"Aliens vs Predator" Hot Toys 1/6th scale Scar Predator 14-inch figure released in 2006

Some things are just good to re-post, especially with all the attention they are getting ;p This toy blog post on the Hot Toys AVP Scar Predator figure has garnered 69,328 visits / hits since I first posted it on TOY HAVEN in December 30, 2008 so I thought it'll be nice to revisit an oldie but goodie :)

Originally posted: Tuesday, December 30, 2008
With all the internet chatter on the upcoming "Jungle Predator", "Dutch" and "Billy" figures (see post here), it seems the right time to post an entry on Hot Toys' 2006 release of the 1/6th scale 14" tall Scar Predator (this one's for you, tony).

When the "Alien vs Predator (AVP)" movie came out in 2004, it was something many fans had been anticipating for a long time. The story follows a group of paleontologists, archaeologists, and other expedition members assembled by billionaire Charles Bishop Weyland (played by Lance Henriksen who was the android Bishop in the 1986 "Aliens") for an expedition near the Antarctic after discovering a mysterious heat signal. Hoping to claim the find for himself, Weyland and the group discover a pyramid below the surface of a whaling station. Hieroglyphics and sculptures reveal that the pyramid is a hunting ground for Predators who kill Aliens as a rite of passage. The humans are caught in the middle of a battle between the two species and attempt to prevent the Aliens from reaching the surface.

Who cares about the human fodder? AVP was about xenomorph aliens versus humanoid aliens and most of us were rooting for the predators. Hot Toys released the first two predators from the film in 2006 - Scar Predator and Celtic Predator. For the movie, each predator was given a unique mask to distinguish them from each other. I only got the Scar Predator because he was closest to the original predators from the first two Predator films, plus he's the main character in AVP.



Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece 1/6 scale 14" Scar Predator was released as a model kit and basically meant that you had to put him together. First you had to dress him up with his mesh jumpsuit. This appears to warm the Predator's body by means of electrically generated warmth via the wires that make up the jumpsuit. Besides this, it has also been suggested that the mesh is a part of the camouflage system which is the cloaking device that renders the predator almost invisible.


Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece Scar Predator with his mask, also referred to as Bio Helmet/Mask which is worn during the hunt. It seems to operate as a gas mask, respirator, possible translator, voice/sound amplifier with multiple vision modes, zoom function and has some diagnostic capabilities plus communication with other Predators and the mother ship.



Scar Predator with his body and shoulder armor (like the pauldrons of medieval times) plus trophy "necklace" with an assortment of skulls (too small to be impressive) and a small spine (hidden at the back).



Scar Predator with tassets (armor for upper legs), greaves (lower leg armor) and foot armor. On his right forearm/gauntlet is the housing for his wrist blades while his left gauntlet is a self-destruct device mounted on his wrist computer.



The Predator's weapons - combi stick (very much like a spear), dagger with sheath and "shuriken" blades retracted for easy storage.



Telescopic combi stick fully extended, dagger out of sheath and shuriken (just like what the ninjas used)



Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece 1/6 scale 14" tall Scar Predator looks every bit like one mean "no nonsense" hunter



Close-up of his mask and rubbery tube-like "hair" strands which appear as thick long "dreadlocks" - just like the jamaicans, mahn



One of the really nice things about Hot Toys Scar Predator is the two removable tubes that connect the mask to his backpack. In the movie, he has to disconnect the tubes before removing his mask.



Close-up of his wrist computer and self-destruct device for committing suicide to preserve his honor and remove any trace of his existence if he is mortally wounded. The red LEDs of the predator alien's numerals show the countdown before it detonates in a smalll nuclear explosion.



Side view of Hot Toys splendid 14" Scar Predator



Scar Predator's shoulder mounted plasma caster (also known as "Tri-cannon", "Plasma Cannon" or "Shoulder Cannon")



The gun port or housing for attaching the cannon



Back view of Scar Predator. You can see the small spine trophy slung across his left shoulder



Right-hand side view of Scar Predator



Close-up of his dagger in sheath mounted on his right greave



His twin wrist blade (inspiration from Wolverine perhaps) with jagged double edges



Scar Predator with his wrist blades fully extended. You don't want to be at the sharp end of these things.



Housed within the helmet is a targeting and tracking system (located next to the right eye) for the shoulder-mounted weaponry. The shoulder mounted plasma caster (also known as "Tri-canon", "Plasma Canon" or "Shoulder Canon") uses this laser target designator which comprises three sides of an open triangle. It also has a zoom capability so the Predators can see and aim over great distances. This tracking system also allows the Predators to plot trajectories of thrown objects. It appears that this will have a light-up function in the soon to be released "Jungle Predator" or "First predator".



Scar Predator without his mask. Handsome fella, don't you think?



The Predator design is credited to special effects artist Stan Winston. While flying to Japan with Aliens director James Cameron, Winston, who had been hired to design the Predator, was doing concept art on the flight. Cameron saw what he was drawing and said, "I always wanted to see something with mandibles". Winston then included them in his designs. Stan Winston's studio created all of the physical effects for Predator and Predator 2, including the body suit for actor Kevin Peter Hall and the mechanical facial effects. [source: wiki]