“The NECA Vault has Opened!”

NECA are offering limited quantities of previous sold out items for a very limited time. You have the last opportunity to purchase directly from NECA, items now only found at inflated aftermarket prices. Better be quick! Pte. Vasquez, Scorpion Alien and Defiance Alien action figures will only be available for 24 hours. Be quick!Here’s more of what NECA has to say. THE NECA VAULT HAS OPENED! We’re unlocking the NECA Vault for the next 4 weeks to bring back limited quantities of some of your past favorites! Skip those aftermarket prices and treat yourself to the rare figures you missed out on with flat rate bundle shipping for all in-stock NECA Vault items! As a bonus, you can also get some of these rare finds for their original retail price! Also, don’t forget to read their FAQS as strict conditions apply: “The limit is ONE (1) NECA Vault item per customer per type for the duration of the event.” and “$9.99 flat rate shipping on ALL DOMESTIC IN-STOCK orders” probably means US customers only; and “We do not guarantee mint condition packaging. If the packaging has a slight ding or crease, it is not subject to a return or exchange.” Nonetheless, great items are up for grabs and they won’t last long.

-windebieste.

UPDATED – ImPerfect Organisms: Inverted Dog Alien Card Back.

As I continue to expand the site and its content, sometimes “good things” drop into my lap.Here’s a case in point. I’ve recently been fortunate and grateful to acquire this wonderful factory error sample. Some package errors are subtle, almost undetectable upon initial inspection. Take this suspicious looking NECA Dog Alien for example. It looks mostly to be perfectly fine. Mostly. Except the card back inside this clam shell figure is definitely incorrectly oriented. It certainly becomes blatantly obvious when the back of the package is inspected. This wonderful unopened inverted Dog Alien action figure now has a permanent home here on HIDEOUS PLASTIC in a section dedicated to faulty curios and other haphazard errors. Go check out that link if you want to see it and witness more head scratching ALIEN error items that really should not have gotten passed quality control.

-windebieste.

Kenner ALIEN Rehab. (Part 6) – Replacing a Leg.

Let’s address the issue of having Mr. FORD’s legs returned to his torso. Like everything else regarding this beat up old toy, neither of these limbs are in perfect condition. While damaged, his left leg is still intact and imminently useful. Unfortunately, his right leg suffers significantly more damage than can be easily repaired.It’s obvious this damaged limb isn’t going to useful and it’s a great thing these old toys can be disassembled. Mr. FORD will just have to have a complete limb replacement. This task is now documented in the latest installment (Chapter 6) of his rehabilitation.

-windebieste.

NECA – Ultimate Queen Alien.

NECA have announced their latest addition to their long running ALIENS line, the Queen Xenomorph Ultimate action figure. While NECA have already released HRH in a variety of colors appropriate to movies and comics she has appeared in, these have largely been the same sculpt. As this item is part of their “Ultimate” line of figures, this iteration will possibly possess fresh sculpting and improved articulation as such improvements have been regular features in their Ultimate line up.NECA has this to say on their recent Facebook announcement regarding this large size figure, NECA’s most massive and most ambitious Aliens figure ever is the terrifying Xenomorph Queen from the 1986 Aliens film. She stands over 15″ tall and is over 30″ long, with over 30 points of articulation, including a spectacular poseable tail. Bring some of the movie’s most thrilling scenes to life in realistic detail, because the Queen is completely in scale with NECA’s 7″ Alien action figure line. Includes a display stand and two different interchangeable inner mouths. Shipping is estimated to be in September of this year. No price has been set.

-windebieste.

UPDATED: ImPerfect Organisms – NECA Kane.

One of my favorite features on HIDEOUS PLASTIC is the section dedicated to defective product that really shouldn’t have made it to the outside world. When such flawed items from factories enter retail outlets and then out to the wild, it’s too late for manufacturers to do anything about it. Such errors are rare and can often be comedic in nature and worth taking a 2nd look to make sure you’re actually seeing the real thing. Here’s such an item that’s come my way and it’s a beauty! This is NECA’s Kane action figure from their 40th Anniversary ALIEN series, incorrectly packaged in a box intended for another figure.This truly is a lovely example of a production error. This Kane figure in his compression suit is packaged in a box intended for the Alien itself. This item is still factory sealed and shows no tampering with either of the stickers used to seal the package. This is exactly how this figure shipped from NECA’s factory.

You can check him out and a bunch of other unique factory error ALIEN items right here. Many are head scratching “wtf?” curios while others are outright embarrassing to their manufacturer.

-windebieste.

Kenner ALIEN for Sale in Australia.

