The Predator - Lab Escape Fugitive Predator and Emissary Predator II - Toyark Photo Shoot - The Toyark

NECA Emissary 2 and Lab Escape Predators 057

The two newest additions to NECA’s The Predator (2018) collection will be hitting stores soon. The latest figures are the Lab Escape Fugitive Predator, and the Emissary Predator 2. With the second Emissary Predator, you have a militarized Predator from a deleted scene from the film. It includes swap out hands, a masked and unmasked portrait, and a rifle. The Lab Escape Fugitive Predator is the armor-less version of the figure. It includes a new unmasked head, a light up LED masked head, a mask accessory, multiple interchangeable hands, a machine gun, and a shuriken.

Our friends at NECA have provided us with both figures for a review. After the jump, check out the full photo gallery and my thoughts on each.

The Predator (2018) – Lab Escape Fugitive Predator and Emissary Predator II 7″ Scale Figures by NECA Toys

Pros

LED Mask on Lab Escape Predator is awesome
Can use LED Mask on standard Fugitive Predator
Great articulation on both figures
Nice sculpt work all around
Emissary 2 has a lot of differences compared to the first
Paint work is solid on both releases

Cons

Shoulders on Emissary 2 seem a but hindered by the armor sculpt

Overall
Each figure is packed in a collector friendly flapped window box. The Lab Escape Predator uses one of the films posters for the front, while the emissary uses a photo of the figure. Each sits on a plastic tray, with a few twist ties used to keep them in place. Nothing too surprising here, and they fit in perfectly with previous releases from the film.

The Lab Escape Fugitive Predator, or the Naked Predator, as some are calling him, has a real solid assortment of accessories. The light up eyes on the masked portrait are sure to be the highlight for most buyers. The red light is surprisingly bright, and is easily visible, even in bright daylight. The top of the mask is removable, revealing the electronics inside. The light is turned on when you press in the targeting system on the side of the helmet. Thankfully, the neck joints are the same with the previous Fugitive, and you can pop this mask on him. The unmasked head here is also different than the original Fugitive release, as the mandibles are closed here. Again, you can swap between the two figures if you would like. The other accessories are ok. The mask accessory features battle damage, and the machine gun is a nice touch. The included hands swap out without, and the heads are noticeably easier to change out. It’s definitely odd, though, to have a Predator this stripped down, and it makes the creature look very thin. However, the articulation benefits a bit, as there’s less to get in the way of the range of motion.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the initial Emissary Predator. As a figure, the overall look worked surprisingly well. The same applies here, and this may be the better of the two. While I enjoy the purple paint scheme of Emissary 1, I think the head sculpt on Emissary 2 looks even better. The blue and tan paint job works nicely with the camo uniform, and the overall paint is crisp and clean. Aside from the new head and paint scheme, you will notice the gauntlet arm is switched from the right arm to the left, adding a little variety between the two. The figure includes the same swap out parts as Emissary 1, and the hands and heads both swap out with no issues. Oddly, the shoulders seem to have a bit of a tougher time raising up. Seemed like there was a bit more tension than in the Emissary 1 figure. Otherwise, there were no problems I encountered.

Overall, this is a solid final release from The Predator 2018 (if that happens to be the case). The Lab Escape Fugitive becomes a worthwhile buy thanks to some solid accessories, especially the LED helmeted portrait. The Emissary Predator 2 is a nice complimentary figure to the first. Check out some select photos below, and the full gallery after that.

Some of the backgrounds featured in pics below are from Extreme-Sets.com. Enter code TOYARK at checkout and get 15% off your order!