Let’s get started on working on this figure, from the top down. We start with the head, Firstly, we’ll just call some attention to this one small detail found towards the back of the head. Note the flat trigger nestled inside the crescent shaped recess on the underside in the image immediately below. This is the trigger that operates the jaws of the figure and is the location where Kenner’s product details are stamped. The words “CPG PRODUCTS CORP. 1979” should be visible here; but in this case these words are not present. This absence of such information is further evidence this sample of the toy was made in Canada as none of the Canadian samples possess any such information whatsoever in this location. If you do own a Kenner ALIEN and this info is missing, it was made in Canada. At least the head was, anyway. If the rest of the figure is exactly the same shade of grey matching the head, then the entire figure was made in Canada. This detail is one of the best external indications and proof of the toy’s country of origin.

Also visible on the middle of this side of Mr. FORD’s head, a large crack can be seen across the center, directly above the neck. White stress marks are present and this crack is deforming the shape of Mr. FORD’s head, influencing an unusually wide gap between both halves to be present on the top.

Let’s try and close that gap. I’m going to attempt to do so by clamping the halves together. A pair of cable ties, tightened around the head will close the gap but to ensure it will not simply reopen once the ties are are removed I will need to do more. While the head is trussed in this way, I am going to boil the kettle and carefully pour hot water along the area where the crack may be causing the head halves to separate.Then cool the head rapidly to ensure the treatment works by running it under cold water and stowing it in the freezer for ten minutes.

This form of heat treatment can be tricky, because the water has to be hot enough to influence the material and urge it into shape when trussed but not so hot that it will warp the material unnecessarily. It’s a gamble but I’ve performed this kind of task before and understand the potential for disaster as much as there is for success. Gloves will be required and are mandatory. I can’t hold a camera, manipulate an ALIEN head and pour hot water at the same time but this task was a success. Dried and ready, below are the BEFORE & AFTER results. You can see from these photos how this form of heat treatment has worked, perfectly so.Yeah. That was a nasty “splitting headache” you had their, Mr. FORD. Feeling better now? No need for aspirin, here. Just a nice cup of medicinal herbal tea to relieve the pain.

Some people will use a hair dryer or a heat gun; but from my experience, hot water provides the best results and allows more control. In the past, I have found air pressure from a heat gun will deform heat-softened plastics faster than you can react; especially when delicate parts heat faster and will become malleable and deform at a faster rate than more robust areas under these conditions. We don’t want to do that.This is the desirable result I was aiming for. The gap is closed making the head far more presentable and worthy of display. There’s nothing I can do about the chipped and stained cream colored paintwork as it has already been thoroughly washed and cleaned using warm soapy water. This is as good as it gets. Those scrapes, bruises and blemishes will have to stay. Mind you, the glow in the dark feature of the head still works and is luminous when charged.

There’s not a lot more to do on the head except maybe deal with the mouth and its parts. The trigger mechanism works just fine and functions as intended. That’s fantastic and welcome because if both of the internal metal springs are missing or some other fault has developed inside the head, the chances of repair are extremely remote. While it’s not possible to disassemble the head, it’s a blessing the torso can be taken apart to make other extensive repairs possible. I’m good with the trigger and jaw system operating as well as it does on our needy plastic little friend, Mr. FORD.That’s not to say the mouth is in a perfect state. It’s far from perfect as the upper teeth and upper tongue half parts are both missing. The mouth parts of these old toys (like the dome and dorsal crest) are often missing. I’m actually very surprised this battered sample of the toy still maintained the lower half of the tongue in place as the tongue pieces are easily removed and do often fall out. Both mouth pieces carry marks and other damage to their chrome finish. Like every other body part present on Mr. FORD, there’s damage in one capacity or another. And this is true. Every single piece present on this old toy displays damage of one form or another.

Nonetheless, I do have a complete set of spare mouth parts. Again, years of disassembling and restoring these old Kenner ALIEN toys has provided me with a limited but blessed store of replacement pieces. More so, these dental parts were also retrieved from a severely degraded Canadian version of the toy, one whose features were even less desirable than Mr. FORD but still become very handy, here. So, we’ll be keeping everything matching the Canadian variant, right down to these small details. These parts aren’t in situ just yet. I know what to do with these and I will use this set to completely replace the incomplete dentures Mr. FORD already has. The extant tongue piece will easily pull free of his mouth with a simple tug. The lower teeth will need to be treated differently. I will need to immerse the lower jaw into a cup full of hot water to more easily manipulate and remove the lower teeth piece. This will work. I’ve done it before. More than once.

Mr. FORD’s head will be the most challenging part to work on. The prominent crack on the side of the head is unusual and something I’ve not had to deal with before. Using hot water to heat treat it to close the gap on top was the right choice. Heat treatment as a repair process I have done elsewhere on these old toys. Many times. These old toys will respond to heat at very low temperatures. The blended styrene they are made can use heat to their advantage – or disadvantage. I’ve handled a lot of these toys that have had melted or damaged parts. Such heat damaged parts can sometimes be fixed; but more often than not, if irreversible melting has occurred then the only option is seeking a replacement.

Fortunately, that’s easy to do with this toy. The problem is finding the appropriate parts. Now, that task can be a challenge.

Part 1: Recovery.
Part 2: Dismantle & Clean.
Part 3: Working on the Head.
Part 4: Attaching the Arm.
Part 5: Attaching the Tail.
Part 6: Replacing a Leg.
Part 7: Reattaching the Dorsal Quads.
Part 8: Final Assembly.