ALIEN Isolation 10th Anniversary Soundtrack.

ALIEN Isolation’s 10 Anniversary is being celebrated by game publisher SEGA with an official release of the game’s soundtrack. SEGA’s facebook page outlines the details. The soundtrack of the game was created by The Flight & Christian Henson featuring Original ALIEN themes by Jerry Goldsmith. It looks like ALIEN Isolation’s popularity over the years has brought about this welcome release, right on the tail of News of a new ALIEN Isolation game now in early stages of development.
The publisher tells us about these old skool designed pieces of media, “The 20-track album releases in celebration of Alien: Isolation’s 10-year anniversary – Available digitally, on blood green vinyl and motion-tracker green cassette. Featuring original packaging art by Nimit Malavia”. The collectible green vinyl album and iconic motion tracker adorned cassette sound tracks are both available for pre-order from Iam8bit with the digital edition downloads for both Apple and Spotify also now available. No CD soundtrack version appears to be included as part of this 10 Anniversary release. Given that ALIEN Isolation is a game featuring a design language which predates digital home media, the publisher is keeping in character by releasing the physical versions of the soundtrack on long superseded analog media. Do people still have cassette players? I guess such releases are more targeted to the collector market rather than for the audiophile. Not a problem. Grab a cassette for your physical library and then a digital copy for you to listen to on any digital device of your choice. Done deal.

-windebieste.

ALIEN Isolation 2 …announced?

Various gaming News sites have reported the announcement of a sequel to SEGA’s outstanding 2014 video game, ALIEN Isolation. These announcements have been made by the original game’s creative director, Al Hope. Al posted brief details on X regarding the development of ALIEN Isolation 2 during the 10 Anniversary of the original game’s release, which occurred on October 7. Yesterday. Al had this to say about this currently in early development title, “Today, I’m delighted to confirm, on behalf of the team, that a sequel to Alien: Isolation is in early development. We look forward to sharing more details with you when we’re ready.” . Unfortunately, the post hasn’t been live for long and has since been removed from X. Why? Who knows. Possibly due to the announcement not being officially sanctioned by …SEGA? …20th Century Studios? …Scott Free Productions? …some other third party we have no idea about? While Mr. Hope’s post is now no longer live, it appears the much wished for follow up to one of the best ALIEN games – and for that matter, one of the best horror video games – ever made is finally receiving a follow up title. Continue reading

52Toys – ALIEN MegaBox.

Chinese toy manufacturer 52 Toys (Five Two Toys) is showing off several new licenced ALIEN themed products at this year’s Wonder Festival event, currently being held in Shanghai. It looks like they are displaying at least three new ALIEN products at the event. A highly stylised Alien figure in the 1/12 scale, an articulated facehugger with what appears to be wheels underneath; and what also appears to be a new entry in their ongoing series of ALIEN MegaBox figures. I’m curious about that facehugger. I’m hoping there are some cams – or other mechanism – inside the toy that will allow the legs to move up and down as it is pushed forward. That would be super neat feature not done previously to my knowledge in a toy or figure. The other item of significance is the Alien which can fold up and become a cube. 52Toys have now made a variety of these Alien themed MegaBox figures. An Alien, Queen Alien and powerloader have been afforded similar treatment in the past, each of them being able to use their articulation to fold and reduce the figure to the volume of a small cube. There is no mention of price, availability or when these pieces will become available. You can visit 52Toys current product range on this Facebook page.

-windebieste.

Hot Toys – ALIEN Romulus Figure.

Hot Toys have revealed their forthcoming range of pop culture product items in a series of event preview photographs on Facebook. These early images are from their booth at the Wonder Festival, 2024 in Shanghai, China. Included in these early images is a photograph of their ALIEN Romulus Alien character item, a 1/6 scale collectible figure.
Here’s a few words from the manufacturer regarding this upcoming reveal appearing at Wonder Festival, Get ready to be WOWed by our stunning collection of our China firstly-unveiled figure collection, including Tony Stark (70s Version) from Avengers: Endgame, Venom and Doctor Doom from Marvel Comics; Savage Opress, Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars saga; Scarecrow from The Dark Knight, Batman Beyond (Black and Gold version) and Batgirl (Purple and Gold version) from Batman; Arkham Knight videogame; T-800 and T-1000 from The Terminator series; and Alien from Alien: Romulus will also be showcased. These beautifully-crafted, highly-detailed figures is sure to thrill fans and collectors. No other information is yet available regarding details on price, availability or quantity but this figure appears to be a masterclass all on its own in terms of proportions and accurate attention to detail, as fitting for Hot Toys reputation for such product. The Wonder Festival event is being held during October 2-3, 2024 at Shanghai New International Expo Center.

