NECA Predator S16 Kenner Spike Tail Predator Review

Review Advent Calendar Day 19: NECA Predator Series 16 Spiked Tail

I did it! I did it all on my own and survived! I was stupid enough to go back to Toys ‘R Us and look for the newest Predator wave. Meanwhile people were still Christmas shopping and murdering each other over those Hatchimals and the cheapest Lego sets that were priced at a modest $39.99. The shelves were stocked and my wallet cried as I bought the entire 16th series of the Kenner-inspired Predators.

Preternia’s Review Advent Calendar 2016 Day Nineteen:
NECA Predator Series 16 Spiked Tail (Kenner Tribute)
things-to-do-between-christmas-and-new-year-s-what-s-up-amsterdam-4owu6g-clipart

For those too young or unaware, Kenner was the toy company probably most famous for making Star Wars toys. At some point they decided to pick up a bunch of R-rated movie properties for shits and giggles, and then turned them into kids toys. Jon has talked about them before with his Lava Planet and Ripley reviews. What made these toys great for me were the ridiculous color schemes, designs, and gimmicks. The Predators from the movies were variations of the beige/brown/gray color palette, so seeing LIME GREEN FLAVORED PREDATOR, ANTARCTIC MISSION PREDATOR, or MONOPOLY GUY PREDATOR was a treat for the eyes. Kenner, a subdivision company owned by Hasbro, shut down in 2000 because of the over-saturation of Star Wars Episode 1 (as in ‘the best one’) toys. NECA has unofficially brought the Kenner Predator and Alien licenses back, and now without further ado let’s dive in with the latest offering: Spiked Tail.

Compared to other designs, Spiked Tail looks like he was thought up by some sculptor who just marathoned 172 hours of anime. He is decked out with some radical looking horns on his head instead of the usual smooth Predator head structure. His olive green armor is adorned with copper highlights, which are supposed to be robotic enhancements due to him replacing his worn out body from being too old. Yeah, I said old. NECA actually put unnecessary, but much appreciated, lore into these guys. They even hint at unreleased Kenner Predators that never made it past the prototype stage, giving you a hint that they still have more to do.

Helmet design is also drastically different compared to the regular garden variety Predator helmet. He is sculpted with a mask over his mandibles that cannot be removed, but the helmet can be placed over top of that which is unique in its own right. Not only does the helmet buck that trend but so do (and I realize how stupid this sounds) his dreadlocks. Spiked Tail’s namesake comes from his hair. The dreadlocks are combed back and put into a nice, neat pony tail with a spiked ball at the end. This gives him a different look all around, and doesn’t restrict neck movement like all the other Predator figures.

He comes with a copper throwing glaive which can be stored on his back. The original version had comically oversized saw-blades that would have been hilarious to see him come with. This would open the door for DISGRUNTLED SHOP TEACHER PREDATOR. The usual Predator wrist blades are nonexistent on this guy, instead he comes with a giant claw with an articulated ball joint that plugs in under his arm, or it can be stowed in his backpack along with the glaive.

I know I said in the Scarface review that he was drastically different looking because he looked like a Predator who’s fashion choice was influenced by Megadeth. Spiked Tail is on the other side of that spectrum where he looks like he was influenced by Gundam, and he is a NICE clear cut choice to pick up. Spiked Tail can be had over at Amazon.

Final Verdict: A giant chunk of figure is cool to have, but some of these articulation points could have been thought through better. For that you get a NAUGHTY!things-to-do-between-christmas-and-new-year-s-what-s-up-amsterdam-4owu6g-clipart Nice list - AT-AT Driver, Inferno, TMNT WWE Ninja Superstars, Shocker, Ms. Marvel, Jackal, Ultimate Scarface Predator, Green Goblin, Sandman, Horde Wraith Naughty list - Symbiote Spider-Man, The Ventriloquist and Scarface, AJ Styles, All New, All Different Spider-Man 2099, The Ringmaster Steve Austin, Clayface, Spider-UK, Tuskador

Final Verdict: Anime as fuck … NICE!things-to-do-between-christmas-and-new-year-s-what-s-up-amsterdam-4owu6g-clipart

Nice listAT-AT Driver, Inferno, TMNT WWE Ninja Superstars, Shocker, Ms. Marvel, Jackal, Ultimate Scarface Predator, Green Goblin, Sandman, Horde Wraith, Spike Tail Predator
Naughty listSymbiote Spider-Man, The Ventriloquist and Scarface, AJ Styles, All New, All Different Spider-Man 2099, The Ringmaster Steve Austin, Clayface, Spider-UK, Tuskador

David Boyce

2 thoughts on “Review Advent Calendar Day 19: NECA Predator Series 16 Spiked Tail”

  1. How do you attach the canon to his arm? I checked both of my figure’s arms and there is no hole or crevice that the canon can attach to.

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