ALIEN-MAN Fan Art is a Real Thing.

Posted on 14/12/2019 by windebieste

I’m a big fan of custom work and there’s nothing out there quite like ALIEN-MAN. What’s more, you know when your custom ALIEN action figure starts appearing in fan art it’s become something special. As has been the case of Spymo’s ALIEN-MAN created by Xevi Soler. Here’s a few of images I found on the ‘net while looking for something else. It turned out finding ALIEN-MAN fan art was more interesting than what I was originally looking for. ALIEN-MAN fan art is a real thing, apparently.

ALIEN-MAN fan art (Left). Original custom made Spymo ALIEN-MAN action figure (Right) was an amalgam of a Tsukuda Hobby key chain ALIEN head and a Scooby Doo glow in the dark villain torso. The perfect organism? Maybe; certainly the perfect combination. Continue reading →

MegaConstrux Blind Box ALIENS Soon

Posted on 11/12/2019 by windebieste

Megaconstrux have been releasing a series of images of their new blind box ALIENS series of figures on Facebook. These items look like they’ll be a lot of fun!

Here’s what Construx has to say about this upcoming release, “Coming in early 2020, three new Aliens Eggs! Each one includes 2 Xenomorphs in different colors as well as 2 Facehuggers and lots of slime. They come packaged in their own ”Ovomorphs”(aka Eggs). More pictures coming soon. So, who wants more Aliens for their collection?” Yes. More Aliens in my collection is not enough.

No pricing details or distribution information is available just yet. Nonetheless here’s some more images for you to drool over, including box shots.

-Windebieste.

Broodlord X-Rex Pre-order at BBTS

Posted on 11/12/2019 by windebieste

Big Bad Toy Store now has pre-orders open for REBOR’s upcoming Broodlord X-Rex, a semi articulated figure that appears to be based on Xenomorph Rex, the work of Oliver Pabilona who created the original mash-up design in 3D using Z-Brush.

What is this thing, exactly? It looks like a cross between a Tyrannosaur and an Alien. There’s no real information beyond it being a ‘What if?’ piece inspired by the idea of a dinosaur falling victim to a facehugger. Wow. Someone finally made one. It had to happen sometime, right? Anyway, here’s some details about this curious item: “From Rebor, the Broodlord X-Rex measures about 17 inches long and has been painted with a metallic finish. The Broodlord X-Rex has been made of solid PVC.” and it appears the figure also features limited articulation restricted to the tail, arms and a removable tongue. Continue reading →

Happy 3rd Anniversary, HIDEOUS PLASTIC.

Posted on 08/12/2019 by windebieste

Today marks the third year of this web site being live. I started HIDEOUS PLASTIC to support the book I’ve been writing regarding the 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy. The site has grown somewhat in size since then. It’s now a substantial repository of News, reviews and other articles relating to ALIEN action figures in general.

A lot of my time has been spent keeping HIDEOUS PLASTIC updated with regular posts on the front page. I’ve also added a ton of material to various sections around the site. Take a look. They are accessible from the main menu under the site banner:

Collated Works is a collection of miscellaneous articles and features. Around 20 articles and links to external videos and other content.
Reviews explores a lot of ALIEN action figures I have had in my possession over the years. There are no less than 48 written appraisals here of a wide variety of products.
Galleries contains some very specific content. Here you’ll find repositories dedicated to ALIEN action figures and other related products. The 1979 Kenner ALIEN and his growing family can be found here featuring information and photos of the dozen variants of the figure. Prototype Kenner ALIENS products also reside here, ranging from 1979 to 2000 and include test samples of familiar product and unique unreleased toys never seen on retail shelves. Finally, this is also where you will find a generous archive of unlicenced bootleg and knock off product – many of dubious origin and value; all of it remarkable stuff.

Many of these features are accessible from the sidebar on the right. Go check it all out. My publisher will be happy to see the visitor numbers continue to climb.

Finally, this previous week I have been looking to the past and posted 7 days worth of articles featuring vintage print media content regarding the 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy. That was a lot of fun and research. As we have now reached our 3rd Anniversary, it’s time to change things around and start looking forward to print items of the future. In this regard, tomorrow, I will posting information about the upcoming book about the 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy I have been writing. I haven’t posted any updates in a while so it’s going to be great to share the progress with the world.

Anyway. I’d like to thank everyone who has visited this site during the past 3 years. The feedback and encouragement has been positive and very, very welcome. I’ll be keeping up with News of ALIEN action figures and toys as they are released in 2020. I may even have time to add some new content to the Reviews section. That would be great. This Community is fantastic! I’ve been part of it for 40 years now and it’s only becoming more diverse as the years roll on and that’s something worth celebrating. Let’s see if I can keep up with the pace and go another 40! That’ll be something, hey.

-Windebieste.

1979 Kenner Christmas Catalog.

Posted on 07/12/2019 by windebieste

On our seventh and final day of investigating vintage print material featuring the Kenner ALIEN toy we take a look at the 8 page, 1979 Kenner Christmas catalog.

The large articulated ALIEN toy was originally anticipated to be Kenner’s next big thing following their line of Star Wars product. It didn’t turn out that way and Kenner were left with a problem – how do you promote thousands of stock items that are unsuitable for the market they were intended? You understate it, that’s what. Let’s take a look at how this grotesque toy was promoted by its manufacturer at Christmas in their very own end of year product catalog. Continue reading →

Custom 1979 Alien Kenner Style Logo Products.

Posted on 06/12/2019 by windebieste

Here’s something interesting – I’m always digging up something “interesting”, hey. It’s a selection of unlicenced merchandise available on RED BUBBLE featuring a custom made ALIEN logo. Stickers, T-shirts, throw pillows, mugs, phone cases, tote bags… just about anything that can be printed on, actually. All of them featuring a knock off variant of the classic Kenner ALIEN logo. This one is somewhat amusing.

Sure, it’s unauthorised but it’s a great idea – and a lot of fun with the central graphic design inspired by Kenner’s original 1979 ALIEN logo. The bold title, egg shape surround and red, white & black colour scheme were common to the original Kenner logo appearing on their product range of toys released in 1979. Continue reading →

Starlog Promotes 1979 Kenner ALIEN Toy.

Posted on 06/12/2019 by windebieste

Welcome to Day 6 in a week’s worth of vintage print media surrounding the 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy. Today’s post features another item from Starlog, a popular movie and television SF magazine of the time. This excerpt from October 1979 not only promotes the vintage toy but also includes the tragic News item of the minature (sic) Space Jockey prop being destroyed in a fire when displayed in Hollywood’s Egyptian Theater. Such a waste. It was a great prop specifically built for the movie, permanently lost the day the movie opened. Appearing next to it on page 12 is our 18 inch tall toothy pal, the Alien. Once again, we see a prototype is being used to promote the toy. Similar photos appear in many places as part of Kenner’s promotional material for the item. A modified version appears on the Kenner board game top and elsewhere.

Significantly, this News item, published in October tells the reader the toy will be “coming soon to your local toy store” and will be available for Christmas. Taking into consideration magazines would frequently appear on shelves a month prior to the issue date appearing on the cover, this information provides us with a release window of around October or November 1979 for when the Kenner ALIEN action figure was released to the public.

These large toys were being purchased by Christmas shoppers exactly 40 years ago.

-Windebieste.

Australian Catalogues Feature 1979 ALIEN Toy.

Posted on 05/12/2019 by windebieste

Retail catalogues featuring images and details of the 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy sold outside of the US are also known to exist. Here are a pair of excerpts from two catalogues distributed throughout Australia. These items would have been printed in either late 1979 or sometime in 1980.

Yes. I live in Australia. No. I don’t own either of these print media items. Anyone will be severely hard pressed to locate either of these promotional publications today. Please let me know if you have either of these catalogues. I’d love some fresh, complete and hi-res scans of these rare print items. Anyway, on with the “Show and Tell” session, Kiddies. Continue reading →

JCPenney 1979 Christmas Catalog Kenner ALIEN.

Posted on 04/12/2019 by windebieste

JCPenney was a string of department stores across the US and each year it published Christmas catalogs featuring hundreds of pages of consumables ready for shoppers to peruse and buy. The 1979 Christmas edition featured an ad for the Kenner Products ALIEN toy. This composite image is excerpted from page 481 of the catalog.

Also on the page is the ALIEN Blaster Target Set, which is a rare and collectible item in its own right and is worth significantly more than the retail price of US$9.98 listed here. If you want one now, in any condition, you can expect to pay hundreds of dollars for it. Our interest is more focused on the Kenner toy on the right. Give or take a few cents, at US$14.88, this was the recommended retail price for one of these toys in 1979. Continue reading →

Starlog Reveals 1979 ALIEN Merchandise Line Up.

Posted on 02/12/2019 by windebieste

Welcome to Day 3 in our week long exploration of vintage print media and articles surrounding the release of the Kenner Products ALIEN toy in 1979. Here we have an excerpt from an issue of Starlog. This brief article appeared in the July, 1979 issue of the famous SF film and television media focused magazine.

Soon after the movie’s release, licenced merchandise hopefuls were preparing to service a market that was more bemused than welcoming. I am familiar with most of the items listed here to varying degrees. Many of them I own but I have never owned a Ben Cooper costume or Don Post Facehugger, for example. Continue reading →

Vintage Catalogs Reveal Kenner ALIEN Price Drop.

Posted on 02/12/2019 by windebieste

After my earlier post about a MISB Kenner ALIEN figure being sold for US$3500, I think it’s a good opportunity to explore how much these old toys sold for when they were originally released 40 years ago, in 1979. Fortunately, evidence exists of their original price in the form of vintage catalogs. Price stickers on boxes from the period also reveal similar values. Let’s take a look at a pair of toy catalog samples. These things reveal a lot. Firstly, let’s get this out of the way. This pair of catalog extracts are from an unknown source – if anyone knows where they originally appeared, please let me know. Anyway, let’s look at the item on the left first, simply because “HE’S A CUTIE”. Fantastic. Continue reading →

Bootleg “Kenner” ALIEN Vinyl Kits.

Posted on 29/11/2019 by windebieste

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 →

Lanard Toys Budget ALIEN Play Sets.

Posted on 21/11/2019 by windebieste

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 →

Know Your ALIEN.

Posted on 14/11/2019 by windebieste

A minor site content update here. Added this image to the landing page dedicated to all the derivation and tribute figures based directly on the old 1979 18 inch Kenner ALIEN toy.

Each of these ALIEN figures can be found on the page dedicated to them. There’s a ton of links to more information on each one of them. Have fun with this!

-Windebieste.

Custom Made AvP2 Map.ed Files Released.

Posted on 13/11/2019 by windebieste

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 →

RETRO FAN No.9 Features 1979 Kenner ALIEN Article.

Posted on 04/11/2019 by windebieste

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.

iKON Design Studio – ALIENS Water Attack Statue Pre-Order.

Posted on 12/10/2019 by windebieste

Ikon Studios have released pre-order details of their upcoming ALIENS warrior statues. This pair of blue and brown polyresin cast items are expected to be released in December.Featuring a clear resin water filled based here’s what Ikon have to say about these 1:6 scale (37cm high) items, “The Xenomorph features rotating arms and a removable inner-jaw allowing for dynamic display options. Finished with metallic paint, this statue also boasts realistic, clear resin to emulate the water component on the base.”

This pair of fine looking ALIENS statues will be exclusively available from Australian online retailer, Popcultcha. You can pre-order the regular blue version (Limited to 250 pieces worldwide) here; or pre-order the lesser abundant brown version (Limited to 25 pieces worldwide) here.

While these items look to be exclusive to Australian retailer, Popcultcha, I would not be surprised if a distributor were to pick up a few for sale in the US.

-Windebieste.

Inflatable A.l.ien “Unique Invader” RE RE STOCK.

Posted on 18/09/2019 by windebieste

Just when you think you have seen everything that could possibly be released as ALIEN merchandise, something like this drops in and surprises you. I’m not even sure where to start with this one. Let’s just say it’s an inflatable Alien with breasts and is most likely to be made of vinyl.

This is one piece of weirdness that could only be made in the unlicenced sector of the unofficial ALIEN industry, a nefarious sometimes bewildering grey area that exists as an alternative to official product. Here’s what the supplier has to say about this product “It’s a “friend of the galaxy”, who came from across the universe. and Earth souvenirs to give to them.” um… yeah. It didn’t make much sense to me, either – by hey, that’s why I love it. Continue reading →

VIDEO REVIEW: 2019 Medicom Mafex ALIEN.

Posted on 14/09/2019 by windebieste

Is it time for a video review? Yeah. Let’s do it. Actually, it’s time for a video review by Baptiste Coudert. Baptiste is my favourite ALIEN action figure reviewer on YouTube. I love the no nonsense, get stuck into the subject at hand style without silly intros or prefacing. It’s a format I love so I’m always happy to see more. This time around Baptiste shares his opinion of Medicom’s 2019 Mafex ALIEN action figure with us. I think he likes it.

As usual, the signature sexy disembodied French voice and hairy arms playing with ALIEN action figures doesn’t disappoint. So stop wasting your time reading my semi coherent nonsense and rip into the great unboxing and video review posted above.

Thank you again, Baptiste, for sharing your appraisal of this wonderful item with us all. Love your work.

-Windebieste.

KENNER! The Terror from Beyond Space..?

Posted on 12/09/2019 by windebieste

Just for kicks, you can file this entry under: LOL – Unusual Coincidences.

Recently I watched IT! The Terror from Beyond Space, released in 1958. The movie depicts a crew of astronauts trapped aboard a spacecraft returning from Mars and being killed off one by one by an unstoppable alien being. If the premise sounds familiar that’s because IT! was also influential to Dan O’bannon’s writing of the screenplay for ALIEN. But IT!’s association with the 1979 movie are made intimately stranger when I noticed this brief exchange between two characters discussing the fate of one of the deceased crew members, Frank Kenner.

The odd part is the prophetic nature of this dialogue. Two decades beyond IT!’s release, a toy manufacturer called Kenner Products, actually released an 18 inch tall action figure based on ALIEN. How does such irony take place? It’s one of those strange and intangible co-incidences that chance throws at the world. All kinds of wild speculations can be launched from here. After all, Kenner was founded in 1946, 12 years prior to IT!’s release; was the name’s inclusion in the script more than just chance? No conclusions can be drawn here, of course; but oh! How tangentially deep such conspiracy theory rabbit holes can go? I don’t even want to contemplate this one too much.

Finally, yes. I am aware of the various SideShow, Monstarz, resin kits and other IT! The Terror from Beyond Space merchandise based on the 1958 creature. They simply just add more levels of weirdness to it all.

-Windebieste.