UPDATE: This item has been sold.

Here’s a nice item on eBay right now.  It’s a mint in sealed box (MISB) 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy.  It not only includes the unopened box but a bonus of the original JC Penney shipping box it was delivered in. Such shipping boxes are rare and as such will drive the usually high value even higher.  You can purchase this item right now for US$3,499.99.  Both items are packed into a protective acrylic case, ready and perfect for display in your awesome mansion packed full of old expensive toys.It’s a nice pair of items, for sure, and well displayed.  Is it really worth US$3,500?  Probably.  I’d say so. There is a “Make Offer” option with this listing so the vendor will probably accept the best one.  Either way, you can bet it will exceed the three thousand dollar mark when actually sold.  My only issue with this item is there simply aren’t enough photos.  Continue reading →

It’s old news.  Almost 40 years old, actually; as this December 5, 1982 newspaper article from the Lakeland Ledger documents how “Film-inspired play things can be risky child’s play for makers”.  Written 3 years after the release of the old 1979 Kenner Products ALIEN toy, here we have public information about how unsuccessful the notorious action figure  actually was for the company.

The article discusses the risky business of licencing toy lines in the late 1970s from popular movies.  It prominently mentions the Kenner 18 inch ALIEN action figure.  Kenner’s loss on the publicly ill received item was around the US$1m mark; a rough conversion makes that figure about US$3.71m today.  Now, that’s a lot of money by anyone’s standard.

-Windebieste.

Want to find something special for that Kenner ALIEN fan (me) that just can’t get enough of the 40 year old toy in their life?  Here’s something I found on TEEPUBLIC that would suit perfectly.  Drinking mugs, T-shirts and other goodies with the good old Kenner ALIEN poster printed on them.  Sure, it’s just one side of the poster but it is neat all the same.These items are completely unlicenced and unauthorised and payment goes to “support an independent artist”, even though it’s not their art.  Funny that.  Anyway, you can purchase T-shirts, mugs, notebooks, fridge magnets… A whole bunch of fun stuff with the classic Kenner poster printed on it.  You won’t have to pay ridiculous prices, either, like you do for a real vintage poster (about US$100)!  Prices are reasonable and purchasing this stuff goes to a *ahem* worthy cause.

-Windebieste

Looking to score a classic vintage toy, albeit a gruesome one of disreputable standing with parents of its day?  Then look no further!  This highly sought after 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy is now available for purchase.  At just US$540 (or Best Offer) this notorious action figure, poster and damaged box can be yours.  He’s all there – to varying degrees. The figure appears to be in generally good shape and importantly includes the dome and the crest despite these being loose. These can be re-seated onto the figure without any hassle although minor damage on the back of the figure will be a major annoyance if the spike keeps falling out. The poster looks to be in decent shape too, and its presence is always welcome.  It’s just the box that looks like it suffered irreparable damage. Continue reading →

UPDATE: It took a while but this item finally sold for US$99.

Looking for a dorsal crest to complete your Kenner ALIEN toy?  One is now available on eBay.  This one is available for the high asking price of US$149.90. These things do show up about once a month on eBay and usually do have high price tags associated with them.  This one is somewhat higher than expected but such extremes are not unknown.

It’s not even an immaculate piece, either.  Some dust is visible on it and it’s also showing signs of obvious wear and tear.  Is it worth US$149.90?  If you’re really desperate to complete your Kenner ALIEN action figure, then maybe.  At this price, how long will it take to sell?  Maybe a day. Maybe a little longer. The vendor will probably accept the best price offered and it will be gone.  You can bet it won’t last long either way.

-Windebieste.

Listed on eBay right now is an incomplete Kenner ALIEN toy in an incomplete box.  Both the toy and the box are lacking critical pieces you would expect to find to make it a truly worthy display piece.  Let’s see what you get for US$650 – and just as important, let’s see what you don’t get.

The figure is near complete and of significant note the vendor lists it has having a “replacement dome”.  Being open about the presence of reproduction parts is welcome.  Not everyone is going to be aware the head covering included in this listing is a facsimile.  Nonetheless, the missing part has been replaced with a copy.  Other than that, the figure is complete.  The dorsal spine is present as are all 4 mouth parts.  That helps a lot but the reproduction piece really doesn’t help and I’ll get to that at the end of this appraisal.  Potential melting and the presence of strange residue on its lower back should also be noted. Similar residue coating also appears to be in the mouth, as well. Continue reading →

UPDATE: This listing was ended by the seller because there was an error in the listing.

This boxed 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy is now available for sale on eBay.  He’s a beauty!  Box, figure, poster, insert card. It’s all there, inside a box with the tape across the top of the box still intact and unbroken. For the very fair price of just US$850. Fantastic!  Does it mean the box is unopened with the contents undisturbed?  No. Sorry, it doesn’t mean that at all.  Let’s take a look at this sample.

Firstly, before we continue, I must note that the vendor has been responsible to disclose  any issues with the box.  That doesn’t always happen.  It’s a welcome action on his part and we’ll investigate these implications during the course of this evaluation.

Let’s have a closer look at this item.  The box lid is taped shut as is correctly claimed by the vendor.  It appears 2 layers of tape (Arrowed: 1) have been used in sealing this item. As both layers are the same width and share the same amount of discolouring due to age, it appears to have been sealed in this way in Kenner’s factory, with a double layer.  This is a good thing as the tape is strengthened by the dual sealing. It is rare but welcome as the tape on many aged boxes has split on figures that haven’t had this reinforcement.  So, we can safely assume this box is unopened at the top.  Continue reading →

UPDATE: This listing was ended by the seller because the item is no longer available.

This 40 year old Kenner ALIEN toy is now available for purchase on eBay for US$250.  He’s an average looking figure with all the common parts missing as is frequently the case with these old action figures.  This particular sample is incorrectly listed as “A Gentle Giant Release!” but if the photos are anything to go by, it’s indeed a 1979 Kenner item and not made by Gentle Giant in 2015.

He’s missing his head dome, the crest on his back and both tongue parts.  He’s also  suffering from some scuff marks on his glow in the dark head features.  Other than that, he looks reasonably good.  He’s a little dusty and on the grubby side of things but it’s certainly nothing that a good dip into the kitchen sink with some hot water and mild detergent couldn’t fix. Continue reading →

With all this talk about average condition Kenner ALIEN toys, it’s probably a good idea to check out one that is in poor state.  Let’s investigate this beat up sample currently available for sale on eBay right now.  This Kenner ALIEN is being offered for US$199.95.

There is a long list of problems with this item.  Let’s find out if it’s worth the asking price of US$200.  Firstly, the dome on the head and the dorsal crest are missing. If this figure’s problems ended there, it could be described as being in ‘average’ condition.  Unfortunately, this guy has a ton of other issues that prevent it from deserving that status.  Here’s just a few problems present on this old toy I can spot without too much effort.  Continue reading →

It’s an average condition 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy for sale on eBay!  Didn’t I just post one of these old toys in more or less the same condition?  Yup.  I did.  Let’s just consider that fact as testimony to how common 40 year old vintage Kenner ALIEN toys actually are.  Listed almost commonly enough to post about daily.  This one is selling for US$300.

This item is in very similar condition to the figure I posted about an hour ago, missing the same parts.  Absent are both the dome and the dorsal crest.  Minor differences are present on this item.  We can see the jaw trigger is fully operational, which is always good to have documented in photos.  Also, the slot on the back of the figure appears to be in a much better state here and it appears to be clean and unbroken.  There may be some discolouring from material stress when the crest was forced free from this mounting point but otherwise it’s in good condition and in a very similar state as the prior listed sample.

At US$300 do these minor improvements warrant a one hundred dollar price hike, though?  Not really; but figures in this condition can go for any price, even if this is the upper extreme for one in average condition like this.  The seller is offering a ‘Make Offer’ option so it will probably sell for less than the listed price.  We’ll have to follow this one.

One thing for sure.  Once this item is sold, another will take its place. There’s always a constant stream of these 40 year old toys available on eBay, frequently around a dozen of them.

-Windebieste.

UPDATE: This item sold for US $195.00 (1 bid)

On eBay right now is this average condition sample of the 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy.  He’s a beauty; but he’s missing the parts that are frequently absent from these toys.  Both the head dome and dorsal crest are missing here.  The auction starts at a healthy US$195.00.

At around 70-90% samples of the toy are lacking these features making this item an average condition figure.  Everything else appears to be present, though.  It stands well, the tail has its tip in place. The arms appear to be a little loose as they rest upon the thighs – but that’s a very common trait on these aging 40 year old toys.  A close examination reveals both of the tongue halves are still present and hopefully the trigger mechanism still works as it’s not documented in the listing.  The quad dorsal appendages are all aligned correctly.  The glow in the dark paint on the head looks to be in reasonable condition, too.  Sure, there’s a small chip in the slot on the figure’s back but that’s unfortunately an issue commonly associated with the loss of the appendage that should be located there.  So, it’s not a bad piece at all despite a couple of missing parts.  Basically, it’s common to find Kenner ALIEN toys in this condition.  They pop up on eBay with amazing regularity.

Figures in this average condition usually sell for anywhere between US$100-200 in this incomplete state. Starting at US$295 may be a little high but once again, it’s a safe bet this item will sell.  Samples of this quality do frequently sell for over the US$200 mark.  If this item had the dome and crest in place, it would easily fetch US$300-400 without any problem.  Either way, it looks to be a nice piece regardless of it lacking critical parts.

He is such a darling! I hope he goes to a caring and loving home that will look after – and tend to – the needs of deserving, 40 year old ugly ass old toys like this one.

-Windebieste.

UPDATE: Sold for US$89.99, within hours of being listed.

Do you need a genuine dorsal crest for your Kenner ALIEN toy?  One is available right now for the dirt cheap price of only US$89.99.  Bargain!  Remember, this is a genuine 40 years old piece and not a reproduction part.

Believe it or not, that’s the going price for one of these pieces. It’s not made of gold or anything particularly valuable material – it’s just a piece of plastic. Significantly though, these parts are in high demand as many four decades old Kenner toys are missing this particular feature.  It’s a safe bet this will sell; and sell quickly.  I will be surprised if this item is still listed in 24 hours.

You’d better grab it now just to prove me right! lol.

-Windebieste.

UPDATE: Sold prior to auction completed for US$100.

There’s an old, 1979 Kenner ALIEN poster being auctioned on eBay right now.  An ideal item to go with your Kenner ALIEN toy if you want one.  This one is for auction and bidding starts at US$49.99.  It’s a 40 year old sheet of vintage merchandise and part of the contents of the old ALIEN toy box.  These things usually sell for a lot more as we have witnessed in multiple occasions during the past half year. This one will be no different.

It appears to be in excellent condition throughout and a nice pick up for someone who wants one of these pieces in their collection or needing one that’s otherwise missing from a boxed figure.  I’ve seen these posters framed and they do look fantastic.  It’s actually surprising how many of these old B&W inclusions do sell for.  It will be interesting to see the final buying price on this item.

-Windebieste.

UPDATE: Sold within a few hours of being listed.

Here’s a nice loose piece for your Kenner ALIEN toy and it’s available on eBay rigtht now; it’s an original dorsal crest.  These body parts are normally located between both shoulders but are  frequently missing from samples of the toy today.  As a result, the demand for them is high.  This listing features one for the princely sum of only US$68.95.  Cheap!

No, I am not kidding.  This is relatively cheap.  I’ve seen these parts sell for much higher than this but around US$60-70 is the going price for this item right now.  I’m thinking this item will take less than 24 hours to sell. Believe it or not.  Either way, US$68.95 may appear to be a lot of money to spend on a small piece of 40 year old plastic – but at the same time, its presence on the old toy will raise the value of your vintage Kenner action figure that much.  At least.

-Windebieste.

UPDATE: Sold for US $137.50 (20 Bids)

Listed on eBay today is this 40 year old piece of curved translucent plastic.  It’s absolutely useless to anyone – unless you own a Kenner ALIEN toy that lacks this particular body part.  Bidding started at US$0.99 today and it’s rapidly climbed to US$40 dollars already. There’s still more than 9 days left on the auction.  This is going to be good.These pieces are frequently missing from the vintage toy – around 80-90% of Kenner ALIEN toys lack this feature.  This one is in very good condition, notwithstanding some minor wear here and there. It’s not cracked, warped or damaged in any significant way.  All 5 small nubs are present on the underside edges.  It’s a generally nice piece.

How much is this relatively uncommon plastic relic worth?  It’s a prominent feature on the toy and there are many figures in the possession of owners who will find this piece highly desirable. Samples of the ‘dome’ for auction on eBay will exceed the US$100 mark with ease.  This one is already well on the way to achieving that goal.  The chances of this item selling for less than US$100 are remote at best.  This is going to be fun to follow over the next 9 days.

-Windebieste.