• Manufacturer: Super7
• Released: 2018

Originally intended for release in 1980 by Kenner Products, these 3.75 inch tall action figures of the Nostromo crew were unproduced and remained in limbo for 34 years.  They started appearing in 2013 under the guidance of FUNKO and Super7 with the release of half the crew.  In 2018, Super7 finally filled in the missing gaps in the crew roster.

Available directly from Super7, these new figures come in sets of 3.  There are 3 sets available which brings the total of new figures up to 9.  Most of these figures are duplicates of already released characters with varying changes but there are also some significant  additions to the character line up that haven’t seen prior release.  Today, let’s take a look at what the first set of new USCSS Nostromo Crew action figures has to offer.

First up for examination is Ripley.  Ripley is the least inspired of this set as this item is exactly the same sculpt we have seen in the prior 2013 Wave 1 release.  The only different feature here is a change of clothing color to make her more ‘screen accurate’. What’s more, I’m not exactly convinced it’s all that more accurate, either.

Personally, I thought the original sculpt was OK and I like it for what it is – a retro figure inspired by old unproduced Kenner production samples from 1979.  Taking this opportunity to update Ripley for this release in other ways would have been welcome.  After all, the onscreen character is tall and slender – this Ripley is not.  She does include her familiar flamethrower, though; and that’s neat.  This signature item was also an accessory to the 2013 release version of this character. It’s nice and appropriate but it’s nothing new or worthy of becoming overly excited about.

Of course, closely associated with Ripley is the Nostromo’s mascot ginger cat, Jones. ‘Jonesy’ makes his first inclusion in this series of 3.75 inch action figures as an accessory to Ripley in this set.  Jones possesses no points of movement and this lack of articulation means he is a single solid piece.  It’s a little disappointing, actually, even NECA’s Jones accessory has a rotating head and tail.  Nonetheless, Jones is here, too; and that’s generally a good thing albeit he’s far from a stand out item.

I’m betting he’d benefit from a good custom paint job, too.  As he is, Jones is passable as a stylised 3.75 inch character/accessory but he does lean towards looking a little like a ringtail possum with snake eyes.  Nonetheless, a fun and very satisfying addition to the crew of the Nostromo in this format.  Definitely a great companion piece to Ripley.  It is hoped Jones and Ripley will still see yet another individual blue carded release sometime in the near future from Super7.

While Ripley may not have much to offer other than a fresh crew outfit and a cat, the Ash figure has had a simple yet creative approach applied to the character to give it new meaning.  To all intents and purposes, this figure has the general appearance of being cast in the same mold and colored as the same item from Super7’s ALIEN ReAction figure Wave 1 but for this iteration, he has been liberally spattered with white, milky fluid.

For good reason as this figure also has the option to remove his head.  Yes.  This figure is intended to represent the decapitated android as it appears late in the movie.  The head comes away easily with a small peg holding it in place (See gallery image at end of this review.) and it’s a great and simple alternate version of the figure. Decapitated Ash was a surprise reveal we first saw in teasers at Toyfairs.  Not great for any special reason, it’s just a simple feature that changes the context of the character dramatically.  Ash also includes his motion detector as an accessory.  It’s the same inclusion item we have seen in the earlier Wave 1 release from 2013 but its return is favourable – if nothing special.

Oddly, this figure is missing the red paint application to his Nostromo right shoulder badge and this omission appears to be an error.  Not a critical one by any means but it became obvious to me when comparing the figure with its earlier iteration from 2013 (See Gallery image below.)

Finally, we shall briefly investigate the last of the 3 human(oid) characters that comprise this set, Kane.  Of all the human characters appearing in ALIEN, Kane has been represented in ReAction format more than any of the others, including Ripley; and has only been outnumbered by the Alien itself.  Kane’s multiple appearances in 3.75 inches includes a version with the facehugger, another with the chestburster, one in his compression suit – and this one – a variation on that compression suit figure.

This version of the compression suited Kane features the helmet with a breached faceplate.  Remove the helmet, and the facehugger is sitting on Kane’s head.  Like Ash, it’s a simple revision of the same figure that appears in the Wave 1 set.  Unlike the other version of Kane featuring a removable parasite from Wave 2, this facehugger is cast directly onto the figure’s head and is not separable from his face.  Just the way it should be.

One thing I do like about this figure is its unexpected fidelity to the source material of the movie.  This 3.75 inch figure possesses Kane’s snoopy cap – the white mask the movie character should be wearing during the scene where the facehugger is revealed but this article of clothing was absent, leaving a continuity error from one scene to the next.  Super7 can be awarded some recognition for not making the same error in this figure.  This is how it should have appeared in the movie, the snoopy cap should be present with the facehugger mounted on top of it.  Nice.  This I like.  This feature may be inadvertently accurate, then so be it.  (Again, see the helmet removed image in the gallery below.)

This is a decent set.  While all of the human(oid) characters have all been seen previously in earlier releases, it still has an abundance of features.  Decapitated Ash and facehugged Kane are fun variants.  The unique addition of Jones is a small but welcome inclusion.  He helps to make this set of 3 figures a generously portioned package offering 5 accessories.

Sure, I’m not really certain you can call Ash’s removable head an accessory; but it does separate from the main figure.  Unfortunately, the other accessories (flamethrower and motion tracker) are the familiar and unpainted, bog standard items essentially unchanged from previous releases.  All the same, they help to flesh out much needed content for these figures.

If you don’t have any of these figures from the earlier Wave 1 release, this is a great pick up.  If you already have them, the changes to the characters may not be enough to warrant another purchase.  Unfortunately, if you want Jones from this series, this is the only way to get him.

Score: 8/10

It’s great seeing all 3 of these previously released characters cast in a different material from the Wave 1 set and given fresh paint applications.  A decent range of accessories also helps to sweeten the package and make it attractive.  On the other hand, each one of these characters are still widely available and easy to find individually on store shelves or online in their original black carded Wave 1 editions,  sans Jones, of course.

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