A relatively common find in the US but outside that country can be a challenge, this average condition Kenner ALIEN toy is available for purchase in Australia on eBay. The seller currently has it listed for Au$899. In anyone’s book, this is a high price but considering the rareness of these forty year old vintage toys and the demand they commonly command, it’s not surprising. It’s simply unfortunate that significant features on this sample are not up to the price being asked.

This is a good, average condition figure. It’s clean with a few knocks and marks here and there but what really hurts it’s value are the multiple reproduction pieces that populate this item. It’s the same typical four items that often go missing on these old toys that are lacking and have been replaced here. The head dome, both tongue parts and the crest mounted between the shoulders are all reproduction parts.

Had all of these been original pieces rather than facsimiles, then the asking Au$800 wouldn’t be unrealistic. At least one complete sample ALIEN sold for around the Au$800 mark about three months ago. It’s not an isolated instance, either. Mind you, that piece was a rare sample made in Canada. Canadian made ALIEN toys were distributed internationally outside of the US, including here in Australia.

The sample being offered for sale here is the commonly found US version of the figure. There are subtle differences between the US and Ca product runs and most people won’t care for the minor discrepancies between them. Especially here in Australia where a Kenner ALIEN toy for sale is a truly rare find, at any time. Nonetheless, it’s still a highly sought after vintage toy regardless of the reproduction parts being present and the seller will probably move it before too long. Maybe a little longer if this price is maintained.

-windebieste.

I am slowly filling in holes in the section dedicated to Kenner ALIEN(S) toy product development samples, prototypes, test shots et al with at least one sample of each figure Kenner produced. Kenner’s Mantis Alien is now represented with this gorgeous sample. Photos courtesy of Matt Porter. Thank you for permission to use these images.

This section is gradually being fleshed out with almost every released ALIEN item Kenner made. Along with some curios that never saw a production run. I’m still looking to post samples of the Scorpion Alien and few others. It’s taken me more than a couple of years to build this repository of Kenner “prototypes” and it’s slowly nearing as complete a stage as I could have ever hoped to achieve. For now, Mantis Alien is represented here.

Thank you to all the contributors who have helped to make this a possibility.

-windebieste.

If you are looking for some parts to help bring your Kenner ALIEN up to more complete condition, it looks like another handful of loose parts have become available on eBay. These are being sold individually by the seller. Up for grabs are both legs, a tail and an unbroken set of “those weird tubie things on its back”. The tail appears to be neat, clean and tidy and also includes the serrated circular clip to hold it in place. The quad appendage piece appears to be a little rough around the edges but is otherwise complete; and both legs display no breaks but do appear to have been touched up with silver painted highlights on the toes and other areas of the lower leg. These pieces are priced thusly:

• US$74.95 – Quad appendages still attached to plate.
• US$84.95 – Tail and circular clip to hold it in place on the figure.
• US$94.95 – Right leg with silver painted highlights.
• US$94.95 – Left leg with similarly painted highlights.

Sure, these prices are somewhat high even by today’s inflated metrics but Best Offers will be accepted. I am going to have to “ummmm & aaaaah” ’bout that tail, though. I could use one of those.

-windebieste.

Up for auction on eBay right now is a fine 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy dome that will fit (almost) perfectly on the top of your old vintage toy. Bidding started on this item at US$3.99. CHEAP! Not that the bidding stayed at that point for very long. Right now the highest bid stands at US$36. STILL CHEAP! But wait… there’s more!Yes, there is more. That is, there’s still four more days remaining on the clock before this auction closes. At this stage, it’s difficult to determine what this item will sell for. As this much sought after piece is in very good condition and the sale started at a low US$3.99, the outcome is anyone’s guess at this stage. I’m thinking this dome could easily sell for upwards of US$100. NOT SO CHEAP – BUT THEM’S THE FACTS! It’s not a precedent, either, as they can easily top that mark. Nonetheless, the low start price will attract buyers and at the end of the sale, it will be the last hand in the air that determines its value. Will it sell for more than three figures? Let’s watch and see!

-windebieste.

Welcome to the last entry regarding Mr. FORD’s rehabilitation. In this entry we wrap up his repairs with a final assembly and comparison images. The condition he was when I received him to how he looks now are dramatic to say the least. His work is finished. Well, almost finished. He’s as good as can be – for now. I simply don’t have all the parts needed to make him complete but that is a task for another time. This effort was a lot of fun! Later I will link all the pages together into a cohesive piece of work and it will be easier to read through the entire eight page article without coming back to the front page. Nonetheless, The final page of Mr. FORD’s restoration is posted and is now live.

-windebieste.

We’re getting to the closing stages of Mr. FORD’s amazing rehabilitation! This effort is being made to restore him to as good as condition as possible and for him to become worthy of display. We’re almost there. At this point all that remains is simple. His quad dorsal appendages need to be refitted, straightened out and made secure on his back. Not a difficult task.All we need to do is return all four of those “weird tubie things” onto his back. Three of them are broken and will need to be repaired. We’ll do that by using nothing more complicated than a trio of common and easily acquired paperclips. How is this repair supposed to work? Good question. Check out Kenner ALIEN Rehab, Part 7 and find out.

-windebieste.

Mr. FORD needs a tail! Hah. That line almost sounds like a children’s book title. Well, why not? Considering Mr. FORD is actually a children’s toy, intended for AGES 5 AND UP when he was originally made all the way back in 1979, it’s not all that inappropriate, really.

