Today I’m taking a look at the NECA Aliens Series 3 Bishop action figure that is starting to show up at toy stores and specialty shops. Last month I had the opportunity to review the other human figure in the line, Kane with facehugger. You can check out the review here.
It has been an awesome year for fans of the Aliens franchise, especially with it being the 35th Anniversary of the original film. Though Bishop wasn’t a part of that movie, this latest series from NECA focuses on three characters from the first three films, the last being the dog alien from Alien 3. So how does Bishop score when put to the test? Let’s find out.
Lance Bishop was a Hyperdyne Systems model 341-B Synthetic technician with the United States Colonial Marine Corps, assigned to 2nd Battalion Bravo Team. He served as Executive Officer aboard the USS Sulaco, and as such was part of the combat unit deployed to LV-426 in 2179, to investigate the sudden loss of contact with the colony of Hadley’s Hope. He was subsequently involved in combating the Xenomorph infestation at the colony.
As a technician, Bishop was not part of the squad’s combat personnel, although he used his non-combat skills to aid in the escape of the survivors from the colony. He survived the incident along with Ellen Ripley, Corporal Hicks and Rebecca Jorden, although he was seriously damaged and later deactivated at his own request.
Via: Xenopedia
The packaging is the standard Aliens clam shell that we saw in the previous series’, and each card is affiliated with the movie that the action figure is taken from. I love the attention to detail that NECA puts into their packaging, especially when it comes to the Aliens and Predators lines.
Bishop stands at 6 1/2 inches tall and will fit in with most of your other action figures around this scale.
The team at NECA really did an excellent job with sculpting the likeness of this figure to actor Lance Henriksen. It is almost uncanny how accurate the work is, right down to the all of the familiar details of the actor. There was always something unique about the wrinkles on Henriksen’s face and all of these are very well done.
Speaking of detail, I love how well this figure is done overall. His blue utility jumpsuit is perfect and the paint and sculpt add a ton of depth to the figure; from his shoes, wrist watch, to the USS Sulaco patch on his sleeve. NECA could have easily just slapped something simple on there, but they took the time to put in the details and this is greatly appreciated! The work on his shoes alone is amazing and there is some great sculpting where his pant leg meets his shoes. Like I said, this figure is excellently detailed for a collectible at this scale. These are the kind of things that put NECA at the top of the action figure market.
Accessory-wise Bishop comes packed with an alternative hand, knife, and flashlight. The hand is sculpted to hold the knife, so you can recreate the famous scene with your Hudson figure. The flashlight has some nice detail and glows nicely under certain camera conditions, emulating the light from the object.
Articulation is near perfect, with my only complaint being the way they sculpted where his arms meet the body. His shoulder comes to a point and it inhibits certain motion such as putting Bishop’s arms straight up. The body is done in more of a soft plastic, for example, the pelvic area is definitely softer and allows for more motion, and it’s too bad they couldn’t do the same for the shoulders. Lack of motion in the torso is a little surprising, but may have taken away from the overall presentation of the figure. But these are really my only “complaints”, other than that you can pose the figure very well. Here’s what you get for articulation:
– ball-joined head
– ball-hinged shoulders
– ball-hinged elbows, ball-hinged wrists (side-side swivel)
– ball-hinged hips
– swivel-hinged knees, and ball-hinged ankles
NECA’s Bishop action figure is a home run in my book, especially considering that it will run you around 19 bucks. A near-perfect action figure that looks this amazing for that price? Anyday!
I hope that NECA continues to deliver these amazing, accurate figures based on the many characters from this franchise. When it comes to Aliens, there are only so many Xeno’s you can sculpt, so I imagine it is pretty important for NECA to acquire as many likeness rights to the actors as possible. With the Queen being released recently as well, I wonder if we will see a “ravaged” Bishop sometime down the line. That would be a pretty neat sculpt! Next up: Dallas and Ripley figures (Series 4), both of which look amazing!
Head on over to the official NECA website for more information on all of their collectibles. You can also order Aliens Series 3 directly from Toys R Us right now!
