Bootleg “Kenner” ALIEN Vinyl Kits.

All this talk about Big Bad Toy Store selling Super7 ALIENS stock at severely discounted prices (See News posts on front page) is a great thing.  On the other hand, you can go even cheaper with these bootleg ALIEN vinyl kits available on eBay.  There’s many different vinyl ALIEN kits around, but these recast items are indirectly derived from the 1979 Kenner toy – and that’s of immediate interest to me.

These unlicenced reproduction kits are super cheap at less than US$20.  …and they’re rough as guts, too which just adds to their charm – or lack thereof – as far as I am concerned.  Mind you, they do hail from Thailand so international postage will need to be factored into your purchase.  It’s not much. Continue reading

Kenner ALIEN Poster T-Shirt, Mug, More…

Want to find something special for that Kenner ALIEN fan (me) that just can’t get enough of the 40 year old toy in their life?  Here’s something I found on TEEPUBLIC that would suit perfectly.  Drinking mugs, T-shirts and other goodies with the good old Kenner ALIEN poster printed on them.  Sure, it’s just one side of the poster but it is neat all the same.These items are completely unlicenced and unauthorised and payment goes to “support an independent artist”, even though it’s not their art.  Funny that.  Anyway, you can purchase T-shirts, mugs, notebooks, fridge magnets… A whole bunch of fun stuff with the classic Kenner poster printed on it.  You won’t have to pay ridiculous prices, either, like you do for a real vintage poster (about US$100)!  Prices are reasonable and purchasing this stuff goes to a *ahem* worthy cause.

-Windebieste

Big Bad Toy Store Discounts ALIENS Marine Ambush Edition.

Following on yesterday’s announcement that Big Bad Toy Store has discounted Super7’s Super Size Classic Toy Kenner tribute ALIENS figure, BBTS has revealed they have discounted Super7’s Marine Ambush version of the figure.  Now on ‘pre-order’ for the reduced price of US$59.99.  A discount of 66%  off the current retail price of US$194.99.

This faux bronze finished item was actually released early this year, February if I remember correctly.  Mine arrived in March sometime and was reviewed.  This reduced price item may actually be considered more a ‘clearance sale’ rather than a ‘pre-order’ as the Marine Ambush figure has been available for about 10 months, now. Get one. it’s good.  Here’s the review.

By the way, the earlier reduced price all black Classic Toy edition version of this figure reported yesterday on BBTS has also been further reduced in price to US$59.99, matching the the price of the Marine Ambush figure.  They make a great pair so get one of each!  They may not last long.

-Windebieste.

Big Bad Toy Store Discounts ALIENS Classic Toy Edition.

UPDATE: This item has since been reduced further to US$59.99.

Looking to add a relatively cheap updated version of the 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy to your collection?  Big Bad Toy Store currently has Super7’s 2017 ALIENS Classic Toy Edition for the low price of US$74.95.  This is a discount of over 50% off the recommended retail price of US$174.99.  Considering the figure was originally released at US$199.95, it’s a fine deal you might like to take advantage of this opportunity.

It’s a great treatment on the part of Super7 of the older Kenner toy, too, as a ‘what if?’ speculation piece. No toys or action figures accompanied the cinematic release of ALIENS in 1986; but what if Kenner had manufactured product for the popular, action packed movie that year?  It may have looked just like this.  This 2017 released item is a celebration of a toy that never existed and retroactively fills that void.  It’s a nice piece, too with a 1980’s vintage flavoured package and includes a neat, double sided poster just like the original Kenner toy once did. It’s a great fresh addition to any ALIEN collection.

I like it for what it is and have written quite a bit about it here on HIDEOUS PLASTIC. I wrote a review of the Classic Toy edition, did a complete tear down of the figure and of course I also compared it to the original 40 year old Kenner ALIEN toy.  Have fun!

-Windebieste.

Lanard Toys Budget ALIEN Play Sets.

UPDATE: Added images of Lanard’s ALIEN Queen.
UPDATE 2: Added US availability details.

Budget toy manufacturer Lanard Toys will be releasing a range of colourful ALIENS COLLECTION play sets next year.  Currently 3 items have been made available for pre-order from Smyths in the UK.