Anyway, above is the tail Mr. FORD needs to aid him in becoming “feature complete”. Let’s get it fastened in Part 5 of Rehabilitating a four decades old grotesque play thing.

-windebieste.

Poor old Mr. FORD. He’s only got one arm and it isn’t even attached. It’s somewhat worrisome and needs to be addressed. Let’s fix that problem!Part 4 in this rehabilitation project of getting a beat up old 1979 Kenner ALIEN action figure back on his feet is now live. His arm gets addressed in this installment. Goodie! 🙂

-windebieste.

Continuing with our endeavors to have this beat up old sample of the 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy back on his feet, we turn our attention to Mr. FORD’s head. It’s in generally good shape if a bit knocked around and scuffed. There’s also a nasty crack along the right hand side. While it’s now a feature permanently scarring the figure, it is causing other issues that can be fixed. Let’s tackle those.

There are other minor details worth having their attention drawn to. Without too much effort, we should be able to get the head into as good a shape as possible. These old Kenner ALIEN toys are a ton of fun to work with and restore. Let’s get stuck into it which means the third installment of this Kenner ALIEN Rehabilitation Project has been posted.

-windebieste.

Success! I was able to remove the screws and dismantle this decrepit old ALIEN toy. Concerns about Mr. FORD not being able to achieve this critical stage have been alleviated. Here he is. Now in pieces, cleaned and off to a great start. You can read the progress of this unfortunate and broken old toy in the latest installment of his rehabilitation, Kenner ALIEN Rehab. – Dismantle & Clean. So far so good; and with the success of the critical disassembly out of the way, we are well on the path to completion and having Mr. FORD standing back on both legs once again.

-windebieste.

I recently had the good fortune to purchase this 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy. Unfortunately, he’s definitely seen better days. To say the least, he is severely beat up, broken, missing parts and is coated in dust and dirt. So what of it. He’s perfect, I say. Perfect that is, for a makeover that will hopefully result in this broken, one legged decrepit old toy back standing back on his feet once again, without the need for a display stand to hold him upright. I’ve also decided to document my efforts in rehabilitating this less than stellar sample, bringing him up to display worthy status. If it is possible. I’ve finished what is (intended to be) the first page of his Kenner ALIEN Rehab. – Recovery. The ultimate goal of this exercise is to have it be the first entry in a much larger article, recording a running written documentation of his restoration. I will publish more completed tasks as we progress.

Let’s see how far we can complete this exercise before it comes to a grinding halt, shall we?

-windebieste.

There’s a lower tongue part for sale on eBay right now. The seller wants US$50 for it. The seller will accept a Best Offer. These loose items are becoming difficult to find so despite the asking price, this is great if your vintage toy is only missing this single piece.If you need an original piece to complete your Kenner ALIEN toy, this is an ideal opportunity. Otherwise, US$50 is probably a lot to pay for a small piece of plastic.

Some more parts have become available from the same seller. There’s a functioning ALIEN head (for US$75) and a complete set of dorsal appendages (US$55).

-windebieste.

Occasionally samples of the old Kenner ALIEN toy from 1979 become available but are strictly suitable for parts stripping. One such sample has just been listed. While the chances of getting this damaged toy standing again are remote, he’s still a good source for valuable parts that can be used elsewhere to restore another figure that may be missing such items. Auction commenced at US$15.99, bidding has already started and there’s no telling where this will end.Significantly, both legs on this figure are comprehensively mutilated with the right foot completely severed and the left foot present by barely attached. Such damage usually occurs when the figure is dropped and the force of impact transfers through the ankles. It’s a relatively common form of damage but rarely happens to both feet like this. Repairing such damage and expecting this figure to stand upright again is highly unlikely. Continue reading →

If you’re not saving for a house deposit, new kitchen, rumpus room extension, bathroom upgrade, new car or some other necessity, another Kenner ALIEN has appeared on eBay Australia. This is the third one in about two weeks, which is remarkable enough. This item however appears to be an unopened sample. Loose Kenner ALIEN toys usually appear on the Aussie service about once every three months. Boxed items, significantly less so. Pristine boxes like this one? It’s about an annual occurrence at best and when they do appear, they demand high prices. This one is being listed for Au$10,000. The seller will accept a Best Offer. I guess that’s nice of them. This is a standard US version of the figure. It is unopened, without any significant marks or creasings on the box. The windows on the front and top appear to be secure and the bright blue package looks rich and free of any UV damage making it look fresh and clean. Items of this quality are uncommon in the US; but they do appear with a fair degree of frequency. This box item is extremely well preserved and will command attention when displayed.

I personally don’t like to refer to such samples as ‘mint’ simply because at least some material degradation during the past four decades is unavoidable. This item isn’t going to be in the same condition it was when it first departed the factory way back in late 1979. None now are. All the contents of this package have aged forty years and there’s no pretending the packaging and contents have slightly altered. The fact remains unchanged these toys weren’t made to last and closer inspection reveals it is possible the right arm may have separated from the figure at the shoulder. A quick email to the seller might be in order prior to purchasing this item to verify this potential issue. This is unfortunate but nonetheless, this excellent package example is going to be the closest you will see one of these unopened Kenner ALIEN toys being in original condition for some time.

Au$10,000 is a high price to pay; but this is a highly sought for collectible in optimum desirable condition. Is it a record breaking asking price for a sealed, extremely well preserved sample being sold in Australia? Nope.

-windebieste.