Catwoman: The Dark Knight Trilogy (Play Arts Kai)

Play Arts Kai Catwoman: TDKR

After I saw Anne Hathaway finally donned a superhero role and played the ever sexy yet deceitful Catwoman in that third and final instalment of the Dark Knight, I wasn't sure if I should be happy that she finally entered into this genre or feel bad knowing that that was her first and last movie being as Catwoman. She actually did a pretty job handling the role, and although she might get another offer for another superhero role, she will always be marked in my head as the Catwoman! Nolan's Batman trilogy is one of my favourite superhero movies of all time, and I'm so glad that one of my favourite toylines, Play Arts, finally entered into making some movie characters and getting Batman and Catwoman on hard plastics and ratcheting joints.











Like the Play Arts Kai Dark Knight Batman, the sculpt on this figure is fabulous. All that definition, especially those curves, just captures what the actress would probably look like if she's shrunk into an 8-inch action figure. I like how Play Arts gave you that option of getting her hair sway around her side to better appreciate the entire sculpt of this figure. As for the face/head sculpt, there is no doubt that this figure had come close to the actual Hathaway-Catwoman in the movie.

By checking the surfaces around her "get-up", you could see different textures on different areas. The torso is mostly covered with this fine grain of dots looking like meshed spandex, while her arms and legs are smooth and has a little gloss in it. In addition to this skin tight all-black spandex, comes a couple of these pointy heels painted with metallic silver, which (aside obviously from her face) stand out. Catwoman's utility belt are sculpted perfectly yet you can't really notice it from this photo because there is no paint shading nor texturing aside from just being solid black.

Articulation wise, this figure is comparable to some of those Marvel Legends action figures with the shoulder blade articulation like the one in X-Force Wolverine. But having said that, there's still that standard Play Arts Kai knee joints that elongate every time you bend her legs. To point all of them, this Catwoman got a double ball-jointed neck (yes, I said double) that extends and hyperextends her neck to the front and sides, however with her long fiery red hair, you cannot have her look up.

She got ball-jointed shoulder, swivel to the biceps, ball-hinged elbows, and ball-hinged wrists. At her torso lies her diaphragm swivel that lets her turn and lean side to side, and waist swivel that is a little hard to twist and turn. She got this T-joint that is ball-hinged that lets her move her legs forward and back, and spread outwards. The only letdown this figure has is that it got no thigh swivel, and even with the ball-hinged ankles, this figure still needs those cuts around the thighs desperately for better poseability.

Catwoman got a few interchangeable parts. As I've mentioned earlier, she got an interchangeable hair that goes from loose and hanging to that shampoo-like commercial type, and faces that are switchable for her masquerade ball and voyeurism. She has a pair of hands that seem to perform some kind of a claw attack but doesn't have any claws. Surprisingly, I didn't expect her to come with a 9mm handgun since I am used to of her carrying a bullwhip like in the comics, but I'm still happy about this accessory. But I wished she could have at least two more interchangeable hands or parts and that's the other complain I have with this figure.

Overall, the Play Arts Kai Catwoman is a likeable action figure because of how she's accurately being sculpted to look just like in the movie. Standing next to Batman, Catwoman is just in the right scale with the right height and body mass. Batman fans may want to include this in their collection.

Iron Man (Revoltech)

Revoltech Iron Man (Mark III)

Yyup, that thing lights up! That's no photoshop or camera trickery. Good thing that the instructional manual that comes with this Mark III Iron Man got some pictures in it on how to play with it especially with that "light thingy" there, or else it would probably take me awhile to figure out how to switch that on and off looking at all these words written in Japanese. This is the first Asian-based action figure I have and I actually have to purchase him online. Got some great respect for Revoltech; they did an amazing job creating this Iron Man figure- this is probably the most playable and well designed Iron Man figure I have ever seen.