It looks like our friend the Big Chap and the Dox Alien will be available in a pair of 2 packs that will include ‘colonial marines’ along with a handful of other accessories.  These toys appear to be in the 5 inch range, or there about. Gauging by these images, it looks there will be around 15 points of articulation on the Aliens. Space marines with rifles, motorcycle, facehugger and Alien egg are included across these packages.

A 12 inch Alien Queen with 20 points of articulation including “chomping jaw attack” is also available for pre-order at GBP$19.99 (US$25, I guess). It looks like no accessories will accompany this boss purple figure.

You’ll find links to pre-order all 3 items in this product range below. Continue reading

eBay – Kenner ALIEN with Box, Dome, Poster.

Looking to score a classic vintage toy, albeit a gruesome one of disreputable standing with parents of its day?  Then look no further!  This highly sought after 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy is now available for purchase.  At just US$540 (or Best Offer) this notorious action figure, poster and damaged box can be yours.  He’s all there – to varying degrees. The figure appears to be in generally good shape and importantly includes the dome and the crest despite these being loose. These can be re-seated onto the figure without any hassle although minor damage on the back of the figure will be a major annoyance if the spike keeps falling out. The poster looks to be in decent shape too, and its presence is always welcome.  It’s just the box that looks like it suffered irreparable damage. Continue reading

eBay – Loose Kenner ALIEN Crest for Sale.

UPDATE: It took a while but this item finally sold for US$99.

Looking for a dorsal crest to complete your Kenner ALIEN toy?  One is now available on eBay.  This one is available for the high asking price of US$149.90. These things do show up about once a month on eBay and usually do have high price tags associated with them.  This one is somewhat higher than expected but such extremes are not unknown.

It’s not even an immaculate piece, either.  Some dust is visible on it and it’s also showing signs of obvious wear and tear.  Is it worth US$149.90?  If you’re really desperate to complete your Kenner ALIEN action figure, then maybe.  At this price, how long will it take to sell?  Maybe a day. Maybe a little longer. The vendor will probably accept the best price offered and it will be gone.  You can bet it won’t last long either way.

-Windebieste.

eBay – Kenner ALIEN Toy with Box and Insert for Sale.

Listed on eBay right now is an incomplete Kenner ALIEN toy in an incomplete box.  Both the toy and the box are lacking critical pieces you would expect to find to make it a truly worthy display piece.  Let’s see what you get for US$650 – and just as important, let’s see what you don’t get.

The figure is near complete and of significant note the vendor lists it has having a “replacement dome”.  Being open about the presence of reproduction parts is welcome.  Not everyone is going to be aware the head covering included in this listing is a facsimile.  Nonetheless, the missing part has been replaced with a copy.  Other than that, the figure is complete.  The dorsal spine is present as are all 4 mouth parts.  That helps a lot but the reproduction piece really doesn’t help and I’ll get to that at the end of this appraisal.  Potential melting and the presence of strange residue on its lower back should also be noted. Similar residue coating also appears to be in the mouth, as well. Continue reading

Custom Made AvP2 Map.ed Files Released.

I post a lot of ALIEN action figure stuff on the site as that’s its primary purpose but I’ll also occasionally use it to share other interests I have within the ALIEN property.  For example, there’s been a resurgence of interest in the old Monolith game, AvP2,  released in 2002 and I have found uncompiled .ed files for custom maps I made for the game.  I have decided to release this selection publicly.  These 6 maps can be downloaded here.

In the zip file you will find raw .ed files for the following maps:

  • Station 23 – Originally appearing in AvP2 CTF mod, collaboration with Herr Alien.
  • Blue Collar – Originally appearing in AvP2 CTF mod. Many textures missing.
  • Blue Transmission Intercept – Originally appearing in AvP2 CTF mod.
  • Hostile Appetite – Originally released as Alien single player mod/map.
  • Lost Cargo – DM/TDM map. Collaboration with Psykore.
  • Dry Dock – DM/TDM map.

Continue reading

eBay – Kenner ALIEN in Box… Sealed?

UPDATE: This listing was ended by the seller because there was an error in the listing.

This boxed 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy is now available for sale on eBay.  He’s a beauty!  Box, figure, poster, insert card. It’s all there, inside a box with the tape across the top of the box still intact and unbroken. For the very fair price of just US$850. Fantastic!  Does it mean the box is unopened with the contents undisturbed?  No. Sorry, it doesn’t mean that at all.  Let’s take a look at this sample.

