Alf (ALF (Neca)) Review

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Alf (ALF (Neca)) Review

Alf
ALF (Neca) (Neca)The 70s and 80s were a time when cheesy sitcoms were huge, but there wasn't a lot that starred an alien or made use of puppets. ALF was a show that made use of both. Although the series has a good following, I'll admit I haven't dabbled in the franchise much. I've seen a bit of the show, read a few of the comics, but my exposure to the Melmacian was minimal. When NECA announced they got the license and would be bringing the character to their 7" ultimate line, my interest was piqued.

The packaging carries a very 80s-90s theme to it, combined with shots of the figure and some of the alien life form's wit. It fits the character very well, and may be one of my favorite boxes for a NECA figure. While you will need to cut a few plastic ties to get the figure out, all of the accessories are kept in place with a plastic "lid".

The character's name is actually Gordon Shumway, but he preferred to be called "ALF." Anyways, ALF's sculpt was done by Thomas Gywn, and it's very accurate to the in-show puppet. It's not like they could make him flocked (okay, they could, but they didn't), though the detail replicates his furry appearance well. The head looks great, and as one would expect, he gets a hinged jaw. It actually does more than that, but I'll go into more detail in a bit. My only nit with the sculpt are his feet, as they're too big. Granted, as a puppet, ALF's lower half usually wasn't shown save for the cartoons and comics, but I wish they were touched up more. The paint is amazing, with no slop and plenty of wash to bring out the sculpt. The figures stands a bit below 6", which is a bit taller than ALF should be, but I have no issue with it.

ALF's articulation is pretty unique, specifically on the head. The upper half of the head is on a barbell joint, while the jaw not only hinges, but moves on a ball joint. Both of these allow for plenty of expressiveness, and make the figure a lot more fun. The rest is standard NECA, with a barbell-jointed neck and chest, swivel/hinge shoulders, wrists, knees, and ankles, double-swivel/hinge elbows, ball-jointed hips, and swivel thighs. All of the joints move well, but the wrists and ankles are limited a bit due to the sculpt, and while the chest tilts back a lot, it doesn't go forward as much.

Now we get to the accessories, and there's plenty here. ALF has seven hands total: two open, two pointing/tightly gripping, another tight grip left, and two wide right grips. They swap easily, and all work with the various extras. Such extras include a bowl of popcorn, a bag of slimeballs, a mock Pepsi can (reading "Fusco"), a framed picture of another Melmacian, and a HAM radio. I'm a big fan of the radio in particular, as I love getting old technology as figure accessories. ALF also gets a pair of sunglasses that fit over his eyes, but you'll need to heat up the head to get them through, and take care when pushing them in. The fabric Hawaiian shirt originates from the cartoon rather than the sitcom it spawned from, and it fits great on the figure. Lastly, there's a cat sandwiched between two pieces of bread. Cats were a common delicacy on Melmac, and a running gag in the show was ALF wanting to eat the Tanners' cat.

Recently, NECA announced another version of this figure as a SDCC exclusive, featuring ALF prepared for "Melmac Cosmic Con" rather than our Comic Con. This version of the figure features a colorful shirt with lanyard badge, as well as some exclusive accessories. The backpack, video and photography cameras, and retro phone are unique to him, but the hands (save for one of the right grips) and sunglasses are recycled from the base figure. Given how good this guy was, I'll definitely be getting this version.

I'm not an ALF super-fan or anything, but when NECA is able to get you to buy a figure from a property you aren't too interested in, they've done something right. ALF looks amazing, poses well, and comes with some very nice accessories. I guess this means I better start watching the show.

- 6/19/23