Guardian Predator

What to say about Guardian Predator? The really short version? He's the TRU 2-pack City Hunter with Boar Predator's right hand and Gort's mask. The slightly longer version? Guardian Predator was kind of an easter egg in Predator 2, because he's wearing the mask that was originally intended for the antagonist of the first Predator film, until they decided at the last minute to smooth out the features. So back then it was kind of a neat little bonus thing. In Series 5 of NECA's Predators figures, however, he isn't quite so neat. See, we already got our "Gort" mask (I tried to find out why he was called that and the answer was either too convoluted or too asinine for me to understand). NECA released an exclusive version of the original Predator featuring the "Gort" mask years ago. So taking that sculpt and sticking it on the City Hunter just isn't as cool as it would normally be. It doesn't help that he pretty much has the City Hunter's exact body. While the other Preds get the same basic body with unique armor, clothing and trophies to set them apart, Gort is pretty much all CH, right down to the bone purse/satchel thing he's wearing. Same armor, same retractable blades, same loincloth, same "plasma caster" shoulder cannon. It bears emphasizing that this is in no way NECA's fault: Guardian is accurate to his screen costume. It's just that at this stage in the game that costume isn't particularly interesting if you've been collecting the figures all along. Where Guardian does stand out is the paint. He's got an off-white base with a very vibrant reddish pattern on his skin, and his armor is a very washed out bronze that's almost silver. The armor is particularly nice, especially in the areas where it's "tarnished" with green. It gives a nice realness to the metal. The netting is still hit-or-miss, if that's an issue that bothers you. But a little bit of hunting on the pegs and you should be able to find a decent one. Since he's almost entirely City Hunter, he of course moves in the same spots, which is to say his articulation is great. He also gets some familiar accessories: the extended TRU pack spear and the smart disk weapon that fits in the indentation in his right thigh armor. So in the end there's not a whole lot to say about Guardian. If you've been collecting the Lost Tribe figures, you need him, but if you're a casual Pred fan, he's probably an easy pass. If you missed out on the Gort Predator (for the head) or the two-pack (for the spear), this might be a slightly cheaper alternative, but ultimately there's just nothing new about it. It's an admirable job by NECA, but there's only so much they could do with the source material. -- 06/09/12

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