Now lets start with the sculpt and paint detail. Nothing special about the surface and texture on his armour- it's just the traditional red and gold Iron Man suit. Head and body sculpt is based from the Mark III armour in the first Iron Man movie. The Mark VI version, also from Revoltech, looks neat and cool but personally I like Iron Man better with a circular arc reactor than the triangular one (like that one on Mark VI), that's why I choose this guy over it. I like that they painted those eyes white to make it look as if it's glowing. However, there is one minor issue I'd like to point out, and that is his repulsor shooters right on his palms are way too small- almost pinpoint small, and I want it just a little bigger to make it more noticeable when you look at the entire figure.

What I'm truly impressed about is the poseability on this guy. I love how this Iron Man is so flexible and can do tons of poses yet have all the important details on his armour intact and not getting in the way. Having great amount of articulations is good and I have seen some action figures that have that, but then these would likely ruin the sculpt and detail on the figure. But this Iron Man here got both; it is a pretty well designed action figure.

Almost everything on this guy is ball-jointed. The knees, elbows, shoulders, wrists and neck are ball-jointed, and so no wonder why this guy got some great "pose possibilities." He's got joints underneath his collar bone connecting to his neck so you can hyper-extend his head when you have him do the flying pose. Although this figure doesn't have the ab crunch and the waist swivel, you can't complain any further when you got a diaphragm swivel that lets you bend his torso forward and back.

The secret to that light thingy on his chest is a little tiny battery (one you use on your watch) and a little switch under his diaphragm swivel. You need to detach the chest from his abdomen for you to see and flip the switch, and gaze upon the awesomeness of this figure. One real issue I have with it is that the light flickers every time you move his torso. I guess the switch needs to be stabilized for it not to do so.

The Revoltech Iron Man comes with interchangeable hands that you can switch from either punching, shooting or flying. And most importantly, he comes with this Robert Downey Jr. head, which kinda look a bit like a Japanese anime version of him. I guess that's how they do all their toy stuff in Japan, which I don't mind... it's just that I'd rather want a more accurate face of Mr. Downey Jr. so he doesn't look odd together with my Marvel Legends. Also, he comes with this storage bin where you can put all his stuff and that name thing there for which I don't know what it's called.














I gotta say this Iron Man action figure is probably better than the Hasbro one for alot of obvious reasons. The articulation, the sculpt, and the stuff that comes with this guy just gives it the upper hand. Unfortunately, Revoltech is making only quite a few Marvel action figures but hopefully they will come up with some new ones,... and I am planning of getting their Spider-Man!

Iron Man - Mark 42: Iron Man 3 (Marvel Select)

Marvel Select Iron Man - Mark XLII

Upon purchasing this Marvel Select Iron Man Mark XLII (Mk 42) at my local comic bookstore, I say I have officially got an Iron Man action figure based from the Iron Man 3 movie. I never really bothered ordering the one from Hasbro, although that one is more articulated, but the 7-inch scale with all its great amount of details feels just right for a movie-based action figure. In this case, aesthetics outweighs functionality. Then again, I would still get into everything that are nice and nasty about this figure.















The overwhelming gold colour of the Mk 42 armour makes it one of my least favourite Iron Man suit, let alone how crappy the suit was in the movie. But somehow in my view, I think that movie would probably give the producers and screenwriters some thought on how the character, Tony Stark, is prepared to face yet another otherworldly beings in the Avengers 2. It's like a stepping stone to Thanos.

Anyways, enough of that movie. The colour scheme of the Mk 42 is like a reverse polarity of the Mk 3, Mk 6, Mk 7 or any standard red and gold Iron Man suit you've seen in the comics and the movies. You would not notice any shading or special paint effects (like little sparkles) around the suit, just the colours- yellow, red and gray intertwining together. The external parts are mostly covered in yellows and reds, while gray colours are applied mostly in its interior parts and joints. One thing I also notice is that the red areas are glossier than the yellow ones as you've seen on these photos. So this isn't your knight in shinning titanium alloy suit as you've probably seen in most Iron Man figures. But even without the gloss, I still think this armour looks pretty neat once on the shelf. Moreover, I like that Diamond Select painted the eyes white and not screwing it up like what they did on the MS Mark VI.