It must be ALIEN season in Australia right now. These things are rare in this country and it’s not often you see two of them listed on eBay in as many weeks. This item has just popped up and is being auctioned by the seller with bids commencing at Au$200 and a Buy Now price of Au$320. Not bad asking price for a forty year old toy.This item is in a considerably more degraded condition compared to the previous item listed not so long ago. That item was a full, complete figure with all parts present and a rare Canadian sample. It sold for Au$900. This item is being listed by the same seller but the condition is significantly less feature packed. A lot of parts (5) are missing and you’ll be hard pressed to find any replacements in this country. Nonetheless, it’s still a 1979 Kenner ALIEN and the price is justifiable, even for a figure missing many of its smaller pieces. Someone will be lucky to land this item in Australia and it will be thoroughly worth what they pay for it.

-windebieste.

UPDATED: ImPerfect Organisms.

This wonderful anomaly arrived on my doorstep just the other day. It’s a NECA ALIEN Classic Series Neomorph, inverted in sealed package. He’s a beauty! This item has now been added to the section, ImPerfect Organisms, dedicated to factory errors and defective products. As Mr. Squiggle would say, “Upside down, Miss Jane”. Stranger Things eat yer heart out.

-Windebieste.

NECA Panther and Night Cougar ALIENS.

NECA have released a pair of images of their new Panther and Night Cougar ALIENS figures on Facebook. Each of these tribute items are inspired by Kenner ALIENS toys of the 1990s; and much like the original releases from quarter of a century ago, each of these new figures features a similar “Magnetic Kamikaze Parasite!” as an inclusion. I love the lurid purple and green color scheme of these items. They replicate and honor the original Kenner releases perfectly. Here’s what NECA have to say about these new big cat themed figures, Here’s the packaging for our Kenner Tribute Night Cougar Alien and Panther Alien which are currently shipping! So, if you want one or have pre-ordered yours already, it’s arriving very soon.

-Windebieste.

NECA Release Updated Visual Guide.

NECA released the annual update of their ALIEN Visual Checklist on Facehugger Friday. This impressive visual guide documents most of their ALIEN products made available over the past decade or so. You can download the full size 300 dpi jpg directly from their website. Grab it. It’s free and includes almost all current releases. We know more are coming so this checklist will become even more redundant sometime next year. Despite all these items being released, I’m  surprised NECA still haven’t released a Seegson Working Joe android. Maybe in 2022? That would be nice.

-Windebieste.

1979 Kenner ALIEN Brochure for Sale.

Over forty years have now passed since Kenner released their now famous oversized ALIEN action figure. Along with its release, various promotional material such as brochures and catalogs featuring the toy were also released. One such item has recently become  available for sale on eBay for the lofty sum of US$300, or Best Offer.

This double sided four colour brochure is rare in the truest sense of the word. Some people will claim the toy in a box deserves this honor, when in all actuality, it’s items like this that deserve that honour.  The number of figures in boxes – including unopened packages –  available on eBay at any time is surprisingly high compared to promotional material such as this. Relatively speaking then, this brochure genuinely wears the reputation of being identified as rare. For example, just the other day, I posted how easily it was to find a sample of the toy in a box. I instantly found seven of them. In contrast, this brochure listing is the first occurrence I have seen in a very, very long time.

US$300 is a lot to pay for a forty year old double sided catalog item. Then again, this vintage sheet is more than just a relic. It’s a historical document providing a fleeting glimpse through a distant window into the marketing strategy behind one of the most remarkable toys ever made. One other additional curious element of note for this print item is also worthy of mention. Not only are images of the toy featured on both sides (an image of the figure also appears on the cover of the ALIEN board game featured on the reverse side) but images differ slightly from the figure released in 1979. The item featured here is believed to be a prototype of the Kenner ALIEN, adding yet another glimpse into this toy’s distant past, into the development of this strange children’s toy.

Brochures like this are extremely difficult to find and are seldom listed on eBay. This one will no doubt sell very soon as demand for the toy and any vintage material associated with it be it posters, toy catalogs or other Kenner promotional material continues to grow in demand.

-Windebieste.

NECA Reveal Night Cougar Alien.

