For sale on eBay right now is an incomplete 1979 Kenner ALIEN toy.  To say this figure is incomplete is a gross understatement.   It’s missing critical parts.  It’s damaged just about everywhere else.  It’s dirty and covered in dust.  Bidding starts at US$20.

There’s been many incomplete Kenner ALIEN figures and loose parts available on the service of late.  This one is severely lacking in so many ways but is it really worth US$20?  We can do a quick evaluation of the figure – or rather – what remains of the parts that are not absent.  That’ll speed things up a bit.

Actually, let’s start with what’s missing, first:

• Head dome – 90% of figures are missing this, so it’s no surprise it’s lacking here.
• Tongue and mouth parts – These 4 parts are frequently missing.  They fall out easily, are small and easily lost.  3 are missing from this specimen.
• Dorsal crest – This item located between the shoulders is missing on many figures, maybe 70% of them are gone.  It’s impossible to say, but it’s regularly absent.
• Both arms – Once again, arms are easily broken and lost.  Of all the smaller features of the figure (listed above) that go missing, arms are more critical  to contribute to a figure’s display worthy status.
• Tail – It’s uncommon the tail is missing but it does happen on many figures.
• Right leg – Legs missing are also uncommon but they can break off at the hip and be lost.

What’s left then? …and just as important, what’s it worth?

Let’s start with the Head. The head isn’t in a great state but let’s start at the top. The glow in the dark paint is scratched and bothered.  It’s typical in these old toys to have some patchy quality and this item is in as expected condition for a ‘played with’ item.  It hasn’t been repainted; and while this is welcome, another major issue will determine this head’s value. The trigger operated jaw appears to be broken and we can see the jaw does hang open unaided by any pressing of the trigger (See photo above).  There may be internal damage, the jaw could be jammed from inside or the springs may be missing.  That’s not a good start and immediately devalues the head.  A lot.

What’s more, all attachments are missing except for the lower teeth.  The remaining jaw component isn’t in bad condition considering the state of the rest of the figure but it does display an abundance of chipped surfaces with chrome missing.  It’s a common problem but at least it’s still some there and even better – hasn’t been repainted.

On to the torso.  As the dorsal crest is missing the usual damage to the slot on the back is observable.  Most Kenner ALIEN figures (Over 50%)  possess this problem.  Looking inside the shoulders we can see some of the 8 pins (4 on each side) needed to seat the arms in place.  If those limbs were present, we wouldn’t be able to determine their presence or not.  We can’t see them all, but the ones that can be viewed do look good.  It’s suggests this figure has had lost its arms a long time ago as minimal wear appears on the ones we can see.  That’s a good thing.

Also present on the figure’s back are 4 tubular appendages. These all appear to be straight and parallel which means no internal damage is present on them.  It’s uncommon these are broken but it does happen. They are easily replaced if required. It’s common these appendages are scratched where they attach to the torso as the material they are made of is softer than than the hard blended styrene the torso (and other major body parts) are cast.  These appear to be in good, average state.

The figure is assembled using 4 proprietary screws unique to Kenner toys fastening both halves of the torso together.  These screws are present but do appear to be corroded.  They may be rusted into place making their removal difficult.

There’s one remaining part on this figure that needs assessment, and that’s the left leg. Legs on these figures are prone to damage at the hips and ankles.  We can’t tell if the hip joint is damaged on this item and the slight widening of the gap visible on this figure is not indicative enough to draw any conclusions.  However, the fractured foot is obviously a major issue.  It’s clear this figure has been dropped at some point as this damage is typical of such accidents.

That’s it. That’s all this figure has to offer.  A handful of body parts and some screws if you’re lucky.  Only the quad appendage pieces appear to be in any decent state for salvaging.  Although, if you need a left leg or a head for a figure that may lacking these parts entirely, then these damaged items are still better than nothing.

What’s this item really worth, then?  The vendor has it listed for eBay Auction at US$20.  That’s actually a very reasonable start to the sale as any individual component on this figure will sell loose for that much.  As this derelict figure boasts at least 5 usable parts, bids may yet climb to the 3 figure mark. To indicate this value, the vendor has posted the option to buy it now for US$100.

I’ll be watching how this sale progresses.  There’s a lot of interest in old Kenner ALIEN figures and it’s easy to dismiss this broken old toy as a piece of worthless junk.  Don’t be mistaken, though.  At the very least, this item will sell and someone will pay US$20 for it.  I would.

-Windebieste.