- This page is Part 2 of a much larger article. You may like to Read Part 1 first.
Kenner items aren’t the only bootleg ALIEN figures to come from Mexico. A wide range of dubious product hails from the country, much of it produced by unknown manufacturers. These toys are frequently made from equally poor quality recast product and painted to match. There’s no mistaking a Mexican bootleg when you see it.
Be prepared to plunge into unfathomable depths of curious design decisions, dismal production values and non-existent quality control. Let the head scratching commence!
- KING ALIEN.
- Product Line: King Alien
- Manufacturer: Unknown
- Country: Mexico
- Released: 2022
The companion piece to an earlier released “Queen” alien (see below) released in Mexico a few years back comes in an assortment of colours. These figures share common colour schemes; but it may be possible that no pair be exactly alike in appearance due to their hand painted nature.
The King Alien appears to have highly stylised features cobbled together from all over the place with various officially licenced figures blended into this item. The figure appears to be heavily influenced by Hiya Toys’ ALIENS: Colonial Marines Spitter Alien. The arms terminate in Hands from their Dog Alien figure.
- GODZILLA ALIEN (Xenozilla).
- Product Line: XenoZilla vs PredaKong
- Manufacturer: Unknown
- Country: Mexico
- Released: 2022
Godzilla Alien is a 7 inch tall articulated toy. It is made of translucent plastic, often painted in a variety of different colours. Articulation on the figure includes jaw, arms and legs. This item is a hybridisation of Toho Productions and Twentieth Century Fox properties that has never happened, officially or otherwise. Maybe they should. The sculpt and presentation of this item is as lurid as it is it is comedic. There is a lot to be said about this item and I’ve been lucky enough to land a sample and have reviewed the wonderful enigma that is the Mexican bootleg Godzilla Alien.
Of course what would this figure be without a counterpart antagonist? Indeed a Predator x King Kong Mexican bootleg figure known as “PredaKong” is also known to exist. Welcome to the wonderful and lurid world of Mexican bootleg ALIEN toys, where XenoZilla vs PredaKong is a real thing.
- XENOSAURS!
- Product Line: XENOSAURS!
- Manufacturer: Unknown
- Country: Mexico
- Released: 2022
Originally released a few years back, this range of bootleg Aliens have returned in force in a fresh range of sculpts and variants. The original release included bootleg versions of Rebor’s equally unlicenced Broodlord X-Rex figure. Since then, these things have evolved (some would say “devolved”) into this current strain of product.
Cast in translucent plastic and painted in gaudy colours that would give headaches to a rainbow, each one of these hybrid xenomorph/dinosaur toys share common features. Each item includes an accessory of a miniature Predator figure that can be mounted atop the Xenosaur along with a push button that operates a set of LEDs. Pressing the switch will allow the figure to cycle through the settings of Fast, Medium and Slow settings to light it up internally with flashes of blue, green and red light pulses.
There appears to be two distinct product lines available featuring Xenosaurs. Small in size but featuring a number of accessories is the new Ceratopsian (Triceratops?) Alien hybrid. This quadrupedal item comes disassembled inside a large translucent coloured egg. An earlier bipedal Xenosaur variant displaying Predalien features is also known to have been released. The larger series also has a number of additions made to it and these figures include crossovers of Aliens with Dilophosaurus, Spinosaurus and a third item that appears to be a Predalien mashed up with some other large, prehistoric Theropod. Both large and small series of figures feature Predator mounts and LED lights.
- 3 INCH AvP BOOTLEGS.
- Product Line: ALIENS vs PREDATOR/PREDATORS
- Manufacturer: Unknown
- Country: Mexico
- Released: Unknown (Not before 2010)
These 5 garish figures are a set of relatively recently released items and their approximate date can be easily verified. The presence of the horned Predator ‘hunting dog’ identifies these figures were manufactured no earlier than 2010, as determined by this character’s appearance in the movie, PREDATORS, released that year. Considering all 3 characters never appear together in a single movie, the fact that Aliens, Predators and the hunting dog are part of the same set may appear to be incongruous.
On the other hand, these are Mexican bootleg figures and rules as we are accustomed to them are not obeyed here. These figures can generally be considered to scale in the 3 inch range and each figure is cast in flexible rubber like plastic, they are pliable and easily deformed out of shape, springing back to original configuration with retarded ease. Curiously, the Aliens each have 2 points of articulation. Movement is available on the head and tail only. The limbs are permanently fixed in place and immovable. The paintwork on them is rudimentary at best and tending to look like someone painted them in the dark with a blunt stick. That’s a product quality standard with Mexican bootleg figures. Mould flashings and other extraneous production artifacts are also liberally retained in abundance on these figures.
The Predators in this set don’t fare any better, if anything the production quality on these items is even worse. At 4 inches tall, these figures are larger than their Alien companions and their sole point of articulation is present only for the head. Lacking any tail also means the pliable material these things are cast in makes them very difficult to stand on just 2 legs. Paint application, especially on the maskless Predator figure is about as dismal as it can get. The hunting dog is a nice inclusion with this set. Its equally woeful finish matches the rest of the set. Once again, it’s also blessed with a single point of articulation at the neck.
Here’s another set of the same Mexican 3 inch rubber AvP bootleg figures. Notable in this batch is the alternate colour choice when compared to the same set immediately above. Final paint finishings on these things can vary greatly and as is often the case with hand painted bootleg figures, no two samples of the same figure are exactly alike.
- 4.5 INCH AvP BOOTLEGS.
- Product Line: ALIENS vs PREDATOR
- Manufacturer: Unknown
- Country: Mexico
- Released: Unknown (Not before 2007)
This pair of 4.5 inch tall Alien items belong to a set of figures based on the AvP movies and as such, it also includes several Predators to match. The figure on the Right is clearly based on the Predalien Hybrid that appears in AvP-R and its presence helps to date this set at no older than 2007, the year the movie was released. I haven’t been able to ascertain whether these items are original sculpts or are recasts of legitimately licenced product. Knowing the reputation the Mexican bootleg scene has, it’s unlikely they’re originally sculpted items. That’s something I would like to find out.
One thing for certain, though, they are not an officially licenced product. Hence, their appearance on this page. What is also well known is the typically poor paint application that consistently appears on these figures. Substandard paint aps are largely recognised as a ‘trademark’ of Mexican bootlegs where a minimum amount of time (I’d say, around 10 seconds appears to be the average) is spent in applying what passes for a final finish on these things. The recognisably rough paint job on these translucent cast figures certainly identifies them as typical Mexican bootlegs. No maker’s mark or product identification exists on these items and I have no idea what kind of packaging (if any) was used.
The translucency of the ‘dreadlocks’ on the Predalien figure reveal truthfully these figures are not fully opaque as they may appear in these photos.
- 8 INCH AvP BOOTLEGS.
- Product Line: ALIENS vs PREDATOR
- Manufacturer: Unknown
- Country: Mexico
- Released: Unknown (Not before 2007)
These items are from Mexico. Once again, the origin behind these items is shrouded in all kinds of mystery. This is a series of 8 inch figures that were manufactured sometime after ALIENS vs PREDATOR: Requiem was released to cinemas. Included in the series are both Aliens and Predators. Each of them are striking to behold. Some of them very strange. None of them officially licenced. All of them parodies in their own unintentional way. Each one of them is cast solid without cavities present in any limbs or torsos making them weighty and sturdy.
As is frequently the case with this quality of figure from Mexico, no product identification, country of origin or date exists on these items and packaging type is unknown. Let’s take a look at some of these strange figures. First up is a Predalien. He’s translucent green and includes a mask, plasmacaster and wristblades. I guess he’s batting for both teams. There is a large button his back that will light up LEDs inside his chest when pressed. For more information on this particular Predalien Hybrid figure, he has been reviewed on this site and can be read here. 
Next up is this odd brute. He’s much like the 8 inch item above and is also a solid figure. Once again, the details on the head tell us this fellow, too is a Predalien. He’s also got the distinction of an additional pair of arms in the centre of his chest much like the Alien Queen. This then, is the Mexican interpretation of what an Predalien Queen would be like. This item also boasts an action feature very similar to something may have appeared in a Kenner ALIENS figure in the form of a ‘flying tongue’. A rod is mounted inside the figure’s head and can be pulled back. A spring inside will force the rod and the attached tongue to fly out of the figure’s mouth as a missile. So what we have here is a bootleg Predalien Queen that can launch tongue missiles at its foes. Eat your heart out, Kenner.
This blue Alien item is very similar to the item immediately above except the head has been swapped out for a more standard Alien variety. It’s still boasting the Queen body and the AvP finned tail and the spring loaded tongue. It also lacks the flashing LEDs that grace the interior of other bootleg figures.
Next up is another 8 inch bootleg ALIEN figure from Mexico. While this item isn’t a Predalien, doesn’t have any cycling LED lights in its chest and doesn’t fire tongue missiles, it is nonetheless remarkable for its overall trashy quality. This item has huge hands, digitigrade legs that terminate in enormous feet and boasts yellow teeth that look like this fellow could make good use of a new toothbrush. The dark figure is finished almost with a sloppy wipe of copper looking paint that attempts to imitate gold. Or maybe it’s intended to be a brushed bronze finish. I’m not sure which; but this lurid piece of junk looks terrible – and I love it.
Here’s an unopened package sample of a variant of the figure immediately above. This set of images was kindly provided by El Rarámuri Urbano. I’d not seen the packaging for these things before and as usual it’s as astonishing as the figure inside. Weird and wonderful.
Knock off and bootleg Alien action figures can be very strange, there’s no doubt about it. No one knows exactly how many are made – it’s just impossible to guess at. Compounding the problem regarding the uncertain volume of these things is the fan element that also needs to be considered. It’s not uncommon for fans to want to make and sell their own interpretations of characters from these intellectual properties. Lacking the financial and legal clout to officially licence such content means low volume production. Such activity isn’t solely limited to action figures, either.
Bootleg T-shirts, statuettes, sculptures, posters and other unlicenced products listed for sale (anywhere) may be considered bootlegs. There’s a fine line between ‘fan art’ and/or ‘unauthorised’ content made specifically for sale and a legally questionable ‘bootleg’. That line itself, much like the paint application on some of these weird things, is frequently blurred and unclear. These things exist. That’s just the way the world works.
- This page is Part 2 of a much larger article. Our exploration of Bootlegs, Knock Offs and other Illegal ALIENS commences in Part 1: Kenner Bootlegs or you may like to continue onto Part 3: Imitations.
Part 1: Kenner. – Bootleg Kenner ALIEN action figures.
Part 2: Mexican Oddities – Other dodgy unlicenced stuff from Mexico
Part 3: Imitations – The very strange world of not quite licenced ALIEN figures.
Part 4: Unexplained Phenomena – Mashups and curiosities of dubious origins.