What truly impressed me with this figure is the body mold and the sculpt. Standing at 7.4 inches tall, this is the only Marvel Select Iron Man figure I've seen that has the perfect body shape. Arm and leg lengths, and torso are in the right anatomical measurements. The overall girth, specifically the chest is not too wide nor too skinny to feel and look at. Mk 42 has some robotic designs on these ball-hinged shoulders under the shoulder guards as well as the entire armour is covered with designs of "iron platings", wirings, gears and a bunch of robotic stuff.

The Mk 42 comes with interchangeable parts. Both arms can have either fisting hands or shooting hands, or both at the same time. Just by popping its head off, you can replace it with an unmasked version and reveal the man behind this great invention. And if you're ready to get him back into action, you can always put that armoured head back to its place.

Not surprisingly, this Iron Man cannot do a more pronounced flying pose. It is a Marvel Select; it is what it is. However, the articulation on this one is not as bad as its predecessors. In fact, this is one of the most articulated Marvel Select figures along with MS Ultron and MS Captain America.

The Mk 42 got ball-jointed neck that lets you turn its head 360. It got ball-hinged shoulders that lets you turn and move his arms up and down with two of these shoulder guards that are ball-socketed that moves along with the arms but limits it as you move further upwards. And so the only way for you raise it higher is to get these removable shoulder guards out of the way. It got swivel to the biceps, single-jointed elbows and ball-hinged wrists. One thing I like about the hands is that it have these soft pliable plastic wrist guards that bend as you try pose it shooting its repulsor rays, but I'm a bit worried about the wear and tear of these plastics and so I better not use it constantly. Moving on, Mk 42 got diaphragm swivel that can rock front and back, and side to side. No waist swivel, but it has this T-joint, ball-hinged hips and thigh cuts around this area. It got double-jointed knees that kinda reminds of those Play Arts Kai figures. Both toes can point up and down, ankles can swivel and turn 360 as well as do the pivot!

At the bottom of its feet, there are peg holes which suppose to latch on to a base stand. But unfortunately for this guy, its base stand does not have any pegs (which made me wonder), and so you just have to get him to stand on the right position to get it to stay there in place. The design of the prop really look awesome even with its plain metallic gray colour.

MS Iron Man Mk XLII vs. MS Iron Man Mk VI (size comparison)

Next to the Marvel Select Iron Man - Mk 6, the Mk 42 stand probably half an inch taller and it is much leaner compared to it. I definitely recommend this figure for its richness in detail and better articulation. Marvel Select figures comes cheap ranging between $20 to $26 bucks, so its not much of an acid burn in your wallet.

Batman: The Dark Knight Trilogy (Play Arts Kai)

Play Arts Kai Batman: The Dark Knight

Just looking at this new Play Arts Kai Batman figure out from its package gives me goosebumps; like he's actually here ready to bring some excitement with his crime-fighting skills as that music from the Dark Knight rises plays inside my head. I remember the same feeling when I watched the third movie in that scene where this dude finally showed up during a police chase on Bane's motorcycling henchmen. What excites me more with this action figure is the amount of details it has, laced with standard Play Arts Kai-style articulation. Everytime I get my hands around on any of these action figures from this toyline, I always get that positive feedback with less complains. And without further adieu, let's check this out.












Even with Batman's type of colour scheme, Play Arts helped this figure come alive by adding not just black, but a couple of different colours that have been useful with contrast. If you look closely, you'll see that the "blackness" on his bat suit is not purely black. Most parts are covered with some grayish paint that is close to being black. Batman's gloves and arm guards, however, are a clearer type of gray. There is some kind of a brownish paint sprayed around his chest area, while some are around his thighs. Moreover, there are some light touches of darker blue on those creases around his cape. And, of course, Batman got this gold/yellow belt, which seem to be the only thing that's shimmering behind all these darkness.

