NECA TOYS Cinemachines Series 1 Review

NECA Cinemachines

Finally, we are getting highly detailed versions of great vehicles from iconic action movies of the past.  Who else but NECA would be the ones to come through for all of us fans!  The first series of Cinemachines is based off the movies ALIEN and ALIENS. This series brings us four different vehicles.  When we spoke to Randy Falk last summer I asked about the possibility of doing large vehicles for Aliens, Terminator, etc since they had already done the Predator Blade Fighter.  He responded with it being a possibility but in a smaller scale.  I wasn't too sure how I felt about the idea of vehicles in a smaller scale, but I was certainly curious about what NECA could do with it.  

Fast forward to this February when we were able to meet with Randy at NY Toy Fair. That is when we actually got to hold these awesome vehicles in hand.   Yes, we all saw the pictures of what was to come, but pictures just don't do these justice. Once I had the Dropship in my hand and shot out the APC I knew they were cooler than any type of line like this before.  The detail of each piece was evident, and the weight/build of each was equally impressive.  Let's take a closer look at these amazing pieces so you can decide where you want to display them!

Packaging:

The packaging is sleek yet simple. The window boxes obviously vary in size depending on the vehicle. The boxes bear the name of the movie it is from in the lower right corner on the front of the box. The boxes come in a silvery color and each one in the series is numbered. The back of each box has the schematic as well as the basic details of each vehicle in bright green lettering. They have a futuristic feel to them which is just perfect for ALIEN vehicles.

Derelict Ship

Based off the designs of H.R. Giger, the Derelict ship has a ridiculous amount of detail on it. To be honest, as much as we try to capture those details for you the pictures just do not do it justice.

 It is an asymmetrical U-shaped aircraft. In the ALIEN movie it was found by the crew of the USCSS Nostromo freighter ship. The Derelict was a ship piloted by a Space Jockey (Engineer).

While this vehicle doesn't have any moving parts it does come with a nice plastic stand. The stand comes in two pieces, and the head of it can be adjusted/tilted up or down. The vehicle can be used with or without the stand although I prefer it attached. 

M577 APC

The APC M577 (Armored Personnel Carrier) is one of the most iconic vehicles from just about any sci-fi movie. This bad boy is a beast and takes the Colonial Marines into action wherever they may go. It has over-sized wheels and rides low to the ground. The APC doesn't just have the ability to take a beating, but it can dish one out too. It has two gatling cannons/plasma cannons and a 32 round light mortar. It's been thirty years now since ALIENS was released and the APC still looks like a vehicle that realistically could come from the future. A lot of sci-fi does not age well, but ALIENS has.

The APC has extremely detailed paint that gives it a weathered look. It has several moving parts including the wheels and the front and rear turret guns. See the images below for some close up shots of those moving parts.

UD-4l Cheyenne Dropship

The Dropship may be one of my favorite vehicles from any universe of movies.  The look of the Dropship in the 80's was ahead of its time and plays a huge part in a key scene in ALIENS.  For a minute you see the dropship inbound to pick up what's left of the Colonial Marines. The next thing you see, it has lost control and comes very close to crashing into the group.  One of the coolest things with this NECA Dropship is the mini APC that pops out of the bay door.  It's a true replica from the movie with details all over the ship.  This is a toy that you can actually play with...I know I did and will continue to do so!

Alien Space Jockey

I'm sure there are a few things that come to mind when you think of the original movie Alien. The first time I watched the movie in the 80's, I was so confused at what the crew was looking at when they came across the Space Jockey.  The size is intimidating, and it looked like nothing I had ever seen before.  NECA recreated this iconic piece to perfection, down to the very last detail.  There are no movable parts to this piece, but it captures those memories from the scene of ALIEN perfectly.  The fossilized Space Jockey with the a hole in him from a pesky chestburster is something that you just can't forget. I will be proudly displaying this perfect conversation piece on my desk!

Samples provided by NECA TOYS