TOTAL FILM magazine has an exclusive cover image of the ALIEN Romulus creature on near full display on its upcoming July edition. Two variant covers will be released including an exclusive subscriber version (Left); and a regular newsstand version (Right) which will appear on shelves Thursday, 18 July. You can preorder a copy online now.
The latest issue will heavily feature the upcoming movie, here’s some details regarding its content, “Writer/director Fede Alvarez and his bright young cast are taking the ultimate sci-fi horror series back to bloody basics with an ‘interquel’ set between Ridley Scott’s Alien and James Cameron’s Aliens. Inside the issue, Alvarez explains how he’s been inspired by both of those titans of the genre to craft a new franchise instalment that promises fear, practical effects, and surprises galore. It’s the perfect primer on the kind of sequel that Alien fans have waited decades for.”
This issue is significant for other reasons. This is the first full public reveal of how the creatures in the movie will appear. All the details from the original 1979 design are present, albeit tweaked to varying degrees. From the elongated head to the barb tipped tail, all of the original features are carried over from Giger’s familiar design and wrought into a fresh interpretation with varying changes. All the dorsal crests are present, just modified and shortened. The spine and tail details are amplified. The “chicken drumstick” elbow spurs are present. It’s all there. From this image we can determine this Alien design features raised ankles indicative of an ALIEN Isolation “Stompy” styled digitigrade leg morphology; a minor departure from the original flat footed plantigrade Alien. Prior images of the head have shown us the transparent carapace and vacant eye orbits beneath.
The new batch of NECA, Prime 1 Studios and other licencees for ALIEN Romulus action figures are going to be adopting these features. That’s definitely something to look forward to when they finally see release.
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Here is more info by the supplier, “In space, no one can hear you scream – but they can see your awesome, limited-edition ALIEN: ROMULUS Collector’s Glass. This Alamo-exclusive ticket add-on features custom art by Mutant artist Ken Taylor and is the best way to add a Xenomorph to your collection without the risk of it melting your couch with acid blood. These are only available while supplies last, so preorder yours with your tickets if you don’t want your chest to burst with FOMO.”
There’s a few interesting details of note here, especially in regard to both Alien characters. The six fingered hands and four toed feet of the original ALIEN creature have made a return. Not withstanding Funko’s stylised presentation of their figures, these shared morphological features reflect an as yet undisclosed origin of these creatures and their relationship with the original creature as it appeared in 1979’s ALIEN. A scarred carapace along with a few other subtle differences such as pronated hands along with an alternate stance suggest these two pieces are intended to be two different creatures we can expect to appear in the movie and not just a pair of variants of the same Alien character. We’ve seen similarly defined scarred Aliens before. Most notable, appearing in the 2004 ALIEN vs PREDATOR movie where Grid became a recognisable ‘hero’ character with distinct net shaped scars burned across his head and shoulders to differentiate him from other creatures appearing in that movie. The scars serve the purpose of being One to stand out from the crowd, no less.
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.
The figure is in a terrific state and it’s all there. An original dome rests on the head, all mouth parts are mounted in place and the all too often missing dorsal crest is also sitting confidently in place on its back. It’s a great figure. As for the box that is included in this listing? Well, that’s a different story altogether and it can barely be called a box. Crushed, crumpled and torn in major ways, all the box’ parts are present, it’s just in various pieces. The lid is torn off from the main case and the windows are a single separate piece. All of these pieces are included in the sale. The poster is also included and while it remains in a single sheet, it still shows signs of heavy wear. The red insert card that would normally be found inside the box to which the toy was originally attached is completely absent. At a starting price of US$9.99, you can easily spend a couple hundred dollars on just the figure alone and consider this box and poster as a “bonus situation”. It’s a piece of packaging worth having despite being in a ruined state but certainly isn’t the main attraction here. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how this auction finally pans out. The box is junk and still worth …something. It’s a nice extra item but the figure is where the real value lies.
The first issue of note is the dome seated on the head of the figure. This body part is a reproduction piece being included in this listing. So while the figure is “feature complete”, it’s not 100% original. The figure also had work performed on its arms. The aging rubber anchors holding the limbs in place on these old toys have weakened during the past four and a half decades, leaving arms frequently hanging limp by its sides. To be able to hold its arms forward in a grasping pose this item is capable, these anchors need to be replaced. The old rubber anchors just won’t support the weight of the limbs extended like this.
