Predator (2) - The Lost Tribe

With the amazing range of NECA action figures of Aliens, Predators and Terminators, people always imagine little stories to go with them, like any toy range. However, the level of detail, attention and love that NECA gives their lines are second to none. Most of the figures look like they will come to life at any second!

Their Predator range is no different. Since starting on characters from Predator 2, NECA did something unprecidented; they released every single Predator seen on screen at the end, inside the ship! It started with the clan leader known as the 'Elder' (which, as of the end of 2014, has been released with upgrades)...Like many other NECA figures, the Elder came with a little bio on the back of the packaging. And, like many others, the bio provides a little touch of backstory. However for the Elder, the bio briefly describes his role and what he does in the film. The following eight members of the tribe all share the same description with each other, which is a brief on the whole tribe itself, 'shrouded in mystery'...

I love mystery. And the staff at NECA respect mystery a great deal...But from the amazing figures, the details cannot be ignored. Each Predator appears to have their own personality traits and distinctive looks...Of course I imagine and speculate who these characters are...

L-R: Boar, Snake, Stalker, Lost, Guardian, Elder, City Hunter, Warrior, Scout, Shaman

So here are my own bios. Hope you enjoy! ^^

(Images of the NECA figures are all mine).

ELDER

The Leader of the Lost Tribe, this Elder Predator has seen a good few hundreds of years of hunting. He has been hardened by his early decades and subsequently mellowed from his recent reflections on his own longevity.

   The tribe he has command over consists of many close relatives. Even Jungle Hunter (who was an active member of the tribe before venturing off on his own hunts) is rumoured to be one of Elder’s many offspring.
   Due to his familial connections, he can be fairly lenient in terms of enforcing penalties upon the members of the tribe...Especially relative to other clans, the majority of which deliver death or banishment as common punishments. The Lost Tribe’s sentences are known to have various levels, depending on how serious the misdemeanours are. Since the primary weapons of the Lost Predators are connected with their nervous systems, the Elder’s preferred penalty is Gauntlet Removal, severing the bond from the perpetrator’s biology...Often extremely painfully.

SHAMAN

• Direct relative to SCOUT
• Close relative to CITY HUNTER, BOAR, SNAKE, GUARDIAN & LOST

As the self-proclaimed ‘spiritualist’ and ‘chemist’ of the tribe, Shaman relies more on beliefs than sciences. He has frequently experimented with different substances which he believes to be stimulating and performance enhancing.
   However, recent blends of dangerous toxins have lead to the removal of his gauntlets. Due to his constant experimentations, the Elder forced him into solitary confinement until the effects of his substances wore off...Only after then were his gauntlets torn from his skin.
   Since his punishment he has pursued other interests, including creating his own weapons and tools. His favoured instrument sees his wrist blades set atop his custom-made ‘trophy staff’. Despite his fairly honourable accomplishments other members of the tribe still seem to detect substance odour on him...Occasionally.

BOAR

• Direct relative to CITY HUNTER, SNAKE, GUARDIAN & LOST
• Close relative to SHAMAN & SCOUT

A Predator with a zest for hunting on the edge, Boar frequently visits the Super Predators’ Game Preserve Planet to hone his skills of survival. The variety of animal and plant species dropped onto the planet means that he finds it more exciting than Earth, as he does not know what he’ll encounter next. Should he run into too much trouble on the planet, Boar’s only aid comes from his close ally Stalker, who takes him to the preserve and sometimes even participates in hunting exercises...Not that Boar knows when or how.
   In order to challenge himself further, Boar has become a rare example of a hunter who has willingly ditched his wrist-blades. In order to aid survival and physical combat, he exchanged them for a spare wrist-computer. Despite his preference for hand-to-hand combat, his does keep one weapon and one only; he decided to keep a Smart-Disc as it provides long-range and close-range defensive and offensive capabilities.

STALKER

• Direct relative to WARRIOR

As a close ally of Boar, Stalker hones his own skills on the Game Preserve Planet with him. With more patience than Boar, Stalker lives up to his namesake as he prefers to study potential prey for behavioural patterns and weaknesses to exploit. His minimal armour and equipment means that he has developed advanced stealth capabilities. And he only kills when necessary...But when he does, he makes the kill exceptional.
   As he is the one who commandeers the shuttle to and from the preserve, it is Stalker’s responsibility to ensure that the shuttle is not damaged...They often go without informing the other clan members. As a result, their first venture got Stalker and Boar in trouble; however Stalker took full responsibility on his own accord, which resulted in the loss of his gauntlets.
   One day Stalker would like to be able to track one of the Super Predators...Provided they do not follow him first. So far he and Boar have been extremely lucky in not encountering one so far.

SNAKE

• Direct relative to CITY HUNTER, BOAR, GUARDIAN & LOST
• Close relative to SHAMAN & SCOUT

With a distinctive and striking colour scheme, Snake is the one who is usually found on his own. He prefers his independence and isolation rather than the company of others. As a result of his preferences, he does frequently cause friction within the tribe...Though he will argue that they cause it. His short temper led to the loss of his gauntlets.
   During past hunts Snake has developed a taste for collecting more than just skulls for trophies. He reasons that since he can’t carry his trophies around with him, he takes skins and fashions them into parts of his armour. But he has had little chance to hunt a great deal...In fact he has often wanted to hunt on his own, like Jungle Hunter. But as long as his temperament is little, so too will be his chances. 