Looking at the sculpt on this figure, I can't complain anything with the head sculpt, body mass and proportion. It is all well balanced and highly detailed. Everything in his bat suit- from its outer layer to the inner layer are sculpted "movie-accurately"; reminds me of how well he engineered this suit along with his other bat gears. Speaking of design and engineering, Play Arts got one minor mistake, and that is the top part of his cape is not actually touching the shoulders; like it's hovering there and this is bad engineering right here. Furthermore, I wish the cape is a little smoother instead of having this rough and sandy look. But overall, the entire figure just looks amazing!

All of Batman's features are completely intact like these rows of shark fins at the side of the arm guards, the geometric patterns around his suit, and, most importantly, the things around his utility belt. Now the belt doesn't have removable parts. If only Play Arts made the belt better by having all these things hanging around completely removable, and having an actual holster for the grappling gun, this figure could have brushed me off my feet.

But Play Arts made up for it by giving Batman some decent amount of interchangeable hands to choose from. We have a pair of fisting hands, a grabbing hand, a pistol-gripping hand, a batarang hand, and last but not the least, a bomb-holding hand. And these hands goes right into these pegs on the wrists with ease and smoothness- something I  don't come across more often on figures with interchangeable parts. So... good job on this!

Certainly, we also got the weapons that goes with these hands. We got Batman's primary weapon, the batarang... and it's painted with gold and I'm not quite too impressed about it. It should be silver instead (don't remember if it's gold). Then we got this kick-ass weapon, the grappling gun that I like best of all his three weapons. And then the third ones are a couple of these hand grenades or smoke bombs or whatever it is, but one is sort of activated and the other one is armed and ready to be thrown. Fire in the hole!

Like every Play Arts Kai action figures, the Dark Knight Batman is highly poseable with a little pain in the butt. Batman's cape has a considerable weight in it enough to drag his upper torso down and back. And so I had a bit of a hard time keeping him at a desirable pose. One awesome thing about his cape is that it is attached to these ball-hinged joints at the back. So you can flip it up and somewhat get him do an aerial assault pose.

To name all joints, Batman got both ball-jointed articulation on the neck and just above his sternum. He's got armpit joints that lets him move his shoulders halfway to his chest. He also got swivel around the biceps, ball-hinged elbows and ball-hinged wrists. His torso has both diaphragm swivel and waist swivel. Ball-hinged and T-joints are incorporated on the hips. He got double-jointed extending knees, ball-hinged ankles with pivots.

Now for size comparison, and I know I shouldn't be doing this cause it'll just make me upset having to look something that this toyline shouldn't be doing. Someone should talk to them personally about how their action figures should have its height interrelating with each other. As to why they do that, I really don't know.

This action figure should get everyone's eyes bedazzled. For something that captures the likeness of Batman from the movie, deserves not just being in these geek talks, but also having to own one. Well, you might going to complain about the price but... hey, this is way way cheaper than the one from Hot Toys! Plus, this could serve as your memoir of the great Dark Knight Trilogy.

Captain America: Captain America- The Winter Soldier (Marvel Legends)

Marvel Legends Movie Captain America

With great amount of details and articulation, this action figure is easy to market just by having someone look at it. The fun part is... speaking its actual name/brand- "hi, let me introduce you to my Hasbro Marvel Legends Infinite Series Mandroid Build-A-Figure Wave Captain America: The Winter Soldier Movie Captain America!" It seems easy when you're just reading it but this meter-stick-long name is quite a mouthful. Released after the Marvel Now Captain America and his batch, the 2nd batch of this Wave, in which this version of Captain America is from, is the only batch with figures that are bound directly to the movie. Anytime soon, I'll be getting the Scarlett Johansson Black Widow and the movie Winter Soldier figure, which would ultimately have me complete my Mandroid BAF figure.











As far as the figure goes, I got nothing to say to it but praises! The only Hasbro Marvel Legends figure so far (in my opinion) that is painted and sculpted intricately while maintaining the decent amount of poseability it's known for. This movie Captain America features a little "shield-wielding" gimmick along with an ample amount of interchangeables- something that Hasbro could have done a long time ago. I will discuss about it further as I start with the paint/sculpt down to the articulation.

