, ellen ripley, alien queen
Fan favorite Ellen Ripley ready for action with flamethrower in hand.

NECA (National Entertainment Collectibles Association) never fails to amaze with their New York Toy Fair sales booth displays. This year the highlight was a huge diorama with Ripley in the P-5000 Power Loader that NECA prevued last year. She’s prepared to battle the monstrous xenomorph Queen Mother. Half of the android Bishop (Lance Henriksen) watches helplessly in the midst of a hatchling swarm of scurrying face huggers.
neca, alien, action figures, ellen ripley, alien queen
NECA’s Massive Alien Queen closes in for the attack.

The queen is quite a showpiece. NECA has captured the sleek, angular, and wiry essence of the creature with its regal crest and slavering jaws. The deluxe figure has 30 points of articulation, stands over 15 inches tall and 30 inches long to the tip of its highly posable tail. A stand and two sets of inner jaws are included.

Tall Cool One…
NECA also displayed a prototype of their 1979 Alien. It’s a quarter scale replica of the suit worn by 6′ 10″ Balaji Badejo for his sinuous and balletic performance. Born out of the late H. R. Giger’s nightmarish artwork, this lone creature was plenty enough of a scare on his own in the original film. Even in its unpainted state it’s clear NECA has a fine representation in the works. It’s scheduled for a June release.

neca, alien, action figures, ellen ripley, alien queen
NECA’s unpainted prototype for a 1/4 scale 1979 Alien.

SkeletonPete Says…
I was fortunate to have viewed the original Alien in its first theater run, probably its first week. In 1979 there was no chance of internet spoilers, no speculation from decades old fan bases, just a pure experience that was quite a fright ride. Second and third viewings were equal fun, especially watching the popcorn fly in the midst of unsuspecting first timers. I only knocked the edges off the experience once I could run it on VHS at will. It is that kind of audience familiarity and the since proffered Prometheus backstory and Predator interpolations that Neill Blomkamp will have to overcome in his quest to make his new installment of a piece with the first two and offer that kind of impact.
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Film & Television Series Toys & Collectibles

Too Much Monkey Business: NECA Shapes “Apes” Series 1

NECA's 7" Caesar, King of the Apes Action Figure
NECA’s 7″ Caesar, King of the Apes Action Figure

Mr. Mojo Risin’…
20th Century Fox’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes opens July 11, 2014 and early reviews are promising a spectacular addition to the solid reboot of the much loved franchise. I will admit that after the misstep of the 2001 “re-imagining” by Tim Burton I was skeptical about future films, but the James Franco and Andy Serkis performances in 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes won me over and I have been looking forward to this sequel.

Since the denoument of the original 1968 film revealed the apes’ planet to be Earth itself, the question was always “how did we get there.” “Rise” and “Dawn” tell that story in a thoughtful and effective narrative. A third, currently untitled, installment is set for summer 2016.


Sneak peaked at last winter’s New York Toy Fair, NECA Toys already has their first wave of articulated action figures on the shelves. Series 1 includes 6 inch renditions of Caesar, Koba and Maurice. Each comes with interchangeable hands and appropriate weapons. Check out NECA’s site for some really great posed studio shots of these three.
Dr. Zaius, as played by the late Maurice Evans, is perfectly portrayed as part of NECA's Classic "Planet of the Apes" Series 1.
Dr. Zaius, as played by the late Maurice Evans, is perfectly portrayed as part of NECA’s Classic “Planet of the Apes” Series 1.

Classy Classics…
NECA is also poised to release beautiful likenesses of the original film characters this month. Planet of the Apes Classic Series 1 includes 7 inch Cornelius, Dr. Zaius and an armed Gorilla Soldier.

Skeletonpete Says…
Follow NECA on Twitter for their #monkeymonday communiques and news about their other great collectibles.

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Toys & Collectibles

Such An Evil Child: NECA’s “Bad Blood” Predators Previewed @ NY Toy Fair 2014

NECA's Dark Horse Comics Inspired "Bad Blood" Predator @ NY Toy Fair 2014
NECA’s Dark Horse Comics Inspired “Bad Blood” Predator @ NY Toy Fair 2014

NECA (National Entertainment Collectors Association) displayed their prototypes for both Series 12 and 13 Predators at the recent NY Toy Fair, giving the press a peek at the still to be finalized designs for what will be on the shelves in the coming months.