Firstly, before we continue, I must note that the vendor has been responsible to disclose  any issues with the box.  That doesn’t always happen.  It’s a welcome action on his part and we’ll investigate these implications during the course of this evaluation.

Let’s have a closer look at this item.  The box lid is taped shut as is correctly claimed by the vendor.  It appears 2 layers of tape (Arrowed: 1) have been used in sealing this item. As both layers are the same width and share the same amount of discolouring due to age, it appears to have been sealed in this way in Kenner’s factory, with a double layer.  This is a good thing as the tape is strengthened by the dual sealing. It is rare but welcome as the tape on many aged boxes has split on figures that haven’t had this reinforcement.  So, we can safely assume this box is unopened at the top.  Continue reading

eBay – 1979 Kenner ALIEN Toy for sale.

UPDATE: This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available.

This 40 year old Kenner ALIEN toy is now available for purchase on eBay for US$250.  He’s an average looking figure with all the common parts missing as is frequently the case with these old action figures.  This particular sample is incorrectly listed as “A Gentle Giant Release!” but if the photos are anything to go by, it’s indeed a 1979 Kenner item and not made by Gentle Giant in 2015.

He’s missing his head dome, the crest on his back and both tongue parts.  He’s also  suffering from some scuff marks on his glow in the dark head features.  Other than that, he looks reasonably good.  He’s a little dusty and on the grubby side of things but it’s certainly nothing that a good dip into the kitchen sink with some hot water and mild detergent couldn’t fix. Continue reading

eBay – Poor Condition Kenner ALIEN Toy for Sale.

With all this talk about average condition Kenner ALIEN toys, it’s probably a good idea to check out one that is in poor state.  Let’s investigate this beat up sample currently available for sale on eBay right now.  This Kenner ALIEN is being offered for US$199.95.

There is a long list of problems with this item.  Let’s find out if it’s worth the asking price of US$200.  Firstly, the dome on the head and the dorsal crest are missing. If this figure’s problems ended there, it could be described as being in ‘average’ condition.  Unfortunately, this guy has a ton of other issues that prevent it from deserving that status.  Here’s just a few problems present on this old toy I can spot without too much effort.  Continue reading

eBay – Average Condition Kenner ALIEN for Sale.

It’s an average condition 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy for sale on eBay!  Didn’t I just post one of these old toys in more or less the same condition?  Yup.  I did.  Let’s just consider that fact as testimony to how common 40 year old vintage Kenner ALIEN toys actually are.  Listed almost commonly enough to post about daily.  This one is selling for US$300.

This item is in very similar condition to the figure I posted about an hour ago, missing the same parts.  Absent are both the dome and the dorsal crest.  Minor differences are present on this item.  We can see the jaw trigger is fully operational, which is always good to have documented in photos.  Also, the slot on the back of the figure appears to be in a much better state here and it appears to be clean and unbroken.  There may be some discolouring from material stress when the crest was forced free from this mounting point but otherwise it’s in good condition and in a very similar state as the prior listed sample.

At US$300 do these minor improvements warrant a one hundred dollar price hike, though?  Not really; but figures in this condition can go for any price, even if this is the upper extreme for one in average condition like this.  The seller is offering a ‘Make Offer’ option so it will probably sell for less than the listed price.  We’ll have to follow this one.

One thing for sure.  Once this item is sold, another will take its place. There’s always a constant stream of these 40 year old toys available on eBay, frequently around a dozen of them.

-Windebieste.

eBay – Average Condition Kenner ALIEN for Sale.

UPDATE: This item sold for US $195.00 (1 bid)

On eBay right now is this average condition sample of the 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy.  He’s a beauty; but he’s missing the parts that are frequently absent from these toys.  Both the head dome and dorsal crest are missing here.  The auction starts at a healthy US$195.00.