Facehugger Friday is upon us and we all know what that means, right Kiddies? Yeah! That’s right NECA is showing off the latest item in their range of ALIEN goodies. This time ’round it’s another cool 1990s Kenner ALIENS tribute figure, the Night Cougar Alien. It has been revealed on the NECA official Facebook page. Oooooh Goodie! lol. Looks neat and I’m sure the packaging will be supurb but it does look like someone has customised a NECA Dog Alien and painted it in red and black Essendon football club team colours. Anyway, here’s what NECA have to say about this upcoming item Drawing inspiration from the classic Expanded Universe Aliens of the early 1990s, our team has transformed this Kenner classic into a modern version with all of today’s detail and articulation. Night Cougar Alien measures approximately 9″ long and features a bendable tail, plus a detachable drone that magnetically attaches to its back! The packaging is an homage to the classic Kenner art, featuring custom illustrations and a color palette reminiscent of the toy shelves of the early ’90s. Wow… so it will include a “detachable drone”? Well, that’s nice. It looks like the Night Cougar Alien will retain at least a semblance of the action feature of the original toy that similar NECA tribute items have been deprived of. That’s kinda neat, actually. No pricing is available on this item just yet but it is expected to be released sometime late this year in December.

-Windebieste.

NECA Reveal AvP Video Game Alien Variants.

NECA have formally announced their upcoming and updated series of ALIENS vs PREDATOR video game themed Alien action figures on Facebook. Last week’s Facehugger Friday content revealed these are the same characters previously released but given a movie makeover rather than a video game appearance. They do look like they would be very much at home in the cinema, away from the bubblegum and lollypop colours of their original video game incarnation.Here’s what NECA have to say about this offering, The classic 1994 arcade game Aliens vs Predator predates the AVP movie, but what if….? NECA presents the mashup you’ve been dying to see! The unique Alien adversaries seen in the video game get the movie treatment, with new deco and updated articulation imagining their look had they been included in the subsequent movie. The figures use the super-poseable Ultimate body, with over 30 points of articulation and bendable tail. Approximately 9″ tall. Window box packaging. Sounds neat to me. These will be available at Walmart stores sometime this month with a wider release soon to follow.

-Windebieste.

eBay – 1979 Kenner ALIEN Crest for Sale.

UPDATE: Sold for US $48.38. Just a little shy of my minimum expectations.

Here’s something you don’t see every day, although it does feel like these loose Kenner ALIEN dorsal crests appear on eBay with monotonous regularity. It’s been a few months since one of these pieces appeared on the service. This one is for auction right now and bidding commenced at US$5. It’s a safe bet this item will sell for more than ten times that amount despite the fact it is damaged. Yes. It is damaged. It’s an original piece, alright, and that will go a long way to contributing to the final value of this item when sold; easily exceeding US$50 at the end of the auction. Keeping this in mind, though, it’s true value may not be reached as one of the two tapered pegs needed to fit the part onto the back of the forty year old toy is missing. The point of breakage isn’t made clear in any of the photos provided and it is certainly not documented in the brief description provided by the seller. Nonetheless, this is still a valuable piece that will help complete somebody’s vintage ALIEN toy. They may need to rely on improvising a method to reattach it to the figure. This item simply will not remain in situ without that upper peg to secure it in place and it will simply fall out without additional care.

-Windebieste.

NECA Post ALIEN Teaser Image.

Facehugger Friday is back with NECA releasing a teaser image of what promises to be an as yet unannounced ALIEN figure. No information accompanies the image other than #comiccon. No doubt, this teaser will reveal more later this month at San Diego Comic Con, held July 23 to 25. Most likely, it is some kind of product reveal or con exclusive item. As to what this item will actually be remains unknown. Speculations range from a re-colour of NECA’s earlier Razor Claws Alien AvP video game figure to something completely new. Maybe it’s the oft requested, updated Kenner Panther or Boar tribute Aliens. Only two weeks to go until SDCC 2021, so we will find out soon enough. NECA have already stated in the past more Kenner themed items are on the way; but convention exclusives are often re-coloured versions of previous releases. Flip a coin, I say. Maybe it’s both.

-Windebieste.

NECA Snake and Rhino Concept Sketches.

It’s Facehugger Friday over at NECA. To celebrate this irregularly appearing feature, they have released a pair of concept images of their already released Snake and Rhino Aliens Kenner tribute action figures.

These are neat and full of detail, including a couple of hints of what may lie in store for us in the future. The lower right corner of the Rhino concept page includes head details of what appears to be an as yet unreleased item in NECA’s range of Kenner tribute figures, the two horned Bull Alien. Is this small detail intended to serve as a hint of what’s to come? …or did the sketch artist, Stefan Folkins, just add it to the page because of other reasons..? Maybe he just felt like it. I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out. It’s a great pair of images either way and they both serve as a creative insight into these figures early design process.

-Windebieste.

NECA Release TMNT Sewer Monster Figure.

