As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of Minimates. I’ve been collecting them since the first wave released by Diamond Select Toys; and as time has gone on, they’ve only gotten better. In my last review of the Aliens vs Marines Minimates, I pointed out the new articulation and paint jobs on the figures. I won’t rehash the same review again, instead I’ll focus on what they’ve done new with the Alien Series One and 35th Anniversary sets. Let’s get started on the 35 Anniversary line.
As a huge fan of the Alien franchise over here at DFAT (Just listen to our Gourmet Scum Radio Podcast on it), I was super excited to see these figures from the iconic movie. In the four-pack you receive: Ripley, Kane, Parker, and the Big Chap alien. You also get a slew of accessories including: a Flamethrower, Facehugger, Jonesy the Cat, and a Chestburster. I loved all of these little pieces and it made the set really come together.
Take a look at the top view of The Big Chap. Unlike the other Xenomorphs, the artists had their hand in the design of the figure’s head. It’s translucence adds another level of fierceness to the figure. The facehugger and chestburster are my favorite two accessories. This just adds more authenticity to the collectibles and it makes it great to recreate the scenes from the movie. If I had one complaint, it’s that I couldn’t stand up Jonesy without a lot of difficulty. Everything else was spot on.
Flame on!
With the Aliens Series 1 figures we have a set that’s similar to the Aliens vs Marines Army Builders set, but with some much anticipated additions to the roster. The one thing that I didn’t like about the last set with the Marines was the lack of characters that I cared about. DST heard the fans and remedied that with this line. We are greeted with Apone, Hicks, Drake, Ripley in Battle Gear, Cpl. Dietrich, an Infected Colonist, and two Xenomorphs. Quite an awesome set of new collectibles! You also have accessories that include new weapons, different heads, the chestburster, and chest mounts for Drake to hold his huge gun.
As Aliens is my favorite film from the franchise, it was really exciting to get a head for Hicks for when the acid blood gets splashed on his face. Who doesn’t want more Michael Biehn accessories?! I also appreciated that Apone had his signature hat, included with a Weyland-Yutani symbol on the front. The aliens are the same as from the previous set, but it’s perfect, as these serve to build your army.
Overall, these are two fantastic sets. Despite the very minor gripe of Jonesy not being able to stand that well, all of the accessories and character choices make up for it. I love being able to work on completing my Aliens set, and I can only hope that we get a Hudson and Vasquez in the next line. Make sure to pick up your own from Diamond Select Toys and participate in our Aliens Minimates Contest if you’d like to WIN your own!