-windebieste.

R-One Studio Resin Kit.

Taiwan resin kit maker, R-One Studios has announced pre-orders are now available for their 1/16 scale ALIEN PLEROMA kit.This is an unpainted resin kit supplied unassembled to customers. It is comprised of fourteen parts that will need to be built and painted by the purchaser. Its full height when completed is 34cm/13 inches tall. If you are interested in this kit, you can pre-order it directly from R-One Studios.
This product is an unlicenced garage kit and will be available at the special discount pre-order price of US$125; and full retail price of US$140, plus shipping. Pre-orders end on October 15, 2024. This neat looking kit will be shipped to customers between Dec 2024 and Jan 2025 for more images, visit the R-one Studios Facebook page.

-windebieste.

Playmobil – Special Operations Agent 70600.

Some of the most fascinating ALIEN products are those not associated with the property at all. Some are backhanded unlicenced tributes that share some tangential association at best, they are tributes or have some form of suspicious connection to the property. Take ‘Special Operations Agent 70600’ by Playmobil, released in 2022. This is a curiosity worth a closer look. Let’s do that now.
There’s a few details here which are worthy of note. The mustard colored suit worn by the Playmobil figure bares at least a passing resemblance to that of executive officer Gilbert Kane as seen in ALIEN; and it may be considered a coincidence. Also of passing coincidence is the default sky blue color choice that appears on the Playmobil package. It also carries a passing resemblance to the color choice of the 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy packaging. Yeah. That’s just a coincidence, too. Right? Of course it is. All Playmobil products display this color on their packaging. Now, what about the ‘Special Operation Agent’ numerical designation and product number, 70600? It very closely resembles the product number appearing on the aforementioned Kenner ALIEN toy box, 70060. That’s got to be a coincidence, too? Right? RIGHT???

It’s interesting then, these multiple design choices assembled in a single unit could be labeled as a ‘coincidence’. It’s more likely that ‘Special Operations Agent 70600’ is a tongue in cheek Easter Egg tribute as these design elements come together so perfectly on this product. There’s no doubt in my mind someone at Playmobil was having a fun time dreaming up this retail item, knowing too well there’s a slight undercurrent of subversion at play here, making it a wily tribute to Kenner’s infamous vintage toy.

Both Playmobil and LEGO are owned by the Brandstatter Group. Playmobil’s ‘Special Operations Agent 70600’ may be the closest  we will ever witness in regards to official ALIEN content, that is an R-rated movie, be produced by either Playmobil or LEGO. Especially considering Playmobil is consciously marketed to a younger age group, children ages “4-10”. Notably, a similar age rating is printed on the 1979 Kenner ALIEN box, “AGES 5 AND UP” and appears in a matching location on the upper right corner of the box. No doubt, just another coincidence of convenience. Just like the “WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD” badging obliquely and unintentionally references Kane’s encounter with the facehugger.

On the other hand, LEGO have produced sets for The Lord of the Rings and more recently, for STRANGER THINGS. So, maybe we’re yet to see genuine LEGO ALIEN product at some point in the future. Come on LEGO. We, the adults who purchase a lot of LEGO for our own collections, would love some genuine licenced LEGO ALIEN play sets and minifigs.

-windebieste.

ALIEN Romulus – Home Release Details.

20th Century Studios have released information regarding ALIEN Romulus becoming available for the domestic audience. ALIEN Romulus will be released on streaming services on October 15 and later become available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on December 3rd. Great to see the movie be available in a physical release, right before Christmas. These dates and features detailed below are for the US edition of the movie. Details on international editions are yet to be forthcoming.A boatload of bonus features will be included in the release:

The Director’s Vision – Discover how one of today’s greatest horror directors, Fede Alvarez, collaborated with master filmmaker Ridley Scott to craft a new, heart-pounding chapter in the Alien franchise.
Creating the Story – Learn what inspired the story of Alien: Romulus and see the many easter eggs from previous Alien installments that you may have missed.
Casting the Faces – Meet the stars of Alien: Romulus as they take us inside the hearts and minds of their characters. Explore the parallels between Rain and the iconic franchise heroine, Ripley, and learn how filmmakers brought back a face from the past.
Constructing the World – Explore the massive, practical sets of Alien: Romulus that hearken back to the futuristic style established in the ’80s and get up close and personal with a hoard of practically built facehuggers, chestbursters, and xenomorphs.
Inside the Xenomorph Showdown – Experience the film’s climactic zero-gravity sequence from every angle as filmmakers break down what it took to make the moment spectacular. From sets and performances, to wirework, stunts, and VFX, see how it all came together.
Alien: A Conversation – A special conversation with Ridley Scott and Fede Alvarez for the Alien 45th Anniversary theatrical re-release.
Alternate / Extended Scenes – Check out scenes that didn’t make the final cut.

I’m looking forward to seeing a physical release of ALIEN Romulus. Here’s to seeing it being released here in Australia, in all formats. I am ready. Bring it.

-windebieste.

eBay – Incomplete Kenner ALIEN.

Ah! This is my favorite kind of eBay auction. One where listing features a 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy with auction bidding starting at US$0.99. One lousy dollar. Not bad if no one else bids on this item. That won’t last long, though. Nonetheless, the extremely low starting bid means the final value of the item is a more genuine reflection of the item’s true value. Despite a few issues, this looks like a great piece, too.Oh, this one dirty piece of vintage popular culture prestige right here and it looks like he’s spent 40 years under the house or inside a dog kennel. He is coated in dust and grime and thorough clean will be required. This sample is also incomplete, with the head dome missing. Nothing unusual about that. Around 90% of all Kenner ALIEN toys today are missing this piece. Significantly, the dorsal crest that sits between the shoulders of the toy is present. That’s extremely welcome! The upper left quad appendage is rotated out of alignment which means it is internally broken from the mounting plate inside the figure. At least it’s still mounted in place. The other parts in question that may (or may not) be present are both halves of the tongue. At least one is present, probably the lower half. That’s a good thing. There are no images showing the mouth open so it’s hard to determine what’s present but at least one piece is visible in the mouth. Other than these issues, this piece will polish up nice and spruce. All of the limbs are attached, there’s no breakage on the arms, legs or tail and he appears to stand independently. A nice item for someone looking to do some minor restoration work to bring it up to display worthy condition. A fantastic project item!

I’m looking forward to seeing how high bidding will reach on this item. US$0.99! Wow! I’ve heard stories of how these toys were disposed in enormous quantities after failing at stores and toy shops. They were (allegedly) stacked high on display in a remaindered stock and clearance outlet to be sold to interested retailers for the low wholesale discount price of US$0.99 for each figure in a box, back in 1980.

-windebieste.

eBay – 1979 Kenner ALIEN Parts for Sale.

It looks like someone has found a Kenner ALIEN toy and decided to tear it down, listing all the loose parts on eBay. A good variety of parts are available including some items conveniently being sold in pairs. Listed are a pair of arms, pair of legs, a torso with tail and dorsal quad appendage set; and a loose head. None of the more highly sought after pieces have been listed. There’s no head dome, both parts of the vac plated tongue are absent and the ever elusive dorsal crest are not listed. Not a problem. There’s still some pieces here someone will want. Let’s take a closer look.

US$90 – Pair of legs. Minor scratches on surfaces that connect to the torso but the flanges are complete and unbroken. Both legs need a clean and have minor scratches, otherwise good average condition.
US$70 – Head. Some deformation to the ribbed detail along the right side of the head. Mouth trigger appears to operate. Some blemishes to the glow paint but the paint is otherwise unscratched. Both upper and lower sets of teeth are present and in reasonable condition. No tongue parts. No dome. Again, needs some cleaning.
US$80 – Pair of arms. Missing both rubber anchors needed to attach these severed limbs to the torso. Both hands have mutilations to the fingers to varying degrees. Elbow spurs are both complete and unbroken. In need of a good clean.
US$70 – Torso with tail and appendages. Tail is attached to the torso and is unbroken. All four quad appendage pieces are still attached to the mounting plate. The shoulder slot for a dorsal crest is clean, square, straight and unbroken. Also present and unbroken on the torso are the 8 support pins located inside the shoulders which are needed to keep the arms from collapsing within the torso.

A nice selection of parts, all in clearly used condition and needing at least some attention to clean them. Nothing a good soak in warm, soapy water and the generous application of an old toothbrush can’t improve. Seller will only post within the US.

-windebieste.

ALIEN Romulus – Aspen Beer.

Ah, I’m still finding some officially licenced ALIEN Romulus merchandise I previously missed. Let’s add this one to the front page. It’s a pretty good one. Californian brewery, Angel City, promoted their specially licenced ‘Weylan Yutani Aspen Beer’ back in August. This blonde Ale is being sold in cans that mimics the Aspen Beer can props appearing in the original ALIEN movie and also in the recently released ALIEN Romulus.
This special edition brew is available directly from the Angel City Brewery web store. Here’s a few words from the manufacturer, “We’ve been commissioned by Weyland-Yutani to begin producing its signature Aspen Beer, right on schedule for the release of Alien: Romulus. Soon, you too can join the company crew by sipping on Aspen Beer brewed by Angel City at select theaters & right here at Angel City Brewery starting on Tuesday, August 13th.” I always loved how Brett and Parker consumed a large amount of this stuff in ALIEN. I mean, just in case you missed it, look at this scene and see how many empty cans of Aspen Beer litters their work space – and there’s more empty cans than those visible in this one screenshot. Brilliant! Aspen Beer must be a true brew!

-windebieste

eBay – 1979 Kenner ALIEN Promotional Flyer.

Let’s talk about some rare 1979 Kenner ALIEN goodies! No. Not the Alien toy itself. That thing is as common as stripes on a zebra. I do enough talking about it as it is. It’s certainly more common than most people appreciate. Anyway, this time I’m referring to this original unfolded double sided single sheet colour ALIEN flyer which appears to be in mint condition. These print materials were available as free handouts from retail outlets back in 1979 to promote the toy. These things don’t appear on eBay very often.
It is rare by any definition of the word you may choose to use. And it’s in surprisingly good condition, too! The seller claims this is an uncirculated sample and never been offered to the public before. How much does he want for it? You can safely bet this item’s final sale value will be impressive. The item has been listed for sale on eBay for a few days now; and the bidding is currently sitting at US$280, with another 2 days to go before the auction ends. How much will you pay for a 45 year old flyer extolling the virtues of a toy that didn’t sell very well back in 1979? I’m pretty sure someone has a box of these old things stashed away, somewhere. The contents of that box will be worth more than my car.

-windebieste.

Funko ALIEN POP! …NFTs?

I’m not actually certain what to make of this one. Funko have revealed a range of new ALIEN POP! figures. Nothing new about that Funko are constantly churning out new product with no end in sight, except these are non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and may only exist in a digital form? I don’t exactly understand how this is going to work but you can bet the people at Funko have figured out this minor detail already. Anyway, here’s five of the six known ALIEN NFT figures as revealed by Funko as posted on X. Featured in this range of upcoming figures includes styilised POP! versions of the Space, Jockey, Ripley holding Jones, a glow in the dark Alien, decapitated Ash and Kane in a spacesuit gazing into an egg. Here’s what Funko has to say about these items,First look! Check out the rest of the new Alien Funko POPs! Dropping via NFT next month! Poor Ash A sixth figure loosely inspired by Kane with a chestburster erupting from his chest is also known to be released sometime soon. I’m curious about the glow in the dark Alien figure. I know it has some great GITD features on the upper head surface (much like the original 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy) and glowing teeth, tongue and also some neat glowing drool. I still don’t quite understand how these things are going to work as non-fungible tokens. That detail is still a mystery to me.

-windebieste.

eBay – Kenner ALIEN Limbs.

