The 1986 film Aliens introduced the M577 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC for short). The APC is a semi-compact ground transportation vehicle, that can function as a simple transport, or as a mobile combat station. While it is a heavily armored vehicle, the APC is also capable of high speeds, providing quick escapes from situations that prove less than favorable. The interior can accommodate numerous soldiers and officers, and features a full arsenal of weapons. It’s design allows it to travel on a number of terrains thanks to it’s oversized wheel construction. The APC features a retractable heavy turret on the roof of the vehicle, as well as a smaller turret mounted on the front-end. The APC became an instant fan favorite design, and remains one of the most recognizable vehicles in the entire franchise.
Hiya Toys has been producing 3.75″ scaled figures based on SEGA’s 2013 video game Aliens: Colonial Marines. Back in 2016, they revealed plans to release an in-scale APC. Initial pre-orders didn’t meet expectations, and the vehicle was quietly shelved. But fan requests seemed to great to ignore, and in early 2018, Hiya announced the APC would indeed see a release, but with bit of a price hike to cover costs. Some fans have begun to receive their orders, with the majority shipping out soon. Hiya was kind enough to send the vehicle over for us to check out!
The APC is still available to pre-order at a number of retailers. It’s priced at approximately $300. After the jump, you can find my review, as well as a high resolution photo gallery.
Pre-order links: Big Bad Toy Store ($289.99) • Entertainment Earth ($299.99 with Free Shipping) • Megalopolis Toys ($289.99)
Aliens: Colonial Marines – Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) 3.75″ Scale Vehicle by Hiya Toys
Pros
- Outstanding sculpted details
- Great paint applications
- Features working lights (batteries included)
- Easy to access the interior
- Can hold over a dozen figures
- Can store weapons on the rack
- Rooftop turret can slide to the back of the APC
Cons
- The console lights aren’t bright enough to see the monitor details
- Price can be a tough sell
Overall
The APC comes packaged in a simple black box. There just a bit of lettering to indicate the packages contents, along with general Hiya Toys info on the back of the box. Inside, the vehicle sits on a foam clamshell tray. The vehicle itself is fully assembled, and pretty much ready for display. There are a few plastic tabs that will need to be removed so that the electronics work. Included with the APC is a single Colonial Marine. After talking with others who had received the vehicle, I can confirm the figure included would appear to be random. Mine included Private Redding, while others included Captain Cruz or Private Clarison. Those figures do include a weapon and figure stand.
Right out of the packaging, it’s hard not to be impressed by the APC. While I didn’t compare it directly to film or stills of the game, in my initial impression it looked spot on to what I remembered. The sculpt is is sharp, with nice clean edges, and a great attention to detail. The APC was fairly sleek, and that comes across perfectly here. Access panels, doors, lights, windows all feature a bit of extra detail work. The APC has front end lights that work, as does the light on the roof. The light is fairly bright. The rooftop turret can rotate left and right, and you can slide it along the track and set it on the back of the vehicle. The turret on the front can also rotate. The door on the passenger side slides open, and there’s a small access panel by the drivers side.
Inside, however, is where the APC really shines. To get to the interior, you can unfold the back end of the APC and you can remove the canopy completely. Both snap in tightly, so you may just need to use a little force to open them up. The control panels, navigation systems, monitoring station, weapons rack and seats all look outstanding up close. The monitoring station and the navigation panels both light up, but they aren’t quite as bright as the exterior lights. The restraining bars on the seats can be adjusted, the seat for the monitors slides back and forth, and the accelerator stick is movable. The weapons rack can hold the plasma rifles as well as the flame throwers. Figures fit into the seats with no trouble, and between the chairs and overall room, you could fit about 12 figures in there.
The vehicle is quite large, measuring about 16″ front to back, about 4″ wide, and a little over 5″ tall (not including the turret), so it’s going to take up some prime real estate on your shelf or display. The vehicle uses a harder, but light eight plastic for the construction. It’s extremely sturdy, with none of the panels feeling brittle in any way. That’s doubly important here, as there’s a lot of moving and removable pieces that will require a little force to adjust. In general, the construction is nice and solid.
The APC is mainly a dark metallic gray, with some lighter flecks mixed in for a more authentic look. Along the bottom of the vehicle, and on the tires, there’s a a bit of mud splatter, which is a mix of tans and browns. It may be just a bit overdone on the wheels, but it still look good overall. The interior basically uses the same metallic gray paint, with smaller details painted on the various consoles. The monitors use translucent plastic, and there’s fully detailed displays on them, though they are a bit tough to see.
The biggest issue is going to be price for a lot of collectors. At roughly $300, this is not an impulse buy. It’s up to you to decide if that’s a price you can be ok with. What I will say, is the APC looks excellent in person and has a great feel to it, with a strong build quality. Those that do pick this up are going to find a lot to like. With the APC, Hiya has their best release to date. Check out a selection of photos below, and the full gallery after that.
