Aliens and dinosaurs are two things I have loved throughout my entire life; and my passion extends to ALIEN and dinosaur toys as well. I’m also a big fan of individuals and organisations who manufacture unlicenced product within markets that barely tolerate such endeavors. So, it comes as no surprise then REBOR’s Broodlord X-Rex (Metallic version) statuette is a unique and appealing item that immediately grabbed my attention. Presenting one here for review has been the icing on the cake for me, bringing together so many things I love to an unexpected focal point of pure joy. Well, my idea of joy, anyway. Keeping an objective sensibility on hand here may – or may not – be possible.
Packaged in an attractive black box, the Broodlord X-Rex arrives disassembled inside and seated within a foam tray for safe transit with the tail, arms, tongue and various pieces on its back needing to be added to the torso. It’s a basic assembly not needing any instructions and will easily reward you with a figure of impressive stature. Mind you, while the tail is a snug fit and the forelimbs attach perfectly to remain in place, I found the long appendages mounted on its back fell out easily during handling of the figure. Some glue might be in order if you plan to have one of these things on permanent display. Oh, and be wary if you plan to buy one second hand and ensure these pieces are included with the figure. I guess it’s a long standing tradition in the history of ALIEN action figures and toys for these pieces mounted on the backs of these creatures to go missing and REBOR have inadvertently followed suit, here. Funny that.
This brutish seventeen inch long bipedal monster is the ultimate amalgam in dinosaur and Alien hybridisation. This bestial form is weighty and detailed from head to tail displaying a great deal of texture throughout. Cast in PVC and rubber, the entire figure carries enough ambience for anyone to recognise it as “ALIEN” in nature without it being spelled out for them on any packaging. It is unlicenced, after all; and such titles and official 20th Century Studios badging is completely absent. Nonetheless, it could easily answer the hypothetical question, What would emerge from a Tyrannosaurus Rex if it was facehugged? If you ever hungered for a response to this investigation, this large fanged creation comprehensively answers the inquiry.
Out of the box and assembled, you’ll quickly appreciate it as a decent sized figure with the tail adding considerable length to the X-Rex. Articulation on the figure is restricted to the tail and forelimbs. The tail is cast in rubber with a flexible wire core through its length and can be bent to retain a number of customisable positions. It’s unfortunate the thickness of the rubber appendage limits any greater potential range. The only other points of movement on the figure are the rotation of the small arms. There’s not a lot on offer here in terms of posability with the tail and forelimbs being the only options for articulation.
Which is unfortunate that this item fails to deliver any rotation at the hips – which would help a lot to pitch the body forward or back thus giving it a greater range of movement and dramatic posing; but the legs are immovably cast into the hips of the figure and no such drama can be staged. Nor is there any articulation in the jaws of the beast, either. The best you can do in this regard is to display the X-Rex with – or without – its tongue fixed in place within the mouth. While the articulation is very scant at best, it is welcome such brevity does little to detract from the overall impressive presentation of an outstanding albeit outrageous figure.
Paintwork on the X-Rex is also somewhat rudimentary. An overall dark grey finish with various purple highlight are all that is on offer here. Some unpainted parts, such as the tendons of the cheeks, the teeth, the tongue and talons on the broad feet are translucent and amber in colour and these features do look fantastic. While the paint finish on the figure as a whole may be lacking in detail, these translucent highlights aid in bringing enough diversity to the overall appearance to make it work as a whole. What immediately comes to mind is how impressive one of these X-Rex figures would look in the hands of an artist who specialises in custom paint work on toys and figures. There’s a great canvas and opportunity here just waiting for some personal flourishes of colour.
There’s definitely something to be said for the size of this collectible figure. It’s big. As I mentioned early in the review, the X-Rex measures a good 17 inches in length. This Alien dinosaur King is no slouch. Measuring it up against other action figures is rewarded by having it scale very well alongside Super7’s ReAction figure line.
I was more than pleasantly surprised at how well this biomechanoid theropod fitted in with those popular 3.75 inch tall action figures.
Surprisingly, for such a decently sized figure it is priced well. Living in Australia means imported items such as this are usually marked at the high end of the price scale. …and I mean high end and expensive. This item will only set you back AU$75 from Mini Zoo, in Canberra.
Where to get it elsewhere in the world? I can’t tell you. I do know it’s a relief to not have to import such items myself and to be able to purchase locally. It’s a big deal to people like myself who live in this country to not have to do so. Thank you, Mini Zoo.
Score: 8/10
The Broodlord X-Rex (aka “Xenomorph King” – I see what you did there, REBOR!) is like something Kenner might have made during their heyday of ALIENS figures of the 1990s had they mashed up dinosaurs with ALIENS; minus any substantial articulation or action feature, of course. REBOR have created a memorable entry into the strange, ill defined milieu of unlicenced ALIEN product, adding to that largely unmapped landscape with an exceptionally outlandish piece. Grab one. It’s great!