There is so much attention to the details. One thing I like about it mainly is the texturing. You can also see some smooth and glossy areas but it's his mesh-type of textured plastic that makes him visually dynamic. The silver star and stripes sculpted across his chest stands out because of the minor protrusion. And the neat sculpt on the belt as well as these geometric features over his suit makes him more stunning.

Hasbro Marvel Legends could sometimes deliver bad paint application but this figure is done well. It is not as detailed as with your Marvel Select figures but Cap is painted without any scratches and wears at least. He got these red streaks that run along at the side of his thighs and has the brown gloves and boots that he wears in the movie. You can also find some prints over his shoulders that says "Rogers" with the American flag. His blue suit suppose to look darker and more toned down if it wasn't for the lighting but again we see a simplistic type of paint work on this ML figure.

The new feature with the shield definitely made him 10% more impressive. Unlike the Marvel Now Cap or the Ultimate Captain America in which the shield just clips on to the wrist, this shield can actually be worn and strapped around his arm. How it works is that you pull one of his hands off, take the arm way under the straps and plug back the hand to secure the shield in place. It is really simple. Aside from his fisting hands, he comes with two different types of hands- one is the judo chopping or the saluting hand and the other one is the pointing hand or the nose mining hand as others jokingly calls it. And he also comes with an unmasked Steve Rogers head that looked nowhere near to the actor but still a well sculpted nice-looking head/face.

While sporting a much newer body mold, the articulation on this figure is comparable to that of the ML Marvel Black Panther or the ML Modern Hawkeye. He got a ball-joint at the neck that lets his head move up and down and rotate. He got ball-hinged shoulders, swivel to the bicep, double-jointed shoulders, and hinged wrists that rotate and flex. He got a nice ab crunch with a beautiful range of movement as well as rotation at the waist and a T-jointed hip. To his legs, he got rotation at the upper-thighs, double-jointed knees, rotation at the boot cut, ankle hinges and ankle pivot.

Size-compared to the ML Marvel Now Captain America, they stand almost the same. However, movie Cap's newly styled shield looks a lot bigger than his predecessor. Inspired by Col. Steve Rogers Captain America based off from the comics which also came out as an action figure in the Terrax Build-A-Figure, this new Cap can be used as a replacement for that comic-version that I just mentioned. Although people might prefer red, white and blue Captain America, but this figure is just as good as the standard.

Wasp Predator (NECA)

NECA Wasp Predator

The NECA Predator line keeps getting better and better with Predator figures each having their own unique features, outfits, and sometimes weaponry that almost have that "superhero-ish" type of vibe. Like if we look at something like a Boar Predator, its feature is far different from that of a Jungle Hunter or a Shaman Predator for example. Sometimes these Predators have their own themes like Nightstorm which has an Egyptian theme or Big Red which is inspired after a Samurai. All of which have their unique designs that keep fans intrigued and have them wonder what other stuff that NECA could come up with this toyline.














Predator fans may also influence this whole idea of variety. Like Big Red, the Wasp Predator is based from a fan made YouTube video, Batman: Dead End where you will see this dude standing side by side with Big Red and some unknown type of Predator during the closing credits. I really got no clue why they created such video; pitting Batman against Predators and Xenomorphs but whoever came up with this Wasp Predator concept should continue his/her contributions.

The black and yellow colour scheme worked! NECA did a fine job of translating this character into a 7-inch action figure. With colours resembling that of a real wasp, the Wasp Predator may deliver a stinging blow to its predecessors. Its bio-mask is strewed with brown and lower tones of yellow along with this black paint at the dome of the head that kind of forms the eyes of a wasp. In addition, it has this "camouflagic" look over its mask with all these streaks around. Wasp's skin pigmentation is nothing but typical. However, it has a brighter tone to it than the average. Its shoulder protectors, shin guards and gauntlets are just standard colours.

It's no surprise that they utilized Big Red's sculpt on Wasp, which is originally from the Jungle Hunter Predator. This body mold has been used over a dozen times and quite frankly, I got no issue with its sculpt. I wish NECA could have added the plasma cannon over its shoulder but I guess they have to be faithful to the video. Like most Predators, the wrist blades are housed at the right arm while around its shoulders are cables made of pliable plastic that bends as you move them.

