NECA Predator Series 8: Dutch vs The Predator!!!

Dutch vs Predator

When I first read about the Series 8 Predator figures some months back, I was rather interested to see the final products on the shelves before jumping into buying them. We all had our share of experiencing actual figures being rather different than the proto-type/preview pictures before. You might also say that I was quite a skeptic when it comes to believing that we are getting a 'killer' head sculpt of Arnold Schwarzenegger in 6" scale. This I gotta see! So when I stumbled across the figures from Series 8 some weeks ago at a nearby collector toy store, I was stunned to see both Jungle Patrol Dutch (JP Dutch) and Jungle Extraction Dutch (JE Dutch) with the exact proto/preview head sculpt NECA had shown to us many months prior to their release. Right on NECA! Both were excellent in their own right but I had to chose between those two....so I took JPD home with me together with the Jungle Hunter Predator (the creature from the 1st movie).

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Let's look into their packaging before we go into the figures. I think the packaging's been pretty standard since Series 1 was first introduced way back in 2010. So why change something that works well? Blister card packaging does the job well for many other figure lines too. It does what it's supposed to do. I appreciate the nice huge Predator image on the card and NECA using the actual figure itself as the character art on the bottom left part of the front packaging and at the upper right part of the card back.

Jungle Patrol Dutch
Jungle Patrol Dutch







Jungle Hunter PredatorJungle Hunter PredatorJungle Hunter Predator

Both figures have the same bio on their card back, which is a brief description of the events from the 1st Predator movie. 
Jungle Hunter Predator

There's also the '25th Anniversary' wordings on the side of both action figure packaging, a nod to the film's original release in '87. If you haven't watched the film yet then I suggest you watch it now! Truly one of the most revered cult films ever!

From wikipedia:


"An alien spacecraft enters the Earth's atmosphere and jettisons a pod, which descends into a Central American jungle. Later, Major Alan "Dutch" Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) arrives in the same area with his elite team for an operation to rescue a presidential cabinet minister who had been abducted by guerrilla forces. The team consists of Mac Eliot (Bill Duke), Blain Cooper (Jesse Ventura), Billy Sole (Sonny Landham), Jorge "Poncho" Ramirez (Richard Chaves), and Rick Hawkins (Shane Black). Dutch's old military friend George Dillon (Carl Weathers), now working for the CIA, accompanies them as a liaison."

Well, if you've seen the movie, you know what comes next from the brief movie plot above. *Spoiler Alert!*....Dutch and gang is in for a ride when they discovered that an alien life-form is already on the scene mutilating human for sport! Good times!

Jungle Patrol Dutch
Right, let us move on to JP Dutch and see just how good this action figure is. For the record, I was really impressed with the cigar-toting Arnie head sculpt on the JE Dutch figure but I decided to go with the JP Dutch as this is how most fans would remember him anyway from the 1st Predator film....wearing his vest over his camo tee underneath rather than the jacket. Series 9 will give us another 2 versions of Dutch, one wearing his vest sans that tee and the other with no tee nor vest and completely covered with mud, mimicking the final battle scene between Dutch and the Predator. I'd probably get the 'muddy' version of Dutch but for now let's take a look into JP Dutch shall we?

Jungle Patrol Dutch
Get to da choppa! (sorry, can't resist....hahahha!)

JP Dutch comes with an M-16 with a grenade launcher, a handgun and a knife. Both handgun and knife can fit nicely into the holster and sheath located on Dutch's hips. The M-16 has straps and can be slung onto the figure. I love it!

Jungle Patrol Dutch
This particular pose reminds me a great deal of Arnie when he acted in the Commando flick in '85! Of course he wore a black vest at the time but that's something a quick custom can fix for you.

Jungle Patrol Dutch

The M-16 fits perfectly into both hands and the figure looks natural holding the weapon. Makes me wonder why NECA didn't bother to get the 'AMC Walking Dead' license on board instead of McFarlane. We sure do need these kind of articulations and great attention to details on them 'Dead figures!

Jungle Patrol Dutch


Jungle Patrol Dutch
The M-16 slings onto his back for him to carry when he's not feeling 'trigger-happy'! I like it when we get to store the weapons on the figure itself for added display options.

