There’s a great little article over at the Kenner ALIENS Toy blog that explores Kenner Products repurposing of molds to create new figures. This practice is nothing new and the motivations are frequently made by companies for the same reason. Re-using molds in new product means time, money and other resources are conserved. It means a fresh product line can be populated to the max and maintain a longer term presence in the market place with new product. An obvious re-purposing of molds can be seen when Kenner’s ALIENS series 2 Mantis Alien is compared to the earlier series 1 Gorilla Alien, as demonstrated with this image appearing on the blog. Despite the color differences, the same torso and arm manipulation features are clearly common to both figures.
Such re-purposing of molds extends throughout the 1990s Kenner ALIENS line, and the blog documents these in more detail. These days, this practice is still very much a part of product development. Super7 is notorious for such mold re-cycling. They managed to squeeze 48 figures/characters/variants from 8 character molds for their ALIEN ReAction line. NECA have also released many figures featuring repurposed molds. Many of their ALIEN movie, video game and comic book adapted figures feature re-cast body parts to create a “new” figure, or at least give a previous release a new identity. Significantly, look at how many times NECA’s Kane compression suit figure has been re-colored with swapped heads to create unique Nostromo identities. More relevant here, NECA also made tribute figures of both of Kenner’s Gorilla and Mantis Aliens – and these 7 inch scale figures both share the same torso molds, which itself were also re-purposed from one of their earlier ALIEN action figures.
Go read the fascinating article on re-used molds appearing in ALIENS figures of the 1990s. Thank you Eric Fischer for posting this article.
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The article also delves into a similar treatment of Kenner’s Mantis Alien and its release in Japan. It’s a brief albeit fascinating exploration of vintage toys from last century. Thank you Eric for the write up and giving us an insight into some of Kenner’s more obscure international product line distributions.
These bilingual card variants are fascinating as they provide a window into the distribution of these figures not only across the entirety of North America but also into Europe as well. Thank you Eric Fisher for the posting this article. It’s a curious read for anyone who may be interested in obscure details regarding thirty year old children’s toys based on creatures that want to rip your face off. Yeah. That’s me.
Go and explore the fascinating background to Vasquez, O’Malley and Hudson. You’ll find details on their descriptions, identified international variants along with a welcome debunking of popular myths that surround these vintage toys. Read it all in this article detailing these curious toys over at the 
So, for collectors who are agonising over why you can never find a sample of the rare red Gorilla Alien at toy fairs, second hand toy dealers or eBay, you can stop hunting now. You simply won’t find one. Eric Fisher has explored the non-existence of this decidedly fake figure along with several other suspicious items you may (or may not) be able to add to your collection. Sadly, this appears to be the case. It’s not real. If you are interested in anything relating to Kenner’s ALIENS toys of the 1990s, especially obscure facts and information on the toy line, the 
It’s a fascinating read with the exploration also delving into how NECA has recently emulated a similarly constructed and lit diorama to help promote their Kenner ALIENS tribute product line. Go visit the 
Back in the 1990s, this would have been a great companion piece of military hardware for Space Marine Ripley and her fellow troops to combat those pesky xenomorphs, had it gone into production. Thank you Eric Fischer for the insight into this item, which was cancelled prior to full production but ultimately be resurrected as part of a completely different product line at a later date. Great stuff!
These cards would often feature art images only barely passing for any resemblance to the character/toy they were documenting. For example, both the Bull and Scorpion Alien cards feature the Dog Alien from ALIEN 3, with the Bull Alien version being notable as it has its horns clearly airbrushed on (images above). Many of the cards, particularly those appearing in Series One, display other anomalous features worthy of mention… Bishop with air brushed helmet and visor… That weird Lt. Ripley.
Eric Fischer has had a 25 year long interest in this “wacky Arachnid Alien” toy, ever since it was first released. The article is well worth the read and if you are interested in this toy line, you’ll find it informative and rewarding.
Widely regarded as the most screen accurate version of the Xenomorph warrior appearing in Kenner’s 1990s range of ALIENS toys, the Scorpion Alien was also one of the most popular. Here’s a snippet from the blog article, all good reading: “It’s a fine example of balance between form & function, aesthetic & practicality. One of the best & most popular figures from the line, this figure perfectly captures the look of the creatures as seen in Aliens.” It’s a fun read and a fascinating insight into how Kenner would repurpose an already extant action feature design, hone it to perfection and produce one of the true classic ALIENS toys ever made.