Review – Wasp Predator
Not quite an exact duplicate of the Hive Wars Predator* action figure (review here), this 7-inch scale Wasp Predator* action figure is nonetheless so close in physical styling to that earlier release that it’s easy to miss the differences between the two toys. Well, maybe this review can help point out where the two are different . . . and demonstrate why you’ll want them both if you’re seeking to collect a rainbow of Predator action figures.
Kenner, is that You?
As the Wasp Predator review at It’s All True quickly points out, the Wasp Predator* technically doesn’t come from the “Kenner” wave of Predator action figures from last year, but it certainly fits in nicely with those designs. The yellow and black color design of the toy is from a fan film, but it’s so bright an outlandish that it’s easy to see why someone could easily be led to believe that there was a Kenner toy in this color design back in the nineties.
And that’s a great thing! In fact, it was the Kenner-like feel of the action figure that made me decide to add the Wasp Predator* to the small number of NECA Predator toys on my shelf. The shot below shows the Hive Wars Predator with this newer design and, I believe, shows that the two fit together wonderfully. It’s the start of the Skittles army!
That Left Hand is a Problem
While playing with and posing the Wasp Predator* action figure the left hand just kept popping off of the ball joint, stopping me in my tracks every time that I went to do anything at all with that hand. It snapped back on without any problems each time, but I can already tell that if I go through the hand off/hand on maneuver too many more times the joint is going to be too lose to be useful.
Kinda like the right hand, which hasn’t popped off but is already so loose that the toy cannot hold the staff up for more than a moment or two before the hand sags down considerably. The hand joints are possibly an issue across the entire run; in his review at It’s All True Noisy writes:
“The left hand likes to pop off it’s ball-joint with the slightest pressure. The pics were theWasp Predator is holding his staff were a pain to get because the wrist just kept popping off the ball on the forearm.”
So what causes that? What makes the Wasp Predator* — a toy that’s a reuse of earlier parts — have a problem that none of my other NECA Predator action figures exhibit? Is the tooling already going, or did the factory somehow use an inferior plastic that isn’t as tough as what was used for the earlier versions of the mold? I’ve no idea, but something about the hands just isn’t right this time around.
Fun Accessory!
Looking like it came right off of the NECA Aliens Xenomorph Warrior action figure (Amazon.com search*) the head on the end of the staff is a gruesome and wonderful touch. There are some really nasty guts and acidic blood detailing on the decapitated Alien head and the Wasp Predator* looks incredible with the staff properly posed. It’s a fun accessory!
Closing Thoughts
Despite the hand problems with the toy I’m recommending the Wasp Predator* action figure because the colors look so neat. That insect-inspired coloring really pops, and when posed in a group of other NECA Predator action figures the toy does not get lost in the crowd. It’s a blast to pose and play with, and the Kenner-like nature of the design means that anyone who admires and appreciates the old “repaint and run!” nature of the Predator toys of the nineties should find this one enjoyable.
The toy’s so fun, in fact, that it helped inspire this special NECA Week at battlegrip.com. The It’s All True NECA Week of January 27th through 31st also helped push me to run a special NECA week, but it was this action figure that shoved me from “that would be fun” to the point of snapping a lot of photos and crafting a series of reviews.
I hope you enjoy the week . . . check back tomorrow for more NECA action.
Nice review, but a toy that has trouble holding its accessories is kind of a bummer, especially when the special accessory is a main draw of the figure. Loose hands are nothing new, they’ve plagued the line since the beginning. I’ve got a number of Preds with hands that won’t stay on… the joints aren’t properly molded. NECA’s QC just doesn’t seem to catch this kind of thing.
@Ben – This was the worst example I’ve encountered so far with the hands popping off. But thanks for the warning; I’ll be a bit more careful with the other Predator action figures.
I purchased my first Predator figure this past weekend; well, ‘figures’ I suppose is more correct. I picked up the Elder Predator (admittedly, am older figure) & the left arm snapped almost right out of the package. The store I bought it from replaced it with a Classic Predator (again, from 2011), & the same thing happened. Third one in &, with the help of some hot water, the arms have stayed in one piece.
My question is, is this something that was a problem with the earlier figures or are the more recent figures still prone to this? I’d like to buy more, but I’m not paying $20 for a nicely articulated figure that I can’t pose.
Yes, this was an issue with the earlier figures when the line was still tied to the ‘Predators’ movie. Most of those issues have been corrected, but I still keep a hair dryer handy when moving my predators around for the first time. Especially if they have a plasma caster, those things like to snap like crazy.
I have not had any issues of the figures breaking since they started releasing the figures with improved hip and knee articulation.