Super7 x Funko Alien Egg Chamber Action Playset Playmates, 2015
Day #1,149: March 31, 2015
Alien Egg Chamber Available in Blue or Black Boxes
Alien ReAction Figures
Item No.: n/a Manufacturer:Super7 x Funko Includes:Backdrop, cardboard struts, plastic base Action Feature:n/a Retail:$100.00 Availability: July 2014 on sale, March 2015 delivered Other: Black Box Variant
We've been doing some talking about "gag figures" lately, and this is sort of a "gag playset." The joke of the Alien Egg Chamber is that a little girl and a little boy are playing with a breeding ground for murderous parasites and seem to be having a great time - and that it looks like something that was a cheap toy in 1979 which is in fact a very expensive toy in 2014/2015. The first release was a heavy resin and sold on-site at Comic-Con last year, the market for which softened quickly and the $100 super-limited item is (at press time) about $120-$130 on eBay. Not being able to get in line at the show, I pre-ordered online (there were credit card problems) during the show, which got me a black box and a plastic base. I would say this is a piece for vintage toy fetishists only, and it's a real curiosity.
If you own the Ice Planet Hoth, Land of the Jawas, or Rebel Command Center playsets from Star Wars then you know exactly what to expect. More or less. Dial down those expectations, because the moving parts and action features of those items are luxuries. This is a pure display piece - the base of LV-426 or Acheron has some eggs on it as well as foot pegs, but nothing opens or moves. There are also numerous worm-like designs sculpted into the base which may remind you of Prometheus just as much as Alien. It's a simple, one-piece plastic base that you, the sucker, just paid $100 or more to own. The packaging and presentation are what you're really springing for here, because the set itself is really a whole bunch of nothing at first glance.
Much like the original playsets, the magic comes in from your action figures. The $100 slab of drab becomes thrilling once you put your Space Suit Kane figure on it - and if you throw in a Predator or an Alien to boot, man oh man is it pretty. This is an item you buy to throw in a display cabinet to admire, and is a rich person's display piece. I am not a rich person, but I am pretty dumb with money if something tugs at my heart strings just right. This did - seeing this in person with my figures on it makes it so delightful I just can't even begin to explain it, and makes the notion that I overpaid for it evaporate quickly. I can't assume that I would get this feeling from other environments for other figures - it just really clicks here. I don't think I'd be nearly as jazzed for anything more recent, but for some reason Alien really works for me in this format.
Keeping with the Kenner tradition, you'll see figures on the packaging that don't exist for sale - Dallas and Lambert in space suits haven't been produced yet but are shown on the packaging, presumably as a gag or intentional irritant. The box itself looks just like something Kenner might have made, save for the black coloring, making it a dubiously essential addition to your Alien toy stash. If you're going to open it, get the black one. If not, get the blue one. Or I guess it doesn't matter - either way, the box is going to look just fine because all you have to do is to cut the tape. Super7 shipped mine in a great mailer box with a Alien graphics on it, which is gorgeous. However, the box is snug and my interior box got dinged - when I pay vintage toy fetishist prices, a ding on the box is unacceptable. So overall, Super7 overcharged me and didn't put enough care into delivery of the item itself, because you can afford a little extra bubble wrap once you hit the $100 mark. If I were a boxed collector, I'd be furious.
I absolutely, positively, did not get my money's worth here but I'm still more or less delighted by the item. The Alien subset of ReAction is my favorite part, in part because it feels like just a tiny bit more love and affection was lavished on this segment. I absolutely cannot suggest you pay $100 for this - the figures at $10 each are nice, though - but if you ever get a crack at this for $50 or less, it's worth snagging. Were Funko and Super7 to develop more of these for $50 or under for Goonies or especially The Nightmare Before Christmas, I'd be all over it.
16bit.com is best not viewed in Apple's Safari browser, we don't know why. All material on this site copyright their respective copyright holders. All materials appear hear for informative and entertainment purposes. 16bit.com is not to be held responsible for anything, ever. Photos taken by the 16bit.com staff. Site design, graphics, writing, and whatnot credited on the credits page. Be cool-- don't steal. We know where you live and we'll break your friggin' legs.
RSS 