In The Pines, In The Pines…
As the longest running of NECA’s action figure licenses Predator continues to be extremely popular and collectors anticipate where inspiration for the next wave will come from. For Series 12 the company looked to the printed page with two of the three figures representing characters in Dark Horse Comics’ four issue adventure Predators: Bad Blood from the 1990’s. The standalone story told of a “serial killer” Predator on a rampage in the wild Pine Barrens of New Jersey (also the home of the legendary “Jersey Devil”) and his battle with an Enforcer determined to thwart him. Fortunately for humanity the Enforcer did not have to use the George Washington Bridge on a bad traffic day to get to NJ.

Dark Horse's "Predator: Bad Blood" Comics Inspired 2 of NECA's Series 12 Figures
Dark Horse’s “Predator: Bad Blood” Comics Inspired 2 of NECA’s Series 12 Figures

NECA’s “Bad Blood” sculpt is one sweet looking piece, bound to make fans of the franchise happy, and I think also bring in the casual collector. He’s like a walking, stalking, trophy wall adorned in the bones of his victims. He appears blood spattered from a fresh kill, whose heads he’s happy to brandish. His nemesis, The Enforcer figure is clad in silver armor, with shoulder cannon, disk and rod ready to bring the rogue to justice.

Younger Edler…
The third figure in Series 12 is a revamped Series 3 character, the Elder from the Predator 2film. NECA says “Elder V2 features additional articulation, a shoulder cannon, new straps and belts, and new feet, all upgraded and improved from the original version.” The models sport 25 points of articulation and stand approximately 8” tall.

Expect to see these in their final form around June of 2014, followed closely by the revealed but undesignated Series 13 figures in August.

NECA Predators Series 12 Prototypes – Not Final Product

NECA Predators Series 13 Prototypes – Not Final Product

Blade Fighter Vehicle Joins the NECA Predator Collection in August 2014
Blade Fighter Vehicle Joins the NECA Predator Collection in August 2014

Blade Rider…
In addition to the series 12 abd 13 reveals, NECA showed off its first vehicle of the collectible cache with a really hot Predator Blade Fighter complete with Viper rider. It’s sure to bring back fond memories of those who collected Kenner Predator toys back in the 1990’s.

NECA's NES Game Styled Predator
NECA’s NES Game Styled Predator

Blues Clues…
There’s more fun and nostalgia as NECA expands it’s spin on 8-bit video game characters. this time it’s Predator, looking sharp all in blue as depicted in the 1989 NES game. Expected in May 2014, it will be sold in a special flapped window package reminiscent of the original video game box and limited to one production run only.

More To Come…
I have plenty more NECA goodies to be posted in the coming weeks, including gigantic Pacific Rim Jaegers and Kaiju, an uncanny Dark Knight Joker, some amazing Planet of the Apes figures, Diablo and more.

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Film & Television Series Toys & Collectibles

Cloning Chloe: NECA’s Carrie and KA2 Figures

NECA's new Hit-Girl Figure Gets Chloe's Countenance Just Right
NECA’s new Hit-Girl Figure Gets Chloe’s Countenance Just Right

On a recent subway ride I spied the posters for Kick Ass 2 which jogged my memory about these shots of NECA’s film related figures I could share. These replicas of characters M’Fer (Christopher Mintz-Plasse,) Kick Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson,) and Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moritz) are already available for purchase in anticipation of the film’s August 16th release date. The approximately 7 Inch figures feature more than 20 points of articulation for expansive posing possibilities.

A slew of newly minted ad hoc heroes join the forces in this sequel to the really enjoyable 2008 original. Jim Carrey will portray Colonel Stars and Stripes, whose battering weapon (named Betsy Ross) has also been recreated as a full size prop by the toy company.
Colonel Stars and Stripes Weapon of Choice, Battling "Betsy Ross"
Colonel Stars and Stripes Weapon of Choice, Battling “Betsy Ross”

Carried Away…

Chloe as Carrie: A Beautiful Bloody Mess for your Display Shelf
Chloe as Carrie: A Beautiful Bloody Mess for your Display Shelf

Postponed from spring 2013 to a more appropriate All Hallow’s season debut is the newest spin on Steven King’s telekinetic teen Carrie White with Ms. Moritz as the title character. Pre-orders are available for NECA’s versions of Carrie/Chloe as pristine prom queen and iconic blood drenched terror in both single and double packs.

SkeletonPete Says…
Julianne Moore will portray Carrie’s religiously repressive mother (first depicted by Piper Laurie) and I’m sure she’ll turn in a great performance, but it’s hard to believe that the opportunity to cast Sissy Spacek in the maternal role was missed.