Clean and in great shape, this figure has all parts present. Maybe a little worse for wear being a forty four year old toy not intended for this kind of longevity. These old toys were originally sold prior to Christmas in 1979, landing on store shelves sometime in October of that year. This sample lacks a box and poster but the commonly missing parts are all present and are 100% original. You’ll find no facsimiles or reproduction parts on this item. While US$750 appears to be a lot of money for one of these forty year old toys, the high asking price isn’t an anomaly. Even in this complete condition, Kenner ALIEN toys are not rare. They’re just so damned cool and carry such a freight of reputation the demand for them is only growing. It’s amazing then that any time, you can find at least a dozen of them on eBay at any time. This not only true, but has also always been the case for as long as I can remember. At least a dozen. 
This one is missing the head dome; and the dorsal crest mounted between its shoulders is also absent. Other than that, it’s relatively complete. Oh, yeah. The left arm is severed – but that’s an easy repair, if you’re prepared to disassemble the figure. Not a difficult proposition and I’ve repaired dozens of these old toys over the years. The mouth parts, including both halves of the tongue are all present and the figure looks to be complete without any other breakages. I’m sure this average condition figure will sell.
He’s mostly all there, too. Mostly. The head dome and dual tongue parts are missing but all the other body features are present and intact. He’s clean and looks well presented. There’s a strong likelihood the shoulders are loose and he won’t hold a pose. It’s also possible the hips will also be considerably loose. These are common flaws these four decades old figures often possess. The much sought after dorsal crest mounted between the shoulders is also present. There’s no damage to the tail and no cracks or other major faults that I can detect. He’ll definitely make some lucky owner very happy. It’s just a matter of how much attention he garners while up for sale and what the final bids are when they inevitably mount up. A great pick up for some lucky buyer. As to what he ultimately sells for? That’s worth watching just to find out.
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.
This figure has been painted over to give the appearance of the creature more closely resembling how it appears in the movie. Gone is the near black presentation of the original toy to be replaced with shades of brown and dark grey. It’s a full body paint over that lends itself well to the toy, highlighting much of the figure’s superb details. He’s all there, too. No pieces are missing.
There’s more than just a figure available in this listing, too. Also included is the original box, which is in a somewhat shabby condition and a little worse for wear; along with the B&W poster. Again, the poster is in a less than perfect state but its presence makes this listing a complete package.
This one is in generally good shape but missing the usual parts. Absent are the head dome, shoulder crest and both halves of the tongue. Despite these commonly missing pieces, the rest of the figure looks intact. Significantly, the slot in the figure’s back where the crest is absent is undamaged and will accept a replacement part that will remain in situ without falling out. This slot is frequently damaged on figures of this condition and aids in raising its quality. While some parts are missing, almost everything else is in largely excellent shape. This figure is clean, the tail tip is unbroken, all fingers are present, the elbows are undamaged, there are no cracks in the feet and the glow in the dark skull details are largely in great condition. The arms have been restrung so it can hold a pose but this is a solid, average quality vintage toy being sold here. A starting bid of US$9.99 makes it a good metric of what one of these base figures is worth sans frequently missing parts.
These are all generally good clean pieces with some marks and defects. These items all have separate listings. Bidding has already commenced on all of these parts and it will be fun to watch them climb to their final closing sales prices. Here are all three listings:
All parts appear to be clean and in reasonably good condition. Not all parts are available as individual listings and not all parts included are displayed in the image above. These parts all come from a US version of the figure. Here’s the complete list:
Accompanying the video is the ambiguous phrase “Something is coming…”. That’s all the information we currently have right now. Nonetheless, Prime 1 Studio’s reputation for releasing extremely high quality statues and figures means expectations from this manufacturer will be high among fans. Again, no other details regarding price or availability are included in the announcement but this as yet unrevealed content is likely to be released around August 16, when ALIEN Romulus lands in cinemas worldwide.
The only content appearing in the post from NECA states “
Here’s the info from the developer’s 
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.