Saturday, December 18, 2010

Hot Toys Berserker Predator REVIEW III

continued from the previous post...

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. [source: wiki]

The Predators are depicted as large, sapient and sentient humanoid creatures who possess advanced technology, such as active camouflage and energy weapons, and are capable of interstellar travel.

First introduced in 1987 as the main antagonist of the film "Predator",  the alien Predator has taken on many new appearances, the latest being the "Black Super Predators" and we only get to see the Berserker Predator's face towards the end of the movie. And I thought they couldn't get any uglier.



In the 2010 American science-fiction action-horror film "Predators" directed by Nimród Antal and starring Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Danny Trejo, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Oleg Taktarov and Louis Ozawa Changchien, we find out that there is a blood feud between the larger "Black Super Predators" and the smaller ones, the "Classic Predators".

The Berserker Predator is one of the three larger "Black Super Predators" and this group uses quadrupedal hunting beasts and elaborate traps to hunt.


Hot Toys MMS130 (Movie Masterpiece Series) 1/6th scale 14-inch tall Berserker Predator Collectible Figure stays true to the screen version and is highly movie-accurate, down to the open mandibles and face sculpt. It even comes with a bone trophy which this alien predator ripped right off Stans' (Walton Goggins) body, the death row inmate.


Closer examination of the Hot Toys 1/6 scale Berserker Predator head sculpt with the open mandibles attached. The head with closed mandibles was reviewed in the much earlier post HERE.


IMHO, I think the sculpting of the Berserker Predator head is pretty well done and the details captured are quite amazing. Stunning movie-accurate realistic 1/6 scale figures like these offer us a chance to have a closer look at something that appeared in the film and then is gone too fast as soon as the movie is over. This way, we can appreciate the figure for a much longer period, as long as it remains with us or in this case, captured in digital format.


What did the dentist say to the golfer? You have a hole in one; now open wider and say "Ahh"


Here's a closer look at the articulated shoulder cannon a.k.a. shoulder-mounted energy weapon or plasma casters.The barrel of the cannon rotates and the weapon pivots up and down.


Compared to the previous alien predators / classic predators, the Super Predator's (Berserker Predator) laser weapon seems rather streamlined and simple. Scar Predator's and Classic Predator's shoulder mounted plasma casters (also known as "Tri-cannon", "Plasma Cannon" or "Shoulder Cannon") has more details and looks more impressive.


Close-up of the Berserker Predator's left forearm armor


The Berserker Predator's left forearm armor opens to reveal a control device. It used this to detonate the explosives hidden on the space-ship to prevent the humans from escaping.


A closer look at the Hot Toys 1/6th scale Berserker Predator Collectible Figure body armor, leather-like skirt and straps


The Berserker Predator's right forearm armor details


You can insert the three (3) interchangeable metal blades of different lengths. One is short.



One blade is of medium length


And the last interchangeable metal blade is the longest.


The "Black Super Predators" love the hunt and prefer to go one-on-one and do hand-to-hand combat with their blades rather than use their cannons.


Close-up of the Berserker Predator body armor from the back. Note the painted rubber hair for the more swept back dreadlocks look.


The "Black Super Predators" also wear what looks like boots, compared to the flip-flop look the classic Predators prefer. Scar Predator wore 'sandals" instead.



Hot Toys Berserker Predator turned out rather nice and I like the look of this one


10 comments:

  1. I bet Wolf Predator from AVP2 (movie notwithstanding)could take this guy down. He was just too cool
    and not easily intimidated.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interestingly, this film distances itself from the two "Alien vs Predator" (AVP) films because these black super predators only appear in this movie.

    Go see it for some FUN & entertainment. It is NOT "Inception", if you know what I mean. CHEERS

    ReplyDelete
  3. He looks less creepy with his helmet on lol. The mandibles (?) are kinda scary. Especially when they are closed.

    ReplyDelete
  4. it looks too much like an action figure rather then a 12" . I guess tatz wat you'll get when when there is little or no fabric item on the toy!

    But those are real nice picture you took!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What's the articulation on the plasma caster? I have my own Berserker Predator and the plasma caster doesn't really seem to pivot up and down. It only does so slightly and only because the cannon body is loosely connected to the cradle.

    ReplyDelete
  6. hi Archie, you are right. the plasma caster's up and down motion was achieved by tilting it slightly with the cannon body not pushed in completely. hot toys only mentioned an articulated cannon without being specific about what it can do.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi,

    Was just wondering has the leather straps on your berserker start to deteriorate and fall off? Mine have started..was wondering if it's just my figure or everyone else is like that..thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mine seems to be still okay at the moment. Will just have to wait and see ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ can't do much about it. Some of the materials used on these figures just don't stand the test of time SIGH

    ReplyDelete