Last week, I finally introduced the Lanard direct-to-Walmart Alien line. At that time, I was already angling on getting some additional material; unfortunately, it turned out the local super store had just sold out, so I had to make other arrangements. As it turned out, the one thing I was able to get in time for a post this week was something I really didn't particularly want to get without further inspection. In addition to the new and bigger Alien figures, Lanard has been turning out Predator figures, and the only one currently listed on the website is a giant Predator on the same nominal 12-inch scale as the Alien Queen. I had seen what I figured out was the price tag for it, but it had been long gone (which confused me into not buying any of several figures that were closer to my usual size and price range). I initially tried to set up a pickup at one of the stores on the bus lines (still not as hard as getting the Alien haul home), but when that fell through, I paid a good chunk of the thing's official worth to deliver it to my door. Here for posterity are pics of the epic unboxing.
Needless to say, this thing is huge, though I needed to do some further examination to decide just how big. Something I quickly realized is that it was too big for the regular camera on my Surface tablet, so I ended up doing a lot of pics on my phone. Here's an assortment of pics, including a few with the Kenner Predator (see Last Stand) thrown in.
He's still bigger than a Star Wars figure.
It didn't take long to find the kind of issues typical of the manufacturer. A number of paint choices are strange, particularly on the forearms and back. The points of articulation on the arms don't provide a full range of motion. The shoulder cannon, which I'll be going into in a lot more detail, is clunky. As an extra bit of random, the waist is downright wobbly, which tends to make the big guy look like he's either doing a hula dance or overacting in a Shakespeare production. Here's a few more pics to show what I mean.
"To behead or not to behead, that is the question..."
The real extra is the cannon, which actually lights up. You might think this would be a dinky little bulb like an old TIE fighter. But no, this thing is so bright I seriously considered whether it might be dangerous. It certainly wasn't any fun when I zapped myself on the first use. After very cautious experimentation, I concluded it's safe to look into the light if you turn it on first for a moment of adjustment. Still, this is completely outlandish for anything that might get anywhere near a kid. Here's some pics I took trying to show just how bright this is. The last one was taken with my finger directly over the bulb.
Do NOT go into the light.
Still, we haven't answered the question, is this guy bigger than (generic) Godzilla? This time, alas, the answer is unequivocally no. Still, it's not a big difference, and the pair are still big enough to be adversaries. Here's the faceoff.
"No, no, left foot first... This is the Alien Queen all over again!"
That's all for now, more to come!
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