Around 2 years ago, sometime in June 2015 if I remember correctly, I accidentally dropped a flawless 1979 Kenner ALIEN action figure and destroyed it.   This particular item was extremely valuable to me as it had been given to me by my mother at Christmas, 1979.  The head snapped off and both arms were damaged. At least the dome remained unbroken but to say the least a lot of rude words were used freely and liberally on that day. I decided I could fix the unfortunate victim of my carelessness.  So I set about to do so.

I hunted for a damaged figure on Ebay with the intention of cannibalising it for parts to replace the damaged and broken ones on my figure. I found one that was perfect for my purposes as one of its legs were damaged but the important parts I needed were in great condition. So I bought it despite the high price tag.

Without too much effort I set to work returning my figure to a (near) pristine state.  I completed the figure and successfully brought it back to good standing. I used the remaining parts on the recently purchased item to replace a damaged leg and the tail on a couple of other figures. under the impetus of these successes, I continued my efforts.  One by one, some of the other degraded figures in my possession became presentation worthy once again.

During this time I started to take notes and kept a log book. I kept adding to those notes and since then have restored about 30 Kenner Aliens.  Well, at least that many according to my log book and my now sizeable collection of these figures.  I’d amassed a reasonable number of these old toys during the previous 35 years or so and set about making them all good and whole once again.  Many of them needed a good deal of attention and I found I had the time, inclination and motivation to do tend to them accordingly.

Disassembling the mangled derelicts and rebuilding them into whole figures became quite a pastime for me.  The net result wasn’t just a substantial number of display worthy figures but the experienced gained from putting them back together again has also since been shared online as well for others to benefit from.

That incident 2 years ago, the dropping and damaging of a valuable action figure, was the start of a long and dedicated process that led to me writing a book about the old Classic action figure. Currently, the manuscript for the book is in excess of 250 pages in length. It is comprised of over 200 photographic images & diagrams and is approaching 58,000 words. If it was a work of fiction, the text alone would be enough to be the size of a small, 130 page novel.

HIDEOUS PLASTIC – In stores everyone can hear you scream. is a book that covers everything I could find out about the old toy – and boy there really is that much content to write about. The book outlines the figure’s history, how its marketing was influenced by Kenner’s earlier success with Star Wars toys and other products made by the IDEAL toy company. It investigates the history of the figure in its early days and the misfired marketing strategy that led to its rapid demise on toy store shelves.

The book also explores every facet of the figure inside and out including full descriptions right down to how it’s assembled. There’s a massive section on how to repair just about any problem these things may have if you own one. On top of that, there’s a detailed investigation into the figure’s many descendants, derivative and tribute figures – which are still being released as recently as this year.

200 pages for an old toy, you may ask..? Easy, I say.  It’s on its way, already.

I held a Kickstarter campaign earlier this year that terminated at the end of April with the intention of releasing the book around Christmas, 2017. Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful and only raised 20% of the needed funds. The failed Kickstarter campaign has been the only barrier I’ve encountered along this path. The nature of a failed Kickstarter campaign left me without any funding and I had to go back to the drawing board in terms of how to progress from there. Since then I have been planning and reorgnising my efforts. A lot of behind the scenes work has been taking place but I am rapidly approaching a point where I can start openly discussing this Project once again.

At this point, I am looking at launching another Kickstarter campaign in 12 months time but I find I’m getting itchy and want to accelerate the process a little. The problem – as I have already learned, however – such hastiness can be disastrous and I really don’t want a repeat of my previous experience. I’m moving on with this Project regardless, working on the book and managing my website in tandem. It’s a lot of work – it always has been. On the other hand, the additional time will allow significant improvements to be made to the book. A failed Kickstarter campaign might have been exactly what I needed.

All the same, I’m very pleased with the book’s progress to date. I’ll soon be ready once again to discuss the book more openly in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, I’m celebrating the 2nd Anniversary of my commencing work HIDEOUS PLASTIC – In stores everyone can hear you scream.

In this regard, another year worth of effort on my part should see its completion.  Here’s to that 3rd Anniversary being a success!

Thank you for reading.

-Windebieste.