• Manufacturer: NECA
• Released: 2013

PROMETHEUS was a mixed bag of a movie for me.  It was too intelligent and thought provoking for the average action seeking Saturday night popcorn chomping crowd; and yet too stupid for anyone in possession of any wit.  The stitched together spectacle could easily have benefited from the sub title PROMETHEUS: or the Modern Frankenstein.

It culminates in a scene where the audience is suddenly confronted with a new kind of torso ripping Alien, the Deacon, as it emerges violently from within the prostrate Engineer in a disturbing eruption of viscera just mere moments before the credits roll and abruptly end the picture.

Much like the movie it hails from, the Deacon action figure is not without its problems.  It may be considered to be the runt of NECA’s litter of ALIEN action figures but that’s not to say it’s a small creature.  It was a large beast when it exits the Engineer’s body but in this regard the 7 inch tall figure does have a scale issue.  How does a creature the size of a small pony fit inside a ‘human’ host – even if that host is about 8 feet tall?  This iteration of the Deacon is dramatically oversized for what it is attempting to represent.  I guess the same can be said for the movie it hails from.

Let’s just put the issue of scale aside, OK?  When it comes to scale regarding anything associated with the Engineers, it’s all over the place in the movies, anyway; so why should the action figures be responsible to offer any consistent metric?

Considering this figure is intended to represent the newly emerged Deacon, it’s a mighty tall figure.  It easily stands at 7 inches tall, or to place some significance to the height of the figure, at maximum height with its legs straightened it stands taller than Ripley.  Yeah.  You wouldn’t want this thing to be taking up residence in your gut.

This spindly figure is a solid representation of the awkward and malevolent being that appears during the closing moments of PROMETHEUS.  This is the gangly Slenderman of the ALIEN Universe and the figure captures the ambience to a reasonable degree.  Cast in a dark bluish grey and detailed with random black brush strokes presumably intended to represent Engineer blood, it isn’t NECA’s best detailed figure.

The paint work on the mouth parts for the gums and teeth is appropriate and the figure’s best detailing.  Fortunately, the signature protrusible upper jaw which can be manipulated into an open or closed position as part of its articulation set is present and this feature works as intended.  It’s a great addition that this figure needed.

As the figure was released in 2012, it lacks the more sophisticated articulation that more recent NECA figures are endowed with.  The shoulders are especially limited in their ability to move.  Unless mine is fused at the midriff what looks like it’s intended be a point of articulation at the abdomen is not capable of any such movement. It is rigidly fused and no abdominal movement is possible on this sample.

The hips and knees offer the best points of articulation due to the figure’s spindly nature and it can stand fully upright with ease or crouch down to a very low squat in a convincing manner.  All this without the need for the double knee joints we have seen in NECA figures in more recent years.  It’s a mixed bag of articulation, serviceable and gets the job done adequately but possessing nothing dramatic or outstanding to be wildly enthusiastic about.

Surprisingly, this proto-xenomorph/neomorph/cosmic goblin shark (Call it what you will – I don’t think anyone really knows at this stage) known as the Deacon is generously appointed with a surprising amount of accessories.  5 of them, to be more precise.

The first accessory of note is the display stand.  It’s a clear plastic plate with pegs for the toes and raised support for the ankles if you want to display it standing on the tips of its toes.  Or you can ignore the stand entirely and stand the figure upright with its ankles resting on the ground in a more plantigrade morphology.  For all of its simplicity it’s a great stand and really, it’s a lot better than the inadequate props that are included in NECA’s later digitigrade Runner and Stompy figures.

Also included in the clam shell package for the Deacon is a pair of Hammerpede mutant worms.  Each of these worms possesses a wire core throughout much of the lengths of their bodies so you can bend them into shapes and set them up to harass, well, other action figures.

The only difference between the hammerpedes is one has it’s facial structure unfurled and ready to strike while the other does not.  These are a pair of cool additions to the Deacon figure where traditionally NECA includes no such extras with any of their Aliens at all.

You might think that would enough in terms of accessories for this figure but wait, there’s more!  Also present in the package is a decapitated Engineers head.  I’m not sure how the head is supposed to be associated with the Deacon but it’s included, anyway.  The head piece is accompanied by a helmet.  This second piece fits perfectly over the head to completely conceal it to resemble the guillotined head as it is initially discovered inside the Engineer installation.

It’s a nice pair of accessory pieces but aside from their questionable relationship to the Deacon in the first place, it’s just unfortunate that the scale of the severed head is dramatically incorrect.  Comparing the size of the head while it is held in Ripley’s arms (below) reveals it is approximately half the size it should be.

It’s an older figure from 2012, a unique one and certainly worthy of your collection if you are interested in PROMETHEUS.  It’s especially attractive if you want a scrawny grotesque action figure. If you are hunting for one possessing an upper jaw action with all the appeal of a land bound goblin shark, then NECA’s Deacon is a good choice.

Score: 6/10.  What it lacks in elegance and proper scale it makes up for in other relatively welcome screen accurate features and adequate but not great articulation.  Aside from the display stand, the abundance of other accessories included with this figure are not really related to it and are ultimately superfluous.

Check out more ALIEN action figure reviews on HIDEOUS PLASTIC.

The Bonus Track.  Here.  A little something for your thoughts regarding the deacon’s dental structure: