San Diego Comic Con 2018 is almost upon us and will open this weekend with Super7’s con exclusive Hammerhead ALIEN ReAction figure making its debut. The soon to be available ReAction figure draws its influences from the unique kit bashed prototype  Alien action figure Kenner created as a visualisation exercise to prepare the company to manufacture their new 3.75 inch products to be released in 1980.

As the original Alien prototype utilises a Star Wars hammerhead figure as a base for the production sample item, it’s easy to see the attraction of pursuing a creative endeavor to create a custom version. After all, the Star Wars Hammerhead action figure is relatively easy to come by and all you need is the preparedness to modify it, add a few characteristic Alien features and paint it black.

Such are the efforts of Baptiste Coudert with his very own interpretation of the figure. Working from photographs taken by the current owner of the original prototype appearing in a private Facebook group, Baptiste set to recreate a personal homage to the old unproduced prototype figure. Baptiste says “I always made customs for myself because I really wanted something that I couldn’t afford or get, or which simply didn’t exist.”

Appropriately, Baptiste acquired an original 40 year old Hammerhead figure to use as a base. Studying images of the original Kenner ALIEN prototype he made several drawings and noted what changes needed to be made to the Star Wars figure to achieve this goal. Extensive modifications needed to be made. The figure’s eponymous head had to be completely removed, lateral pointing toes on the feet cut away and the legs themselves were severed at the knees and lengthened.

Upon the now heavily mutilated Star Wars figure the Alien’s features were added. The elongated head, shoulder arches, various projections on the back and the tail were all added. 2 attempts on crafting the head were required to achieve the desired accuracy. Extra height for the figure was achieved by adding extensions into the legs where they were severed at the knees.  Plastic glue and Miliput, an ideal non shrinking epoxy putty, were used for assembling these parts to create the custom figure. The cut and polished figure’s parts were then finished in black gloss with a light black matt coating.

The end result is a striking reproduction of Kenner’s original prototype figure. Baptiste has brought artistic skill and a love of one of Kenner’s unproduced figures to the fore and it shows in the final result. This item is not for sale and no orders for providing one will be accepted.

Baptiste Coudert discovered ALIEN in 2004 and has been an avid collector of Super7’s ReAction figure line since he first heard about them in 2013 with the revelation of the SDCC limited edition ‘prototype’ ALIEN 2 pack. Inspired by the upcoming Super7 release and an appreciation of the historic unproduced Kenner items has led him to become the proud owner of a custom homage item honoring a personal favourite action figure, the 3.75 inch tall ALIEN ReAction figure.

More images of Baptiste’s work on this Project can be found on his Flickr page. The original 40 year old prototype figure is in the private collection of Steve Dwyer and you can see this and other curious ALIEN prototype items here on HIDEOUS PLASTIC.

-Windebieste.