S.H. MonsterArts AvP Predator Wolf Review

I really should just accept that the S.H. family is just going to have to be part of my life. I’ve already gotten a taste of the Figuarts division with their delightful Mighty Morphin Power Rangers figures, and now I’ve gotten that first hit off the MonsterArts pipe. The acquisition was two fine characters from the Alien vs Predator: Requiem film, a Predator and an Alien. The Predator more specifically is Wolf, the James Bond or Batman of the Predator universe because he always carries around such cool gadgets!

I’m a big fan of accessories and options which was why I enjoyed the Power Ranger figures with their weapons and large selections of hands. Wolf Predator goes well beyond what I was used to. He is packed with so many accessories I went into a mini panic attack trying to decide what look I wanted to go for first. Do I want him holding his spear? Do I want the retracted version pegged into his back? What about the whip? Or should I put the retracted version on his belt? Masked or unmasked? Open or closed mouth? Wrist blades in or out?

There are a TON of options with this guy.

The amount of detail here is incredible. There is no cheap one-tone color red sniper rifle, everything is made completely movie accurate. For the most part everything is also removable, or can be strapped onto a part of his body. However he comes with so much stuff that there is no way his entire package of parts can be put on his person. This is why he has a wonderful box to store your extras in, and you will want to store them there because stuff like his mouth parts will get lost otherwise.

Wolf Predator comes packed with the following parts:

10 hands (6 right, 4 left)
Masked Head
Unmasked Head (with parts to make both open and closed mouth)
Wristblades (both “in” and “out” versions)
Whip
Retracted Whip
Spear
Retracted Spear
Acid Vial
Syringe Gun

For a smaller figure he boasts incredible detail and an amazing articulation scheme. At this point I need to finally bring up the NECA Predators because while I love the amazing detail, those figures could use a few more points of articulation. The nice thing is that NECA has yet to get to the Alien vs Predator figures, so if you are an avid NECA collector it won’t feel like you are double dipping. Wolf has not had a NECA figure since quite a few years back before they started using articulated bodies.

The nice thing about this figure is it covers all bases in one box. You pretty much have all versions of Wolf from the movie in one roughly $60 figure. I think the only thing missing is the shurikens; remember those ones he killed the love interest girl with? Yep those. This one $60 figure could have easily been three to four $20 variants with the selection of parts included in the box, so I think the value is definitely there. There are a lot of Figuarts toys out there and Wolf Predator is scaled to fit with them, which is probably another draw for people.

The proportions look accurate, paint is top-notch, and the articulation works out really well. There isn’t much not to love about this guy. There are probably a couple of factors working against the MonsterArts Predator. First being the Alien vs Predator films are not the most well received. Luckily for Wolf he does have a bit of a cult following. Second is that the Alien and Predator franchises might be some of the most merchandised properties ever, after Star Wars of course! Third is NECA has a very thriving Predator line. Collectors may be less likely to add another scale, or jump ship when they have invested so much into what NECA has done.

That being said this figure stands on his own merits. Figuarts and MonsterArts have never let me down, and the Wolf Predator is no exception to this claim.

I didn’t want to like this figure. I have enough things to collect. But I can’t deny that MonsterArt’s first Predator figure leaves a great impression for the possibilities of this line. While I’m sure they won’t get to the insanely obscure (and cool as hell) Predators NECA is currently doing, if they continue to put out quality movie Predators I’ll be more than happy. Although I will make a request because the one thing I do really want out of this line is the Predalien. I know NECA won’t be getting to him for a while, and I’d love to have him fighting Wolf.