UPDATED.
Well, fans, ALIEN Day 2018 has been and gone. Like Christmas, it was over too quickly and won’t return for another year. Was it better than Christmas, though? I don’t know if that’s an appropriate comparison. One is a Religious Event usurped by Commercial Ideals while the the other is a Commercial Event usurped by Religious Ideals. Actually, now that I think about it, maybe ALIEN Day and Christmas aren’t all that different after all.
Anyway, the third celebration of all things ALIEN is now over and many fans had mixed feelings about it. We did see some announcements of note – but more conspicuous were the absentees – and believe me, they were significant. Firstly, let’s take a look at what was announced and remember, this list may not be complete and is based on what I found interesting and ‘collectible’ worthy. My subjectivity here is no doubt evident and I have no shame in that. As you will see.
Firstly the one thing …The only one… that really piqued my curiosity, was David 8: The Visual Diaries. It’s a book. A movie based art book and that of itself isn’t too surprising. This one is unique as it collects the studies and sketches in the background of David’s lab as seen in ALIEN: Covenant between its covers. Artwork for these props were crafted by Dane Hallett and Matt Hatton and it’s these images that will appear in the book. Cool. Bring it, I say. Normally, I just post about ALIEN toys, action figures and other similar collectibles but I make exceptions here and there. This is a fine example.
Next item of interest to me was the fantastic Prime 1 Studio content which was teased with a pair of images. Looks like a new version of the original 1979 Big Chap and the Queen from 1986 are on their way to us. These things never get old. Apparently. There was very little information made available for me to get too excited over them. That’s all.
Hiya Toys have also released a new image of their upcoming ALIEN: Covenant Alien figure. This figure was actually announced eariier this year and this is our first peek into what’s being promised. Looks good to me. No additional information just yet.
Eaglemoss released the latest in their series of upscaled figurines and it’s the ever charming facehugger. It’s 10 inches long and available at a discount price from their online store.
Fright Rags released a neat miniature tribute item of the old 1979 Ben Cooper Halloween costume mask on ALIEN Day. This was kind of neat, I must admit. Numbers were very limited though. Only 426 (Geddit?) units were available from their online store. ALIEN DayT-Shirts and an enamel pin are also made available.
Hmmm… lemme see what’s next? Oh yeah. Super7 released a new 5 inch tall Alien Queen Clear Green Hell vinyl sofubi thing on the day. It’s kind of ho-hum if you ask me, but at least it’s something. I guess. I’m just not so excited about it – and really, US$65..? Really?
Moving on now.
Prodos Games are offering some FREE! miniatures for a limited time with every purchase. If you’re into board games, you might want to take advantage of that. Remember, the offer only lasts until Sunday. I’ll pass on this one, too.
Eaglemoss also had a sale on ALIEN Day – but it was only for 24 hours and was over by the time I heard about it. Not really worth mentioning, but it did happen.
Sideshow Collectibles announced a new Alien Queen Maquette available for pre-order. We saw a decent number of new Queen Alien items announced this year. Notwithstanding the Prime 1 Studios figure already mentioned above, this one looks to be the most spectacular of the lot. Just check it out.
…and that’s it from what I have seen. There’s probably items I have missed but the noticeable absentees were more significant. So, let’s look at those.
Firstly, it’s ALIEN Day. There was no indication or any hint of any new movie coming. If one was in the works, 4/26 was the ideal opportunity to make it. Nope. Didn’t happen. Not event a hint or a tease. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
Importantly there were no announcements from some of the more prolific merchandise providers we’ve seen in the past. Not a word from NECA. Wow… Now, that’s impressive! The most disappointing absentee to me – and many other fans I’ve spoken to – was the complete absence of any news regarding Super7’s upcoming Wave 3 ALIEN ReAction figures. We’ve known about these items for well over 12 months now and they have been teased at ToyFair twice in the past 2 years. Any word about them on ALIEN Day..? Nope. Now that was a little disappointing.
Those are 2 big holes in fans expectations for the day – and the lack of such content from such major licencees was regrettable. Nonetheless, it’s not surprising this year’s ALIEN Day was lack luster for many fans. Last year’s effort – which was extensive and embraced a ton of announcements – largely followed in the footsteps of the release of ALIEN: Covenant and no new movie has even being announced just yet. Also of influence no doubt is the transfer of 20th Century Fox assets to Disney. It wouldn’t surprise me if the change of ownership of the ALIEN Property has something to do with the lack of announcements this year.
All in all, it was an OK day. Not the best day in terms of big announcements I was anticipating. Nonetheless, I did take advantage of the event to share 10 pages from my book, HIDEOUS PLASTIC – In Stores everyone can hear you scream. and this announcement was received very positively.
For me, that fan approval of this upcoming book was the best thing that happened on ALIEN Day.
-Windebieste.