Now the best part- the accessory! Having that sole purpose of annihilating all forms of Xenomorph life, the Wasp Predator means business. And by business, it means having a Xenomorph head mounted at the tip of a spear. This is probably the coolest Predator accessory I've ever seen. Adding the Xenomorph Warrior action figure into the mix creates a badass Alien vs. Predator scenario!

The articulation on Wasp goes the same with most Predator figures we had from this toyline. The neck is ball-jointed so the head can lean forward and back but with some major limits as well as with the rotation. There are no bicep swivels, only single-jointed rotating elbows and ball-jointed rotating wrists. I wish we would see an ab crunch someday with these figures but for now we will have to deal with the limited articulation on his torso. It got a T ball-jointed hips, upper-thigh rotations, double-jointed knees and hinged-ankles with no ankle rockers.

The Wasp Predator stands at the same height and scale with our Big Red Predator. What truly impressed me with this figure is its unique colour scheme that turned out very well. Some avid fans may not like it due to the fact that it strays from what we normally think of Predators but, again, this is probably recommended only for guys who are huge Predator collectors.

Captain America: The First Avenger (Marvel Select)

Marvel Select Captain America: The First Avenger

I am actually surprised by the things I can do (poseability wise) with this Marvel Select Captain America: The First Avenger Movie. The fact that Marvel Select action figures aren't really notable for their amount of articulation and poseability (the ability to pose), the MS Captain America stood above our expectation.

MS Captain America got the articulation you need for you to come up with some stunningly dynamic poses. Here is a list of his articulation:

• Ball-hinged neck
• Diaphragm swivel
• Ball-hinged shoulders
• Single-jointed elbows
• Wrist rotations
• Ball-hinged hips
• Upper thigh swivel
• Double-jointed knees
• Ankle swivel (moves up and down)

 Although he is missing ankle rockers and waist swivel, I think he had enough hinges and joints for me to get Cap pose like what he does in the comic books.

I like how I can have him do his epic moves like the "shield bash," the "shield throw," and the "get-behind-the-shield" while shooting and charging. Cap got this holster for his gun just molded over his right leg. His main weapon, the shield, is made of a softer plastic material so it looked a little bendy on mine.

The sculpt and paint detail is what seperates Marvel Select from other brands. We can see some shading going on over Cap's red, white and blue uniform, and his belt, straps, gloves and boots got some really fine detail on it; making it more real-looking.

Moreover, he stands somewhere around 6.75 inches. He is much bigger and heavier than some of the Marvel Legends action figures. With this size, you can actually appreciate the detail on Cap's paint and sculpt more than smaller figures once you put them on the shelf.

MS Captain America, ML Steve Rogers & ML Bucky Cap

With some decent articulation along with this statue-like appearance, I say you gotta have the Marvel Select Captain America: The First Avenger in your collection.

Hawkeye: The Avengers (Hasbro)

Hawkeye: Avengers Movie by Hasbro

This Jeremy Renner, ...I mean rather, Hawkeye by Hasbro or Marvel Legends (for that matter) almost... and I mean almost hit all the marks on those aspects you want to have in an action figure. Sculpt and paint detail- check! Articulation- check! But playability?... now this here got some major and totally unacceptable issue- no arrows!




















I thought maybe I overlooked it when I unboxed this figure or someone was messing around with my stuff, but evidence just leads to no arrows for this Hawkeye figure. I heard a suggestion that you can use the Green Arrow's arrows for this guy but I don't frickin collect DC action figures, man! So maybe I'll just innovate and see what scraps I could find in my room.

Anyways, lets move on with his amazing head sculpt. Hasbro just captured all of Jeremy Renner's head and facial features in the Avengers movie. It's like they casted and blow dried Renner's entire head, and shrunked the porcelainized piece ready to be created into clones of little Jeremy Renners. I like that they gave him the sunglasses. I think he looks cooler having it than without it. This action figure stands about 6.2 inches tall; really in good scale with other Marvel Legends figures. He's got that really pure violet colour on those fingers and across his torso. I think maybe they could tone down that colour a little bit so it doesn't look cartoonish, but it doesn't bother me.