"Viper! You son-of-a-bitch!"

The only time Snake is vaguely approachable is when he sees his brother, Viper. As members of the Serpent Clan, they do what they do when they like and however they like it. Able to talk himself in and out of any situation, Viper convinced Snake to give him his removed wrist-blade gauntlet. As he can negotiate well, it's convenient that Viper's fine with being the one to get them out of trouble. But as brotherly as he is, he will not let Snake near his Blade Fighter.

GUARDIAN

• Direct relative to CITY HUNTER, BOAR, SNAKE & LOST
• Close relative to SHAMAN & SCOUT

As a truly exceptional hunter, Guardian is one of the most trustworthy, reliable and respected members of the tribe. In terms of honour, skill-set and equipment, he is second only to City Hunter; one of the few Predators that Guardian looks up to.
   Guardian’s determination to improve his hunting prowess comes with many reasons; the main one being the Engineers. For a long time, Guardian has studied everything known about the species (history, biology, etc). He even modelled his mask after their bio-suits, proving that he lives for the day he will be able to meet and hunt down an Engineer. Of course there are rules on hunting sentient species, especially those as evolved as Engineers, but Guardian only sees the restrictions on them as a challenge.

LOST

• Direct relative to CITY HUNTER, BOAR, SNAKE & GUARDIAN 
• Close relative to SHAMAN & SCOUT

As the ‘scientist’ of the clan, Lost has developed many new technologies over the decades, but he has recently blurred the line between technology and biology. At first he started to capture his quarry and keep them alive, rather than kill...He would perform cybernetic experiments on his prey, often killing them in the process. He did not let others know about his tests to begin with, as he needed more successes to do so. Through many failures and improvements, he became so sure with himself that he started his current obsession with testing the cybernetics on himself.
   Replacing the standard armour (and weapons) with his own, he grafted the majority of the armour to his nervous system; just like the average wrist gauntlet...Along with other mysterious developments he believes that the expansion of his senses will make him a better hunter. However his ‘improvements’ have not come without cost. The self-inflicted implants have had a few side-effects to his biology...Most notable being the drastic skin discolouration.
   The surgical skills he has taught himself have proven invaluable to the rest of the tribe, however uneasy they are around him (some even wonder if he's been inhaling Shaman's substances). The skills also add to his combat agility; along with his hand-crafted weapons, they give him a literal edge over his opponents and rivals.
   The most recent technology that Lost has developed includes; a fearsome bio-mask and an extremely powerful shoulder cannon. He has also acquired a custom long-sword and a deadly shuriken (the latter of which other members believe he has stolen from another clan). But it is his short bone-handled cleaver that he uses to deliver the most effective kills...Or worse.

SCOUT

• Direct relative to SHAMAN
• Close relative to CITY HUNTER, BOAR, SNAKE, GUARDIAN & LOST

One of the youngest members of the tribe, Scout has just as much inexperience as enthusiasm. Like most first kills, his elder counterparts found his pride amusing after he hunted down a creature no bigger than himself. Since then, Scout has not cleaned his wrist-blades...And according to him, he never will; he believes that leaving the stains makes him look more formidable.
   A lot of Scout’s training and knowledge came from Jungle Hunter, who also suggested that he use as few weapons as possible for speed, efficiency and stealth. The two hunters are close allies and Scout respects Jungle Hunter a great deal...Even to the degree that Scout has kept the basic design of his bio-mask as a respectful reference. However, due to his inexperience, he’s also slightly jealous of Jungle Hunter. 

WARRIOR

• Direct relative to STALKER

Where Lost is one of the most advanced and Snake is one of the most vicious, no member of the tribe is as formidable, brutal and terrifying as Warrior. Regularly going after groups, as well as lone prey, the amount of kills he has under his belt is unmatched by anyone else...Even Elder. And, unlike anyone else, Warrior does not care whether he leaves the skulls of his prey intact. He only cares if they’re dead or alive.
   Warrior’s reputation is feared and respected by both enemy and ally alike. Even Predators of other clans know of him. Perhaps the single act that makes it all worthwhile for Warrior is his pursuit of prey; he makes a point to make sure they notice him before the kill. He truly enjoys their terror and it is represented by the last thing that his prey sees; his fearsome bio-mask.
   Warrior’s reputation has also given him unimaginable self-confidence. So much so that recent hunting trips for marine monsters in dangerous interplanetary oceans have started to corrode his armour and unintentional ingestion of algae has given him a somewhat pale green complexion. Nevertheless, he will always live up to his reputation, hunting bigger and more dangerous game. Most hunters, including Warrior himself, see him as a one-Predator army. As such, he has plans which will aid (and potentially end) the clan wars with the Super Predators...




And there you have it!


AM

(Again, many thanks to the guys at NECA! ^^ A real inspiration as a company and as people! Check 'em out if you haven't already! ^^)