Jungle Patrol Dutch

The head sculpt is the obvious attraction here. I don't anyone would ever guess who the head sculpt is supposed to resemble (more on the head sculpt later). The muscles tones are clearly defined and you can even see his veins popping out on his muscular arms. I like the intricate details on his vest and pants. It's cool that his vest is a separate piece and not sculpted onto his body.

Jungle Patrol Dutch
The paint is absolutely stunning on this figure. Right from the head sculpt and muscle definitions down to the clothes that he wears. His hair is sculpted to perfection and given a few layer of colors to bring out the details. The head and exposed arms are all cast in flesh-colored plastic and this seemed to have worked well. Whoever who handled paint on the head sculpt is one helluva skilled artist indeed. Just look at all of the facial tones on Dutch underneath all that camouflage face-paint! His stubble looks very realistic too. The camo-designs on his pants and his shirt are neatly painted and they don't look too messy.

Jungle Patrol Dutch

Ok, listen up people (*inhales deeply before exhaling*)....this is truly a 'Hot Toys' quality sculpting scaled down into a 6" - 7" scale action figure! That is one mean head sculpt of the actor...instantly recognisable as the Governator! How I wish NECA would re-visit the Terminator figures with this head sculpt. That would really be something! You gotta hold this figure in hand to see why this is a dead-ringer for Arnold. It's almost seemed like NECA had shrunk the actor down!

Jungle Patrol Dutch

Both the handgun holster and the knife sheath are a welcome addition indeed. I personally can't stress enough how important it is for action figures to be able to carry/store the accessories/weapons that came with them. I can't seem to pin the holster in its 'close' position though. Minor quibble.

Jungle Patrol Dutch

Perhaps one of the real qualms that I have about this figure (hey, it can't be all THAT good now can it?) is that both his handgun and his knife do not exactly fit his hands, especially the knife, which is a tad small for his hands to grip.

Jungle Patrol Dutch


Jungle Patrol Dutch

The knife stays in place for this photo shoot but I don't recommend you to flaunt it around with the figure too much, especially if you plan to take Dutch out for an outdoor shoot for instance. You might lose the knife.

Jungle Patrol Dutch

Next, let me provide you with my insights on the Jungle Hunter Predator (or JHP for short). Truthfully, this is only my SECOND Predator figure ever but I have been wanting to get the 'original/classic' Predator from the 1st movie since like forever. My only wish is that for NECA to also give us a 'variant' unmasked version. Yes I am aware that a 'classic' Pred has been issued way back in Series 1 but the JHP utilises a far more superior articulated body....so go figure.

Jungle Hunter Predator

The JHP figure is truly a sight to behold. This current Predator figure represents the most current and updated body for them since the Predator Series was launched in 2010. Apart from the great articulations, the Predator seems to be more 'proportioned' this time around. More on that later when I compare it to one of McFarlane's Predators.

Jungle Hunter Predator

I totally love those 'necklaces' in which the Predator keeps the small skulls of some unknown' creatures to which he has slayed(?). He also has one around his neck, this time with bones instead of skulls. Had this been Boba Fett, those could've been various kinds of Wookie fur!

Jungle Hunter Predator

The 'backpack' aka the thingamajiggy which holds his shoulder laser weapon can be easily detached and re-attached. That laser weapon can be adjusted to your preference.

Jungle Hunter Predator


Jungle Hunter Predator

I don't have to say much about this Predator. Most of us have already seen the endless versions from Series 1 right up to Series 7. This is one marvelous figure indeed, what more of the introduction of the new body/buck. He's more articulated it seems compared to the earlier incarnations. I can't say much on this as I've never owned any of the earlier Preds. All I can say is that I love this JHP figure for what it is.....classic and instantly recognisable as the hunter from the 1st Predator movie!

Jungle Hunter Predator

Jungle Hunter Predator


Jungle Hunter Predator

The JHP also has a bit of that 'snake' design on his hips. Perhaps you hardcore Predator fans will vouch for me when I say that this is a reminiscence of the 'Snake Predator' from the 'Lost Tribe'? For those in the dark, the 'Lost Tribe' refers to the 9 Predators that appeared towards the end of Predator 2 (the flick which starred Danny Glover). NECA has already given us ALL 9 Predators if you're interested to complete that line-up by the way.

