Predator 2 – Ultimate Stalker Predator Figure by NECA – Toyark Photo Shoot

The upgraded Stalker Predator figure is in stores now, and today I’m happy to share my gallery and impressions of the figure. Part of the Lost Tribe that was introduced in Predator 2. The Stalker Predator is part of NECA’s 30th Anniversary celebration of Predator 2. Originally released back in 2012, the Stalker Predator figure has received a pretty big upgrade. The figure now utilizes the upgraded Ultimate body, with about 30 points of articulation. The figure has new armor pieces, interchangeable portraits, and a good mix of accessories.

Our friends at NECA have sent over the figure to check out. After the jump, you can see the photos and my thoughts on the release. If you’d like to pick up the figure, consider checking out our sponsors below who still have the Stalker Predator available.

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Predator 2 – Ultimate Stalker Predator 7″ Scale Figure by NECA

Pros

• Strong sculpt work
• Good mix of hands
• Masked and unmasked portraits are always welcome
• Nice paint work
• No issues with joints

Cons

• Not much new with accessories
• The extended combi stick is packed in a way that will lead to breakages

Overall
The figure is packed in a collector friendly flapped window box. The front of the packaging includes another fantastic piece of art by Tristan Jones, who previously worked on Aliens and Predator comics for Dark Horse Comics. The figure includes masked and unmasked portraits, multiple interchangeable hands, two smart discs, collapsed and expanded combi sticks, a firing effect, a removable plasmacaster, a skull, and a removable gauntlet.

This is another solid upgrade to an older figure. The original Stalker Predator used one of NECA’s oldest Predator body styles, and had really limited articulation and range of motion. The new version is a vast improvement in that realm. Like all of their recent releases, this has double jointed knees and elbows, a ball jointed torso, and other small changes. Everything looks really good in-hand, and I didn’t run into any quality control issues with the joints. Paint work is handled well, and nothing jumped out as being problematic there. Hands and both portraits swapped out without any trouble, and I never had to break out a hairdryer or warm water to remove or attach the pieces. The armor pieces are a softer plastic that allows for full range of motion, and I’m always thankful for a Predator design without tubes or wires connecting to different pieces of the armor.

The has a nice range of swap out parts and accessories. Including masked and unmasked portraits is a plus, and the different hands work well to hold the different weapons. The Plasmacaster snaps onto the figures back, and having that as a removable piece is welcome, as the figure looks fine with or without it. We have seen most of these pieces multiple times before though, across a number of releases. While I understand there’s a relative sameness to the Predator movie designs, it does start to feel a little stale seeing the same hands, smart discs, combi sticks, skulls, and blast effects included time and again. Also, the way the extended combi stick is packed is problematic. The packaging has a small hole that one of the slim ends is pushed through. However, the the thin extensions on the combi sticks are prone to snapping, and this one snapped as I was attempting to fish it out of the plastic. A dab of super glue fixed it as it was a clean break, but it’s an issue I’ve seen a few people run into already.

If you have the original Stalker Predator in your collection, then I definitely recommend upgrading. With a strong sculpt, solid paint work, and plenty of articulation, the Stalker Predator is an improvement over the original release in just about every way (as it should be). It’s another good addition to the Predator line up, even if some of the accessories are bit overused. Check out a selection of images below, and the full gallery after that.

CompaniesNECA
CharactersStalker Predator
Scale7 Inch

TagsFeatured NECA Toy Galleries

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