Written by: Jon Espinoza
Good to see you back, Marine. Let’s skip the formalities and jump straight into the fray. We’ve got bugs to squash and colonists to rescue. The ALIENS aren’t going to exterminate themselves.
We left off wrapping up Wave 2, and now it’s time to tackle Wave 3, and it definitely doesn’t disappoint. This time, we get five Aliens and three Marines. The designers continue their trend of taking each creature’s base design and twisting it with xenomorph features. These new Aliens launch missile-like parts of their bodies at victims, snap down on prey with pinching features, and even punch spikes out of their heads to stab their targets.
WATCH AN ORIGINAL COMMERCIAL FROM 1992!
These Aliens are wild and a lot of fun. The Panther and Night Cougar share the same mold but feature different color palettes. The Panther is cream with brown and copper tones, plus silver highlights, while the Night Cougar is black with red accents. Both launch a parasite from their heads.You can check out the Night Cougar version below.
Next up is the Boar Alien, which lowers its head to bulldoze through crowds while stabbing with spikes that erupt from its dome. Finally, we have the Killer Crab Alien, which fires what are being called chestbursters (missiles) straight out of its… well, you guessed it… chest.
Now onto the Marines. Hudson finally makes it into toy form, complete with a torpedo-launching backpack, though this version was a UK exclusive. Next is Vasquez, also a UK exclusive, who comes armed with a pulse rifle and a back-mounted accessory that fires three rapid missiles. And finally, we get O’Malley, another UK exclusive. We all remember O’Malley from the films, right?! He features a fun gimmick: an extending capture claw. Interestingly, O’Malley reuses the Hicks mold with a brand-new head sculpt.
With Wave 3 complete, we move into Wave 4, which introduces a new feature: electronics. Let’s start with the Swarm Alien, the line’s electronic figure. It features an “attack cry” and “laser eyes.” The figure comes in three parts: a tail, a lower half, and an optional flying upper section. Both the lower and upper halves have their own mouths, but the electronic features are housed in the flying portion.
Next up is the King Alien. This figure includes a crushing grip and a water-spitting feature. The crushing mechanism is hidden within its crest. Press a button, and two large pincers swing out and snap shut on anything within range. The figure is primarily black with striking neon green airbrushing.
Then we have the translucent blue Warrior Alien, a reuse of a figure from a previous wave that we’ll cover in the next article. This is arguably one of the best figures in the line and also one of the simplest. It stands out because it most closely resembles the Alien from the films, but it lacks any real play features beyond standard articulation.
The figure is molded in soft, bright blue translucent plastic with a frosted finish. I’ve never seen one in the wild, but it’s definitely a must if I ever spot it at a convention.
And with that, we wrap up Wave 4’s new Alien lineup, but that’s not a bad thing, because next up, we’re diving into the Predators. Now grab a Fruit by the Foot and a Capri Sun, and let’s head back to finish that movie. I’ve got some relics from my past to dig up afterward, and I promise, it won’t disappoint.
