[Joe Moore]

Prey - Feral Predator Figure by NECA

[Raine24]

It's a trip that the best Predator sequel got the most baffling face redesign. This is a figure meant to have the helmet permanently glued down for sure.

[Solrac333]

I don't have any NECA Predator figures. I don't want to go down this rabbit hole so THIS is the one I will get.

[DubCheezy]

That is one ugly mother...

[ghostbogey]

Never watched..
The Show...

Now I can see why...
IMHO of course ;^)

[Boogieman4hire]

Very nice but I'll have to hold off until they show a Naru.

[Harbinger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boogieman4hire

Very nice but I'll have to hold off until they show a Naru.

Why would you wait on a bottle of hair remover?

[snake5289]

Geez I forgot how terrible the unnecessary face redesign was. Shame since he was an awesome new Predator.

[Skoob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by snake5289

Geez I forgot how terrible the unnecessary face redesign was. Shame since he was an awesome new Predator.

I agree. In retrospect, the original predator character design was a clever mix of futuristic tech, primevil savagery and a recognizable code of conduct. The 2022 version, on the other hand, seems more crude, more weird, less familiar, the goal apparently being to make it more menacing -- and while some may consider it a success, I don't, and I don't want it on my shelf. I really liked the original, the facial features and chrome helmet especially. It was brilliant. The 2022 movie really spoiled that.

Addendum: A neat premise for another movie might be to explain how the predators acquired their technology. Such savagery seems inconsistent with the kind of social development that would be required to develop high tech. Maybe the predators were originally a slave race, designed for field operations by a comparatively less aggressive race of technological superiors...? One of the few good things about the 2010 movie was the depiction of additional races airdropped into the hunting preserve. What is the history of their interaction?

[Raine24]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skoob

A neat premise for another movie might be to explain how the predators acquired their technology. Such savagery seems inconsistent with the kind of social development that would be required to develop high tech.

I figure it's no different than human sports hunting. We've come up with incredible technology, from computers to medicine to rocketry. I mean, we regularly go into space, but then turn around and blast holes in "lesser" creatures so we can hang their heads on a wall. The predator is basically a yuppie DDS on a poaching trip to shoot tigers from the back of an armored truck.

And yes, I know there's an argument to be made regarding the fact they clearly recognize humans as sentient, sapient creatures, but then many of us have also managed to convince ourselves that fellow sentient, sapient humans are inferior and not truly human and can be treated without regard. :/

[Kernel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raine24

It's a trip that the best Predator sequel got the most baffling face redesign. This is a figure meant to have the helmet permanently glued down for sure.

You liked prey better than Predator 2? Agreed about the face on the feral predator was lame

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raine24

I figure it's no different than human sports hunting. We've come up with incredible technology, from computers to medicine to rocketry. I mean, we regularly go into space, but then turn around and blast holes in "lesser" creatures so we can hang their heads on a wall. The predator is basically a yuppie DDS on a poaching trip to shoot tigers from the back of an armored truck.

And yes, I know there's an argument to be made regarding the fact they clearly recognize humans as sentient, sapient creatures, but then many of us have also managed to convince ourselves that fellow sentient, sapient humans are inferior and not truly human and can be treated without regard. :/

Yep I remember seeing videos of seal clubbing back in grade school and yeah we are not far off from the feral predator. The video of Lapierre shooting an elephant was something else recently as well

[snake5289]

I thought Prey was solid but I didn't like it nearly as much as Predator 2 and Predators.

[ronriii]

Really excited for this one, and it felt like such a long time since they teased this. That said, while I don't like it, I can't really hate the face when it reminds me of a lot of stylized/off-model art from various Predator comics except now it's actually been canonized. The bone mask design is amazing though, and I'll definitely be displaying it that way.

EDIT - Doing some more research, it seems that the artist behind the design basically describes this as a different subspecies that's more acclimated to a desert environment vs the original being more aquatic and suitable for a tropical climate.

[Skoob]

You guys make interesting points.

I perceive that humanity has suffered for a long time at the hands of a class of people who fit the description of predators, truly lacking empathy and conscience, surrounded by a caste of minions whose worst characteristics are enabled by complementary personality types and social structures, trauma, rewards, indoctrination, stupidity and circumstances.

Under better conditions, given the opportunity, I believe that most of us would prefer to get along and show reasonable compassion and respect toward others and the universe at large. We operate in pathological, exploitative ways in order to survive in a society that is pathological and exploitative.

It's hardly accidental. Consider how crises are weaponized. Think of how many truly awful, degrading things are produced by Hollywood: it's called "programming" for a reason. Mass media is an instrument for socialization, entrenchment and control. People of conscience who aspire to make a better world would never produce most modern "entertainment."