NECA have released the latest in their range of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures. A new, fully articulated Sewer Monster is now available for purchase. There is no doubt the morphology of this character bares more than just a passing resemblance to an Alien. So much a resemblance, several years back, NECA released a re-coloured AvP-R ALIEN action figure mimicking this character, dubbed the “Sewer Mutation Warrior Alien”. Now, NECA have returned with a full and complete fresh take on the TMNT Sewer Monster.

This item is available now for US purchasers and if you are an international buyer, you are also being catered to. Here’s what NECA have to say about this fantastic item “This Ultimate Pizza Monster towers over the Turtles at 9″ tall, and includes its juvenile Pizza Monster form, pizza in box and a remote control device. Comes in collector-friendly window box packaging.” I have no interest in TMNT stuff. Well, not really; but despite it’s fully licenced status, I am sure one of these jaundice things would look right at home standing aside all the other weird ass bootleg, ring-in and knock off ALIEN toys and figures I own. One day.

-Windebieste.

NECA Reveal Panther Alien.

Today is Facehugger Friday. Sure, we haven’t heard from NECA for a while but as we found out a few days ago, NECA intended to reveal one of two upcoming Kenner ALIENS tribute figures. Which they have indeed followed through and done so today. One of the next items in their continuing range of revitalised and updated Kenner action figures is the Panther Alien; which NECA publicly announced on their Facebook page today. Not a lot of details accompany the reveal except NECA’s brief statement, The Alien Invasion continues…“. …and that’s it. There’s no information regarding the availability or pricing of this item just yet. One obvious question is raised by fans familiar with the original Kenner release, though. Will there be a black NECA variant figure to mimic the Night Cougar figure which was also released way back in the mid 1990s? Knowing NECA do like to churn out “repaints”, I am guessing this will happen.

-Windebieste.

More Kenner Tribute Aliens from NECA .

It looks like NECA will be releasing at least two more Kenner themed ALIEN action figures in the near future. This twitter post indicates one will soon be revealed. Of course, there’s no indication of what this pair of figures will be; and certainly, there’s no time frame of their release. Even “done” could simply imply sculpts and prototyping is now complete and much, much more work needs to be completed before retail items hit store shelves. Either way, one of these figures is ready to be revealed. I’m wondering what it could be? I’d be happy to see updated versions of Kenner’s Boar Alien and/or Cougar Alien represented in NECA’s updated 7 inch scale range of figures. Maybe one is a Space Marine..? We’re watching you, NECA, with great interest.

-Windebieste.

NECA Rhino Alien V2 Releasing Soon.

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything regarding this upcoming alternate Rhino Alien Kenner tribute figure. NECA have announced final package design details and shelf date information for the variant of their previously released Rhino Alien on instagram.Here’s NECA’s brief description of this item, V2 Kenner Homage Rhino Xenomorph will be shipping out to retailers in February! Here are the photos of the finalized packaging with classic artwork.Once again sporting a fashionable 1990s retro Kenner theme, this variant figure will be shipping in a display window box arrangement with gatefold and expected to be available sometime next month.

-Windebieste.

NECA Announces Wave 4, 40th Anniversary Figures.

In what appears to be a never ending 40th Anniversary celebration of 1979’s release of ALIEN, NECA have added a fourth wave of figures to their line up. Comprising this line up will be Lambert and Ripley in compression suits and yet another release of the Alien. These items are expected to be released in May, 2021. Here’s what NECA have to say about this upcoming release, “Wave 4 will include previously released fan favorites Ripley(Compression Suit), Lambert(Compression Suit), and Giger’s Alien, with various upgrades and improvements. Both Ripley & Lambert will feature photoreal facial deco of Sigourney Weaver and Veronica Cartwright! Giger’s Alien features new paint deco based on HR Giger’s original concept artwork.Each figure will come packaged in a 40th Anniversary Kenner inspired window box to commemorate the occasion.”

Personally, I’m welcoming of these figures in the bright blue retro anniversary packaging – what I am not finding so inspirational is the blatant re-issue of previously released items. There’s nothing truly fresh here. I’d love to see Lambert in her Nostromo crew gear; but no. Apparently, we have to have yet another re-issue of previously released compression suited character. Actually, all the figures in this line up have been seen before and those early iterations were great. I guess this time around they will be packaged in a nice, blue box instead of a clamshell. *sigh*. No doubt these will be great releases and if you missed out on either Ripley or Lambert in their compression suits in previous NECA releases then this is an opportunity to land them. Nonetheless, I can’t help but feel the horse has been flayed down to its backbone with this content.

-Windebieste.