Jungle Hunter Predator

This figure is really something as it was a joy for me to play around with my lighting for my photo shoot. I just wished I had the time to do an outdoor shoot. Maybe sometime in the near future (a 'jungle' themed photo shoot is inevitable!) when the 'muddy' Dutch figure comes out.

Jungle Hunter Predator


Jungle Hunter Predator


NECA Predator vs McFarlane Predator

This is where I'd like to bring to your attention on the comparisons between a McFarlane Predator and this new NECA Predator. As you can probably see from the picture above, McFarlane's version (he's the taller one among the two by the way) is way bulkier and a bit dis-proportioned in my opinion. NECA's version is a bit more realistic to say the least if you consider that the late Kevin Peter Hall was about 7' (McFarlane's Pred could be well over 7.5' in real-scale!)....but I could be wrong though. The Predators in AVP or AVP: Requiem might be way taller than the ones in Predator or Predator:2. Anyway, I don't think I'm being biased when I say that the NECA Pred looks better standing next to Arnie....err Dutch. You mileage may vary. Some of you might prefer a more bulkier Predator to go against your humans. 

Dutch vs Predator

Dutch vs Predator

I think the height difference between the JHP and Dutch is perfect. That is how I remember them from the movie. I can't wait to get the 'muddy' Dutch and probably an open-masked Classic Pred from Series 1 to go with it. As far as Dutch is concerned, if NECA can keep up with this kind of sculpting quality for their 'humans', then I'm all sold! John Rambo's next folks....keep an eye on that release! We'd also get the Colonial Marines aka Hicks & Hudson from Aliens sometime later this year.....hurrah! Great time to be a collector.

Dutch vs Predator

Dutch vs Predator

THE REBEL'S VERDICT: What more can I say that I haven't said before in my rantings above. We may already have THE 2013 figure of the year for the 6" - 7" action figure category right here folks! I'm talking about Dutch just so you know. I mean, the Jungle Hunter Predator figure is one cool figure too but the eerie Arnie head sculpt takes the cake here....no doubt about it! I won't be surprised at all if any of the Dutch figures gets nominated for the 2013 Poppies Award over at Michael Crawford's page. So if ya ask me, buy Dutch on sight coz he's definitely gonna fly off the shelves. I've just realised that he's no longer available at most specialty toy stores over here in KL, Malaysia last I checked over the weekend (he was widely available a couple of weeks ago but now he's disappearing fast from the shelves!). You could do without the Jungle Hunter Predator figure (we DID get 7 waves full of Predators before didn't we?)....but this Jungle Patrol Dutch (or the Jungle Extraction Dutch depending on your preferences) is a NO-BRAINER PURCHASE and deserves to be on your shelf. There ain't a better 6" representation of the Governator out there...well, at least till NECA's Series 9 upcoming Dutch(es) hit the shelves that is.

Dutch vs Predator

Comments

desmond said…
I saw the actual figures by NECA..The head sculpt is awesome..It has great likeness to Arnold..Very nice indeed!!
The Rebel said…
Yea Des....it's crazy, considering how small the scale in which the sculptors had to work on. This will put some 1/6 companies to shame!
Nanette Emerson said…
These are looking very beautiful,.
i really like these action figures,.
bishoujo statues
The Rebel said…
Thanks for dropping by Nanette!
Jam said…
It's always a pleasant surprise when action figures live up to their prototype promises. I had a similar experience with the Series 8 Predator figures, particularly with the incredible head sculpt of Arnold Schwarzenegger in 6" scale. Seeing Jungle Patrol Dutch (JP Dutch) and Jungle Extraction Dutch (JE Dutch) in person at a local collector toy store was a delightful revelation, as their head sculpts matched the impressive previews from NECA. I was faced with a tough choice between the two, ultimately bringing home JPD along with the iconic Jungle Hunter Predator from the first movie. If you're into collecting Predator action figures that capture the essence of the characters, you might enjoy exploring this https://largerthanlifetoys.com/products/predator-action-figures for an array of options that bring these characters to life.