Review: NECA PROMETHEUS Series 2 David 8 Action Figure.

  • Manufacturer: NECA
  • Released: 2013.

The release of ALIEN: Covenant is just around the corner and it will bring with it a whole new range of action figures and collectibles.  Right now, it’s probably a good time to take a look at NECA’s David 8 action figure from PROMETHEUS series 2.  David 8, one of the few characters being carried over from the previous PROMETHEUS outing into ALIEN: Covenant will make his presence known in the new movie.

Let’s take a good look at this previous version of the android – or, in the words of the Late, Great Douglas Adams – “Your plastic pal who’s fun to be with.”

NECAs’ David 8 is a solid working of the character into NECA’s popular 7 inch format.  David 8’s facial features are adequate and it’s great that Michael Fassbender has permitted the use of his likeness to this goal.  A very welcome move as David 8 was one of the more rewarding characters in the movie – if not the best.

So a figure based on the Weyland Industries advanced model android is appreciated.  The expression on the figure is a little more sullen than portrayed by Fassbender who primarilly imbued the character with a sense of curiosity, willingness to explore, innocence and a palpable sense of awe of the Universe.

Nothing completely demonstrates the sense of absolute immersion more than David experiences in the Juggernaut’s orrery – a spectacular vision of the cosmos that no human would ever witness – and he knows it.  The figure boasts an OK likeness and recognisable for what it is; but it’s not quite reaching the natural expression befitting the character we witness throughout the movie.   Instead, he looks like a saddened Arnold Schwarzeneggar rather than the enthusiastic albeit misguided answer seeking android seen in the movie.

The environment suit David 8 is wearing is terrific and well proportioned.  Its appearance matches the close fitting attire of the character as depicted in the movie. The suit is blue throughout with the additional chest unit, shoulder, thigh, knee pads, gloves, belt and boots cast in a dark chocolate color.  It’s a good looking suit and recognisible as Prometheus crew gear.

There are several decals present on the figure that help to pad out its ambience.  Prominently on the front torso is the Weyland Industries badge ‘BUILDING BETTER WORLDS – WEYLAND MEGACORP’.  A little cheesy, I know, but still a welcome detail.  Upon the back of the figure’s helmet mount can be found the Weyland Corporation logo. These are great little details that add extra dimension to the figure.

The alternate snoopy cap head accessory also has ‘DAVID’ clearly emblazoned across it and is also once again accompanied by the Weyland Corporation logo.  These are tiny but very welcome details that go a long way to increase the positive presentation of the figure.

I found there’s a cable running up from a hip mounted unit on the back of the figure that terminates in what appears to be a camera. Unfortunately the camera is not attached to the figure and is just floating freely.  According to the art on the packaging, it should be attached to the left shoulder; but there’s inadequate provision for mounting it there.  The camera lacks any pin assembly and the shoulder only hints at a slot.  It looks like a design oversight or flaw on the figure.  To get this item mounted in place correctly, I’ll have to glue it down.  It’s not a big deal and easily fixed, just an odd anomaly.

Or maybe I’ll just sneak it under the helmet next to David’s face so he can use it as a microphone to talk to his butt.  Really, that’s where the cable from the camera terminates.

Articulation is the usual multiple combination joints we have come to expect from NECA and the tight fitting suit aids in the unencumbered movement and posing of the figure to make it easy.  NECA are getting so skilled at applying points of movement on their product and David 8 is another excellent example.  There’s a very good range of credible poses this figure is capable of, all the joints were firm without being stiff and there were no issues with looseness or lockups.

As far as any accessories included with the figure, it’s reasonably well appointed but not brilliant.  You’ll find an alternate head wearing a snoopy cap, a protective helmet and David 8’s hand held flashlight combined tablet handtool.  These vary in quality.  Both of the heads are terrific, thankfully and Fassbender’s likeness is consistent on both.

The snoopy cap version does look the best when the helmet is in place while the default head is good to display sans helmet I prefer the suit complete version.  The helmet itself is a well detailed item being a clear canopy surrounding the head with a frame supporting it.  Even the interior of the helmet has some detailing.  Nice.  Gotta love that attention to this kind of detail.  When NECA hits the spot, it’s a bullseye.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for David 8’s hand held equipment.  When the snoopy cap is so well detailed and displays David’s name and Weyland Corporation logo on it – and it’s just an accessory – it’s disappointing to see this brown hand held tool is simply highlighted in white paint on some surfaces, without any further embellishment.  It’s just unsatisfying and could have had a substantially better presentation.  A better accessory would have been an urn – one of those tapering containers filled with Engineer accelerant known simply as ‘Black Goo’.

David 8 is very closely associated with those things and as the urns drive the narrative of the whole movie a lot more than a flashlight with a calculator attached to it, one of those would have been more appropriate as an accessory. Well, actually, I wish that both the flashlight and urn had been included.  Oh, and the handtool can only be placed only in the right hand and there’s no option for holstering it.

As NECA have already announced their 4th and final Series of PROMETHEUS Lost Wave of action figures, we definitely haven’t seen the last of the ill fated crew of that expedition to a distant world in the 7 inch action figure format.  A world where answers weren’t as easily doled out as expected by the overly self indulgent Mr Weyland desperately yet naively pursued.  We’ll be seeing Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace), Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) and the Mutated Fifield (Sean Harris) all getting the 7 inch effigy treatment and hit store shelves sometime in the near future.  I’m looking forward to seeing these figures being released alongside the new ALIEN: Covenant content.  What a year this is going to be for ALIEN action figure fans!

Despite some of PROMETHEUS clumsily written characters and sometimes difficult to accept premise, there’s nothing outstandingly disappointing about this figure.  It’s just a little light in finish and details in some areas.   It’s a good and solid opener into what we can expect from NECA in the near future regarding upcoming human (and no longer human) characters from this series.

Score: 8/10

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