A small selection of 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy limbs has become available on eBay. Three pieces in total, all listed individually including a right arm and both legs. Perfectly fine pieces if you are looking for parts needed to complete a sample of the toy currently missing these parts. All pieces appear to be clean and complete with some wear from normal use. Here’s a few links if you are interested in purchasing either or all of these parts.

US$59.99 – Right arm. All six fingers are attached and the rubber anchor appears to be unbroken. The blunt elbow spur is also present. These features can all be damaged but they’re all good here.
US$44.99 – Left leg. Complete with the spindle needed to attach it to the toy’s hip in good and unbroken condition
US$44.99 – Right leg. As above. Complete with unbroken spindles in good condition.

-windebieste.

eBay – Kenner & AMT Kit for Sale.

This nice pair of vintage ALIEN items is available on eBay right now. If you’re looking for a bargain, then up for grabs in a single listing is a 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy and a 1999 AMT ERTL ALIEN kit. Bidding starts at US$200 or you can buy both now for US$275. The older Kenner toy is lacking the commonly missing parts, head dome, dorsal crest and the lower part of the tongue. Nothing new there. He’s a little dusty but his jaw activation still works. Arms are loose but still attached. The arms float a little outside the shoulder sockets; but just having the arms attached either by original rubber anchors or via third party repair method doesn’t detract from them being present and seated in place and not missing altogether. A generally nice figure that could benefit from a good clean with soapy water and a toothbrush. The 1999 AMT ERTL ALIEN kit also included in this offerieng is new and still wrapped in original shrink wrap. It is a re-release of the original 1979 MPC ALIEN kit and is a relatively common and easy to find item. Nonetheless, an unopened sample is a worthy addition to any ALIEN collection. Well, both of these figures would be welcome. A great pair of items and priced to sell quick.

More information regarding the AMT ERTL kit can be found here on HIDEOUS PLASTIC.

-windebieste.

ALIEN Romulus – Popcultcha NECA Pre-Order.

As a resident of Australia, it always excites me to see any ALIEN content released in this country. A lot of content simply does not make it to these shores but luckily, there are some independent specialty stores that will provide some much anxiety reducing relief in this regard. Once again, Popcultcha has stepped up and already listed pre-orders for the upcoming ALIEN Romulus 7 inch scale Reel Toys action figures

Here’s a couple of links directly to the pre-order pages:

Aside from confirmation of being available in Australia, we now have some other details of significant note. The price for these items will be Au$79.99 each but a sweet pre-order Au$8 discount incentive is being applied to these items. It would also probably be a good idea to pre-order these items anyway as we have seen the madness surrounding the ALIEN Romulus popcorn buckets escalate wildly to hundreds of (US) dollars due to scarcity of product and scalpers buying them in bulk to flog on eBay. …and NECA didn’t even make those buckets! The other welcome detail we have gleaned from Popcultcha is the release date. These items are expected to become available in January 2025, around six months from now. Needless to say, I’ll be looking forward to seeing these things get released here.

-windebieste.

ALIEN Romulus – Phoenix Rising Cosmetics.

Looking to express yourself with some ALIEN Romulus themed make up? Sure. go ahead. Phoenix Rising Cosmetics have announced pre-orders for their officially licenced range of make up. It appears they will be releasing two palettes containing a range of colours. The facehugger palette features ‘future’, ‘parasite’, ‘scream’ and ‘space’ themes while the Alien (Covenant) head boasts shades of ‘heroine’, ‘slime’, ‘terrifying’, ‘synthetic’, ‘alarm’ and ‘scavenger’. Someone definitely had way too much fun designing these palettes and tones.

I’ve never worn make up in in my life. Got nothing against it – just never felt the need to do so. Nonetheless, this looks like a quality product. Phoenix Rising state their fully licenced product lines, of which the ALIEN Romulus make up collection is one of many, “…are also highly pigmented & super long lasting as they were specifically formulated for stage and screen.” I’m good with that.

-windebieste.

eBay – Tsukuda Hobby & Super7 Figures.

Usually when I post about items being sold on eBay, I simply focus on the 1979 Kenner ALIEN toys currently available. …and believe me, for a forty plus year old toy that is often listed as rare, there appears to be a significant number of them available at any time I search on eBay. Eh… They’re not rare. Not by a long shot. Anyway, today I’m posting something different yet still inexorably connected to the notorious 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy. This post is dedicated to a Tsukuda Hobby ALIEN being sold along with a a pair of Super7 ALIENS ReAction figures. All of these figures are listed together for US$150 and they each have a story to tell. Marvelous! I love it!
First up, let’s tackle the Big Chap. This isn’t a bootleg. It’s a legitimately licenced item. This large figure is a Tsukuda Hobby action figure from 1995 and is indirectly derived from the older 1979 Kenner ALIEN action figure which I frequently post about on this page. Anyway, this 1995 ALIEN figure is a modified recast of the Halcyon model kit released in 1991. Significantly, the Halcyon ALIEN kit in turn is a recast of Tsukuda Hobby’s previous Jumbo Series No.2 ALIEN figure, released in 1984. That 1984 Tsukuda Hobby figure was itself a recast of the original 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy. Confused yet? Wait, it gets even more complex. For whatever unknown reason, when Tsukuda Hobby recast this figure and released it in 1995, they neglected to modify the date stamp that originally appears on the 1991 Halcyon kit. The manufacture date on the Tsukuda item will erroneously display 1991 on its right foot instead of the correct date of 1995. It has often been referred to as a 1991 Kenner ALIEN which of course is equally erroneous, although it does share a legitimate heritage with two other aforementioned figures associated with Kenner’s original ALIEN toy.

If you would like to further investigate this unusual figure made in Japan, you don’t have to go too far. Here’s a page I prepared some years back to help explain the curious history of this 17 inch tall item. Now let’s tackle the other pair of smaller human figures.
Continue reading

ALIEN Romulus – HCG F44AA Rifle Replica.

Hollywood Collectibles Group (HCG) have announced pre-orders for purchasing two different versions of the F44AA pulse rifle as seen in the recently released ALIEN Romulus movie. This is a replica of the weapon prop used by Cailee Spaeny’s character, Rain Carradine to mow down waves of hostile “perfect organisms” assaulting her aboard the Renaissance station.
This is the “Weathered Edition” of the pulse rifle is limited to a run of 750 pieces worldwide. It will become available sometime in late 2025 at a cost of US$699.95. You can now Pre-order to ensure you get yours.

Here’s part of the description as provided by the maker HCG of this upcoming release, “This replica is created from 3D scans of the original Hero Prop used extensively throughout the movie, for the ultimate in authenticity and realism to the original prop!   Accurate to the smallest detail, everything is meticulously recreated, including the HUD (head up display) sighting system, and round counter on the side. This is the HCG Exclusive edition, it is meticulously hand painted with authentic weathering to exactly recreate how the prop appears in the movie.”

A clean “Regular Edition” of this new entry into the ALIEN armory has also been announced and again is also limited to only 750 pieces worldwide.
You can also now pre-order the regular release of this weapon prop replica for US$699.95.

– windebieste.

ALIEN Romulus – NECA Packages Revealed.

We’ve known for a few weeks now popular action figure maker NECA will be releasing at least two products in their long running ALIEN product linw as part of their REEL TOYS range. Today NECA revealed the package designs for both the Scorched Xenomorph and the Accessory pack with pre-orders now live from their online store. Here’s what the great folk at NECA have to say “Alien: Romulus is in theaters NOW! Celebrate the Alien: Romulus premiere with our Alien: Romulus collection, featuring the Ultimate Scorched Xenomorph Action Figure and Accessory Set. Both products are available for pre-order on the NECAStore.com and from your favorite NECA retailer!” I am hoping these items will become available here in Australia. I imagine demand for new NECA ALIEN content will be high. On top of that, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen anything based on movie content. These look great, too. I love the red framed windowed black box art. Hand ’em over.

-windebieste.

REVIEWED – ALIEN Romulus.

I was lucky enough to be able to catch a preview screening of ALIEN Romulus here in Melbourne. Go and read my review of this eagerly anticipated movie. This is a conscientiously spoiler free review so dive in deep if you haven’t seen it yet.
ALIEN movies don’t come around often enough as far as I am concerned. This one is a good one. A little heavy handed on the fan service and boasting familiar scenarios, sure. Regardless, none of those problems stop it from being a fine space adventure worthy of the ALIEN moniker. I liked it.

-windebieste.