"At night, my black arrows fly into the air unseen."

Hawkeye features some great amount of articulation, and that means great poseability! His articulation includes the diaphragm swivel, double-jointed elbows and knees. My favourite ankle rockers are in here! He's got hinges to the wrists and ankles that can move forward and back. Head can move side to side and forward to back. Although, I still want that waist swivel but I can't complain since I can pose him the way I want him.


His quiver is removable and it's actually hallow inside, but there's no entry at the top where you can shove some arrows. I guess that explains why they didn't give him the arrows. But overall, I like this figure and I wish the Marvel Legends Classic Hawkeye that's coming out next year will be better than this one.

Boar Predator (NECA)

NECA Boar Predator

So here it is- a Predator action figure (finally) from NECA, and this is the first action figure from this toyline ever being posted in this blog. I'm not really into collecting NECA figures but I guess there is that little exception, especially if it's something you've always been a fan of... like the Predator! If you've never had any figures from McFarlane Toys or NECA, then you should know that in the sculpt and paint app department, they are unbeatable; not even my Marvel Selects could come any near to the enormous amount of details these figures have.














Though basically all these Predators looked almost the same, and perhaps use the same type of gadgets and weaponry, this Boar Predator (and I honestly don't know which Predator movie he came from) is my least favourite maybe because of the design on his mask and the way these spots around his skin are being placed. It's kinda funny how we can identify each Predators basing from their masks, and skin pigmentations or spots somewhat like fingerprints. Every Predator should wear mask different from one another; guess that's just part of their "Predator culture".

To start with, we always want to zero in right away on the mask 'cause this is what the Predator is famous for along with that Whoopi Goldberg-hairstyle. On its wide forehead, you see this bronze paint being applied on top of these two indented domes, which gives the Boar Predator his unique feature. Then you have these hair clips hanging all over his hair each painted with either silver, bronze or copper. His back is all covered with crimson down to the butt, but when you look at the front, this is where you see a variety of pigmentations. The Boar Predator has his armour and weapon (has only one), of course, all painted with metallic silver.

The sculpt is equally amazing as the paint! Holes, dimples and scratch marks can be seen all over this Predator's mask, shoulder guards, wrist bands and shin guards; looking like he has gone through rough hunting. That epic hair is made of a softer plastic, so it actually wiggles everytime you shake his head and it doesn't hinder with head movement. Like most Predators, he has this fish net molded and indented around his torso and legs. And with a well-proportioned body mold, this Predator can easily become one of those head turners on my display.

Moving on to accessories, some of these gadgets and paraphernalias are just less exciting and less playable, and I'm just bummed knowing that you can't remove the mask... and there's no shoulder cannon! Predators should have shoulder cannons- these are their bread and butter in every hunting field they're in. This dude only comes with the disc, which is, in my opinion, one of the coolest weapons ever created in Hollywood. Then, of course, you got the disc holster glued at the thigh, which holds his weapon as you latch it in. With an awesome weapon, comes "trophies" and this Predator is actually wearing them around his chest.

Surprisingly, the articulation on this guy is not as bad as I've thought. I must admit that I'm always geared to thinking that the more detailed an action figure is, the less they become poseable, and I was eating my words the moment I played with its articulation. This action figure got ankle pivots- ankle pivots that Diamond Select can't incorporate with some of their own action figures. To give a complete count, the Boar Predator has ball-jointed neck, ball-hinged shoulders, single-jointed elbows, ball-hinged wrists, waist swivel, ball-jointed hips, double-jointed knees and ball-hinged ankles.

So standing next to an average Marvel Legends figure, this guy is a little on the larger scale and neither Legends or Select would be compatible with this guy. But probably with other NECA toys, he'll be in perfect scale with them. Now should I recommend? Why yes, of course! With some decent articulation and a huge huge amount aesthetic details, I say grab this one and the rest of these NECA Predators.