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

Here’s something you will want to be very aware if you are seeking to purchase one of these old vintage toys. It’s a 1979 Kenner ALIEN for sale on eBay right now for US$400. It’s a lot of money for an old toy and you’d want to be sure of getting something of high quality for that price. Sadly, this item falls well short of any of these aspirations. Let’s take a closer look at this figure and find out what you’re getting for your money on this item.Firstly, we’ll start with the fact this figure is populated with half a dozen reproduction parts. All the pieces that are frequently missing from these old toys are replaced here with facsimiles. The head carapace, the upper and lower tongue pieces, the teeth on the upper and lower jaws; and the dorsal crest are all replacement pieces. Without getting into any debates about whether these forgeries are worthy or not they simply do not add value to the figure. While such bootleg replacement parts do make the figure “feature complete” this doesn’t change the fact these are counterfeit replacement parts and are completely valueless. At least the vendor has made the responsible action of declaring the presence of these reproduction parts. If only this figure’s problems ended there. Let’s delve deeper and determine the overall quality of the figure itself.

Starting with the head, there’s obvious wear on the glow in the dark paint. This is a common problem with these vintage toys and scuffs, scratches and chips like this will devalue it. Usually the paint will still glow in the dark. That paint was made to last and the presence of such scratches means the head hasn’t been painted over, so there’s a blessing there. It’s all original albeit a little scarred. At least the jaw activation system works even if the upper bootleg denture set isn’t seated correctly.

The next item for analysis is the torso. It’s very likely there’s damage on the slot on the back of the figure where the replacement crest has been attached. When these pieces go missing in the first place, breakage is common at this location and is not repairable. Such damage is easily concealed by the new appendage, which may easily fall back out due to this unwanted change. Also of concern are the way the arms are seated into their shoulder sockets. A set of eight blunt pins inside the torso (Four pins inside each shoulder.) prevent the arms from collapsing into the torso. As the arms do appear to be pulled into the shoulders, these pins may also to be missing, possibly broken.

This also raises questions about the neoprene anchors that normally hold the arms into place on the figure. As this figure is heavily populated with other replacement parts, it’s also wise to consider the possibility repairs have been made to the arms – especially considering the fact the arms are not hanging loose. This may be an indication the arms themselves have had their rubber anchors replaced. Looking at the arms, we can see the blunt spur on the left elbow is missing. Such breakage cannot be repaired and while declared by the vendor in the listing description can easily be overlooked by purchasers. Other than that single feature, both arms feature no missing fingers or other obvious issues.

There’s a set of four curved appendages on the back of the figure. These all appear to be seated correctly on the toy’s back which indicates no internal damage as they are all aligned correctly. They do display scratch marks where the appendages come into contact with the styrene torso. This damage is common to these aging figures as the much harder torso parts will be abrasive on these projections.

The legs appear to be OK and in good condition, which is welcome as the tail has unfortunately lost it’s blunt tip. It’s another one of the many problems these old toys can display – the very tip of the tail is missing. Both legs and the tail may be loose, this is common and expected in figures of this condition.

Disregarding the presence of facsimile parts and taking into account the general condition of the figure, this is a textbook case of various problems these forty year old toys may have. Multiple pieces are missing from the head and back. Paintwork on the head is scratched and worn. One arm has a broken elbow spur. The tail tip is missing. These along with a number of other suspect issues this toy may possess will make you want to think twice about paying US$400 for it. That price is frequently commanded by ALIEN  figures in immaculate condition, which this item is not. It’s also still possible to purchase one in a box at that price on a day. If you’re lucky.

So what is this item really worth? Well, whatever it gets bought for, of course. Keep in mind, figures in this condition will sell at any price. Nonetheless, toys of this quality usually have a range between US$50 to US$130 on eBay. It’s still a lot of money for an average condition (at best) beat up old toy with more damaged and missing parts than original ones in decent condition.

At least the legs appear to be in good order. You can purchase them individually for around US$20 apiece on eBay.

-Windebieste.