Fortunately, the situation is changing, don't you think? We see evidence of corruption being exposed, and structures that enable it on the verge of collapse. There's a sense that "Covid" was a kind of last straw. We stand on the verge of a mass awakening. Maybe humanity is finally breaking free of the elite predators. Near-term disruption and human cost notwithstanding, I feel very optimistic for the future.

[TheBlueMarvel]

I enjoyed reading the thoughtfulness on display in this thread. It was a nice start to the day and I've some perspectives to think about. There is a conversation worth having about the short cuts Hollywood takes that don’t necessarily solve any of the problems the industry is supposedly addressing between cultures. Additionally, social media, how it’s used, how it’s abused and its impact is absolutely something humanity needs to come to grips with as the potential for worldwide peril is real.

On Topic: I liked this Predator movie, but agree that the face redesign seemed unnecessary; different just for the sake there of. That said, I still think the figure, as a whole, looks good.

[lordbest]

I'll buy this in the hope it encourages them to make Naru. Prey is on par with Predator 2 as my favourite Predator sequel. I don't like the face redesign either but it's not like it's replacing the iconic style of face.

[Dr Kain]

That has got to be the ugliest looking Predator I have ever seen and that is saying something. o_O

[Raine24]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kernel

You liked prey better than Predator 2? Agreed about the face on the feral predator was lame

I have a bunch of issues with Predator 2. Some of it's the editing, some of it's the story, but a lot of it is just the characters and bizarre acting choices. Plus all the badly looped dialogue of everyone speaking in whispers despite clearly speaking normally makes the whole thing just feel weird and unreal makes it really hard for me to suspend disbelief when watching it. That said, the new Pred tech is awesome, the concept of the cold-blooded creature going to a city under a heat wave is a sharp way to move locations, and the expansion of the universe is cool thanks to the trophy case and flintlock. And Kevin Peter Hall is still the best in the suit.

AVP 1&2 are trash, and Predators was a nifty idea that got buried under unlikable characters, bad effects, and meandering "plot" that I couldn't engage with. Never saw The Predator, and probably won't.

But Prey? It's got a grounded, relatable set-up in a rarely seen world built around an actual human character, like, a real person with totally understandable goals and desires and frustrations, that has to work hard to achieve anything in the story and you want to see succeed. And the movie gets how to build up "bad guys" that aren't cartoon characters, but then also straight-up Bad Guys that you're just dying to see get what they deserve. The Predator's shift from antagonist to nigh-antihero by placing such awful people between the villain and the lead helps the movie to change gears and tone, build up audience anticipation for something new, and keep itself interesting without losing track of what it's doing or introducing some pointless twist.

And I dig that the Predator's tech is so toned down from what we've seen. Whether that's a reflection of where the species is technologically at that time, or indicative of it stripping its equipment down to better match the local population, I don't know. But I also like that I don't know. It's a cool when a movie can have the audience ask questions because they want to know more rather than trying to figure what the hell just happened, you know?

[Skoob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raine24

It's a cool when a movie can have the audience ask questions because they want to know more rather than trying to figure what the hell just happened, you know?

BOOM! Nailed it.

[Maboroshi]

Does anybody here own this figure that could provide me with a specific measurement of how tall it is? "7 inch scale" does not necessarily equal seven inches.

[En Sabah Nerd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maboroshi

Does anybody here own this figure that could provide me with a specific measurement of how tall it is? "7 inch scale" does not necessarily equal seven inches.

It's just shy of 9" tall which is about where it should be in its scale.

[Maboroshi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by En Sabah Nerd

It's just shy of 9" tall which is about where it should be in its scale.

Thanks for your response. I'm trying to compare scale of different figures to full size, so exact measurements would help if possible. Would you say it's closer to...8 and 3/4? Perhaps 8 and 7/8?

At these small sizes, little variations become a lot after multiplication. I believe "7 inch scale" times 10.286 should equal full 1:1, right?

[En Sabah Nerd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maboroshi

Thanks for your response. I'm trying to compare scale of different figures to full size, so exact measurements would help if possible. Would you say it's closer to...8 and 3/4? Perhaps 8 and 7/8?

At these small sizes, little variations become a lot after multiplication. I believe "7 inch scale" times 10.286 should equal full 1:1, right?

The measurement I got was between 8+7/8 and 9 inches. I'm not being totally scientific here (can't guarantee the ruler's properly perpendicular to the shelf) and the legs on mine aren't exactly straight because he looked odd to me standing like that but the stance barely reduces his height.

[Maboroshi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by En Sabah Nerd

The measurement I got was between 8+7/8 and 9 inches. I'm not being totally scientific here (can't guarantee the ruler's properly perpendicular to the shelf) and the legs on mine aren't exactly straight because he looked odd to me standing like that but the stance barely reduces his height.

Thank you!