Sci-fi Revoltech Alien Part 3 [Final]

Excellent details negate weaknesses in articulation
More images of Sci-fi Revoltech No. 001 Alien after the few ones shown in the previous posting.























Definitely not as agile and articulated as all the previous Revoltech figures reviewed on this blog, but articulation isn't what I'm looking for on this figure. The excellent sculpt details and paint work as mentioned yesterday are the real focus actually. Also, the articulation is not that good, but it's not bad per se, evidenced from the many action poses shown in this and the previous posting. Furthermore, as mentioned in Part 1, the creature didn't really move that much in the movie anyway, so limited articulation seems like a realistic realization of its image from the movie, even more better design would be desirable. ^^

On the other hand, the price of 2,850 Yen (inclusive of tax) for all the awesome details made Sci-fi Revoltech Alien seems like a really great bargain in my opinion. ^^

Some comments on the weaknesses of the articulation:


Even though there are 2 Revoltech joints inside the body, the bony parts on the spine prevents the figure from bending its body backward. So it's all forward bending only for it as shown in the previous posting.


The protruding part behind the neck is fixed, which is a major blockage for the head's movement. The figure cannot be posed tilting its head upward when it's facing the front at all. This limitation can be bypassed by turning the head to the side, avoiding the protruding part, but still ...


... the neck is too short to really allow the head to be adjusted upward anyway. ^^;
A small double Revoltech joint is not adequate for the task I would say. ^^;
The spine and the neck are two major limitations observed, but almost all the major joints are placed in really tight spots that limit their articulation range to some degree. To some extent, I think that the designer was trying to conceal all the joints used, or at least make them less visible by designing the parts around the joints to somewhat wrap around them. The most obvious ones would be the hip and knee joints: when the figure is posed standing straight, the Revoltech joints for those two areas are hidden pretty well. Very good for display, but not so good for articulation. ^^;

Weaknesses aside, the really awesome movable part on the figure is the tail. ^^


Made of soft plastic, the tail can be bent freely, and the motion created can be maintained as well. ^^ No joint used at all, but it moves so well. ^^


Not a movable component, but the egg's details are too awesome to have to be shown and talked about again. ^^



Realistic texture on semi-transparent material with gradient paint work for the body of the egg, organic-looking details of the base and the interior of the egg, and glossy paint done for the blood splash. I'll use the same comment I made in the posting yesterday: Disgusting but beautiful ^^
Like I said in Part 1 of this review series, I have very high regard for this figure. Priced and released as a regular action figure, but the quality presented really surpassed most regular action figures in my opinion. It's a really awesome item, and I really like it very much. ^^

In the words of Chris Walas, "Really cool!" ^^


Image is from this previous posting.
All reviews on Sci-fi Revoltech Alien:
Part 1: Big Chap in small scale
Part 2: Shininess for the sliminess; Glossiness for the grossness
Part 3 [Final]: Excellent details negate weaknesses in articulation

View full gallery:
Sci-fi Revoltech Alien

Sci-fi Revoltech Alien Part 2

Shininess for the sliminess; Glossiness for the grossness
It's standing! It's standing! ^^

A whole bunch of images of Sci-fi Revoltech No. 001 Alien after the introduction yesterday.





















The slot on the heel can be used to connect to the peg on the display base for added stability in certain poses.

The details presented on this figure are absolutely awe-inspiring. The overall figure is not just a loyal realization of the design shown in the original movie, but it reveals so much more details I never knew about the creature. Those tiny protruding segments that stretch from the spine to the tip of the tail, the rib cage, the complex pattern of the abdomen, the details beneath the skull cap and many other tiny components are just brilliant designs.

The paint job is absolutely stunning as well. The glossiness of the overall paint job is just the right formula to bring out the feeling of the creature as seen in the movie. The teeth are painted in shiny silver to realize the impression of the mouth filled with saliva - that's one important image I was hoping to see on the figure, and Kaiyodo did it just nice. ^^ Apart from the shininess, gradient paint is applied to many parts, including the semi-transparent skull cap, the tubes on the back and areas next to the joints. For a creature that seems like it's totally black when I first watched it, the quality of the paint job done on the figure really surpassed my expectation, which is totally awesome. Then again, the gradient paint isn't there just to make it look better, they do help in creating a much stronger image of the creature. The gradient of the skull cap makes the empty eye sockets beneath it even more menacing, and the gradient of the tubes on the back and around the joints makes those components seem like soft parts.

It's a hideous-looking creature that was such a nightmare for me when I was a kid, but the figure turns out to be such a beauty to look at. ^^

A look at all the accessories included:


Beside RevolContainer, RevolChip, nameplate and display base, the Facehugger and Alien egg are the only items that are really related to the figure.


The sculpt details and paint job done for the Alien egg, a fixed item, is totally on par with the quality of the main character of the package. ^^


Gradient paint on the semi-transparent part looks really good.



Disgusting but beautiful ^^


Nothing to see on the bottom.


The infamous Facehugger ^^;



It might seems like a fixed item molded entirely in flesh color at first glance, but apart from those carefully painted tiny blood vessels (?) on the body, when you turn it around, ...



... Yuck!


Awesome sculpt details and paint work on this small item as well, but I cannot imagine how the designer lived through eating and dreaming such details when it was decided that a Facehugger was to be included as one of the accessories. ^^;


The tip of the tail can be inserted into the "blood splash" inside the egg.



The leap of death! ^^



Customized display base for Sci-fi Revoltech, evidenced by the details molded beneath the base.
The nameplate printed with the character's name and origin movie can be connected to the base.


The very generic RevolContainer and RevolChip.
Going back to the figure, here are some action poses plus information about its articulation design and gimmicks:





2 Revoltech joints inside the abdomen and waist allow the body to bend forward for a wide angle.



Thanks to the Revoltech joints inside the body, Alien can be shown crouching down and resting (?). The limited knee joint doesn't support anymore bending for the legs unfortunately, but the flexible tail can help out as the third leg of the figure XD




Limited as they are, the hip joint's range of articulation is sufficient to realize many action poses of the creature.
The whole figure is well balanced enough to not needing to rely on the tail all the time to support many of its dramatic poses as well. ^^


One of the heavily promoted gimmick before the figure's release: removal of the skull cap to reveal the interior of the head.
No special tab or joint to be released to take off the cap actually. It's just tight grip that keep it in place when it's not removed.



The details inside the head were never shown in the original movie.


Awesome paint work aside, the clear distinction between the interior of the head (pale white) and the area outside it (black) shows the delicacy of the workmanship as well. ^^


Very nice gradient paint applied to the skull cap as mentioned earlier on.





Very realistic realization of the mandible's movement.
The joint is very loose actually - the moment the mouth is opened, the little fella would spring out immediately XD


A somewhat anticlimactic design for the mandible - it's not concealed at all beneath the jaw and is in plain sight when the figure is viewed from the bottom. ^^;
More action poses of the figure in the next posting. ^^