Colonial Marines Cpl. Hicks (Movie Maniacs)

by McFarlane Toys

The first question that should spring to mind when taking Cpl. Hicks out of the package is, “What about a Hudson figure?” Although Hicks can be seen in many ways to be one of the key characters in the movie Aliens, Hudson was more memorable. He goes down firing – with both his pulse rifle and his mouth. Be that

as it may, this is a good figure and one every Aliens fan should scoop up.

Cpl. Hicks stands about 6” tall and looks suitably impressive when installed on the base, which is a detailed section of floor that is strewn with Alien hive debris. Without the base, Cpl. Hicks wouldn’t have a chance of standing on his own.

He has seam articulation at the waist and knees but because of the sculpt the knee articulation is pretty much useless and there’s no way to make him free-stand. The other articulation points are in the wrists, shoulders and neck. The shoulder articulation is a combination of ball-joint and seam, both cleverly hidden beneath his fatigues. The stiffness of the fatigues make it difficult to get him posed in the default position – looking to the left with the pulse rifle held across his chest with both hands – but there are other options available. (See above.)

The detail is extremely good. From the portable welder to the shoulder-mounted light to the individual rivets on the armor, Cpl. Hicks got the full work up. The pulse rifle even gets an extra boost having the strap connected by metal rings instead of just glued on. The facial sculpt is very good and captures that pensive/confused/concerned look that Cpl. Hicks displayed so well in the movie.

Diorama possibilities abound thanks to the recent Alien figures from McFarlane. And there are even some possibilities with Robocop (also from Movie Maniacs 7). Besides the poor articulation, the biggest impediment to playing with Cpl. Hicks are all the small bits that are easy to rip off. Then there is the M80 grenade, which is so small you’re likely to lose it when you open the small baggie it comes packed in. At least that’s what I figure it is because I haven’t actually removed it from the baggie.

Just one more note, Cpl. Hicks has a couple of variants. This figure sports the headset, but there is another version, which sports the Colonial Marine helmet. I’m told by reliable sources that the helmeted version is pretty tough to find. Either one, you’re getting a great Aliens collectible.

- Omni
(November 21, 2004)