Celebrate Contra with Premium Action Figures: A Collector's Dream

Oh, Contra – much like other classic Nintendo games, I love you so. I just wish I was good enough to get past the second or third level. No matter, though – now that I have toys, I am choosing my own adventures.

Action figure packaging featuring two figures from the video game Contra, set against a colorful backdrop of the game's iconic alien monster.

Action figure packaging for the video game 'Contra,' featuring two characters and an illustrated monster in the background.

For those of us of a certain age, Contra is one of those games that is burned into our brains. It was PEAK 1980s in terms of story, concept, and characters, and the challenging aspect kept us coming back for more over and over again. Even if it was to just be met by more frustration. Like Kid Icarus, Metroid, and Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins, I have never been very good at this game (even with the famous “Konami Code”), but I still like playing it because it has all of the elements that define a seminal game franchise. Ah, my dear NES, you loved to punish us.

A highly detailed action figure of a muscular man with blonde hair, wearing a white tank top and blue pants, standing among various accessories including weapons, interchangeable heads, and hands.

Action figure of a muscular soldier in camouflage pants and a white tank top, equipped with various accessories including extra hands, heads, weapons, and a custom emblem.

Action figure of a muscular soldier wearing red camouflage pants and a headband, accompanied by various accessories including hands, weapons, and interchangeable heads.

But now, now we have some pretty fantastic action figures to celebrate not only the NES appearance of Bill and Lance, but also the arcade versions, too. Premium DNA has released some pretty fun video game figures like Battle Toads in the past, but these figures have entered another level for them. The sculpting details, paint, articulation and accessories are all really wonderful, and at the forefront of the top of the collector sect of action figure production. Under the “Maximum Payload” banner, it is hard to imagine anything more that could come from figures based on these sources. These are really impressive.

Close-up of an action figure with blond hair and a blue headband, wearing a white sleeveless shirt and a brown ammo belt.

A close-up of an angry action figure with blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a white tank top and a blue headband, holding a brown belt across his chest.

Close-up of an action figure resembling a muscular man with long black hair and a red headband, wearing a shoulder strap.

Close-up of an action figure with long dark hair and a red headband, displaying a fierce expression with visible teeth.

Starting with the figures themselves, Lance Bean and Bill Rizer are given their signature looks (based on Stallone and Schwarzenegger, unofficially), and if you like the distinctive red and blue or matching green (or both!) you have your options. The included portraits cover the important marketing and iconic looks, but also allow for some expressive variance for when they are kicking alien ass. Each figure gets FOUR heads, and they are the same from the NES and Arcade versions, but you definitely have your choice for the right scenario on your shelf.

Two action figures of muscular soldiers, one dressed in blue camouflage pants and a white tank top, and the other in green camouflage pants with a white tank top, both with blonde hair and a confident pose.

Two action figures standing back-to-back, one wearing blue pants and a white tank top with a blue headband, and the other in green camo pants and a white tank top, both with muscular builds.

Two action figures of muscular men, one in red camouflage pants and a red headband, and the other in green camouflage pants, both wearing tactical gear and standing against a neutral background.

Two action figures of muscular men with long hair, one wearing red camo pants and the other in green camo pants, viewed from behind.

There are 8(!!!) sets of hands for each figure, and while that makes for four different grips, each grip has an up and down or side to side hinge joint to help facilitate the weaponry and posing options. The articulation touches the ceiling of what we reasonably see in super-articulated collector-grade action figures. So, you can expect the standards of double knees and double elbows, ankle rockers, etc., but there are also butterfly shoulders, partial torso ball, and others. On top of that, all of the articulation is strong, but fluid, and features excellent range of movement. These were engineered with care, and it really shows as these can hit any of the classic game poses you could want.

A muscular action figure holding a toy gun, wearing a white tank top and green camouflage pants.

A muscular action figure holding a futuristic weapon, dressed in a white tank top and blue camo pants, with a blue headband and a tactical strap across his shoulder.

Then there are the accessories, which are really just insane. One of the defining points of Contra (aside from dying from one hit) is the various weapons you can obtain throughout the course of a level. From lasers to spread shots to fireballs, there are a lot of different effects, and each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Those screen icons of the pods and “medals” that you gather to take on the new weaponry were not forgotten, and Lance and Bill each come with some. The “F,” “M,” “S,” and “L” are all included, as are the actual firing effects for each that can be plugged into any of the four weapons. These are such cool aspects of these sets, and something that is so inherently “Contra” it is kind of amazing. Oh, and each Bill and Lance figure also comes with a knife. Maximum Payload indeed.

A colorful model featuring a white, oval-shaped object with red accents and a red emblem in the center, placed above two golden eagle-winged letters 'F' and 'M'.

So, even if the Contra games frustrate you, these figures absolutely will NOT. Frankly, these are really, really awesome, and are instantly recognizable as PDNA stepping up their game even further. I would put these toe to toe with just about anything going right now. Remember, these are premium deluxe sets, so the price will reflect that, but if are a Contra fan, you are not going to want to miss these. I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for them, we know Shinobi is on-tap next.