At around 70-90% samples of the toy are lacking these features making this item an average condition figure.  Everything else appears to be present, though.  It stands well, the tail has its tip in place. The arms appear to be a little loose as they rest upon the thighs – but that’s a very common trait on these aging 40 year old toys.  A close examination reveals both of the tongue halves are still present and hopefully the trigger mechanism still works as it’s not documented in the listing.  The quad dorsal appendages are all aligned correctly.  The glow in the dark paint on the head looks to be in reasonable condition, too.  Sure, there’s a small chip in the slot on the figure’s back but that’s unfortunately an issue commonly associated with the loss of the appendage that should be located there.  So, it’s not a bad piece at all despite a couple of missing parts.  Basically, it’s common to find Kenner ALIEN toys in this condition.  They pop up on eBay with amazing regularity.

Figures in this average condition usually sell for anywhere between US$100-200 in this incomplete state. Starting at US$295 may be a little high but once again, it’s a safe bet this item will sell.  Samples of this quality do frequently sell for over the US$200 mark.  If this item had the dome and crest in place, it would easily fetch US$300-400 without any problem.  Either way, it looks to be a nice piece regardless of it lacking critical parts.

He is such a darling! I hope he goes to a caring and loving home that will look after – and tend to – the needs of deserving, 40 year old ugly ass old toys like this one.

-Windebieste.

eBay – Kenner ALIEN Loose Dorsal Crest for Sale.

UPDATE: Sold for US$89.99, within hours of being listed.

Do you need a genuine dorsal crest for your Kenner ALIEN toy?  One is available right now for the dirt cheap price of only US$89.99.  Bargain!  Remember, this is a genuine 40 years old piece and not a reproduction part.

Believe it or not, that’s the going price for one of these pieces. It’s not made of gold or anything particularly valuable material – it’s just a piece of plastic. Significantly though, these parts are in high demand as many four decades old Kenner toys are missing this particular feature.  It’s a safe bet this will sell; and sell quickly.  I will be surprised if this item is still listed in 24 hours.

You’d better grab it now just to prove me right! lol.

-Windebieste.

eBay – 1979 Kenner ALIEN Poster.

UPDATE: Sold prior to auction completed for US$100.

There’s an old, 1979 Kenner ALIEN poster being auctioned on eBay right now.  An ideal item to go with your Kenner ALIEN toy if you want one.  This one is for auction and bidding starts at US$49.99.  It’s a 40 year old sheet of vintage merchandise and part of the contents of the old ALIEN toy box.  These things usually sell for a lot more as we have witnessed in multiple occasions during the past half year. This one will be no different.

It appears to be in excellent condition throughout and a nice pick up for someone who wants one of these pieces in their collection or needing one that’s otherwise missing from a boxed figure.  I’ve seen these posters framed and they do look fantastic.  It’s actually surprising how many of these old B&W inclusions do sell for.  It will be interesting to see the final buying price on this item.

-Windebieste.

RETRO FAN No.9 Features 1979 Kenner ALIEN Article.

The Fall 2019 issue of RETRO FAN magazine is now available and features an article dedicated to our good old friend, the 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy.  The 6 page article includes various photos, information and interviews with Kenner Senior Products Designer, Jim Swearingen; Super7 owner, Brian Flynn; and fans of the vintage toy, Larry Strothe and Phil Wlodarczyk.

It’s an informative piece and if you’re looking to purchase a copy of this latest edition for yourself, then here’s a link to the publisher’s order page.  Thank you for interviewing me for this issue, Mr. Smentek. I would love to do so again sometime.

-Windebieste.

NECA Reveals Kenner Tribute Figure Packaging.

It’s Facehugger Friday; and everyone knows what that means, right?  On Facebook today, NECA revealed packaging for their upcoming quarter scale ALIEN figure.  This box is very much a tribute to the box the original Kenner toy was released in 40 years ago.  So much awesome.

Here’s what NECA have to say about this item “The final packaging for our Quarter Scale Alien Big Chap is a tribute to the 1979 Kenner Alien figure. You can look forward to this figure shipping out to retailers on November 20th!” 

No price is available just yet but this does look fantastic. It’s even packaged with the wire core tail coiled between its legs.  At around 2 feet tall, it will be larger than the original Kenner item by around 20-25%.  I wonder if there will be a poster included like the Gentle Giant figures from a few years ago had; and what’s the age rating on this item?  I bet it won’t be rated AGES 5 AND UP.  That would be bold, hilarious and probably illegal now. And the fantastic use of the logo featuring the figure’s head is great, too.  Just like the original – except with the ‘gruesome details’ uncensored this time around.

Here’s some more images.

-Windebieste.