1979 Kenner ALIEN Complete Restoration - ADULTS ONLY

[windebieste]

Here's all the parts ready to be put back together. Our good old friend, the FrankenKenner Monster, is now ready to be re-assembled.

All the pieces are now coated and gathered in one place, my kitchen. They are ready to be briefly made whole
once again and photographed for posterity.

Just a fresh arm anchor for the left arm and four screws returned to its back and the figure is together once again. He looks amazing dressed in white. I'm almost tempted to give it a finishing coat with white gloss and leave it like this. On the other hand, I do want to complete this item as planned. Anyway, here's some images of the figure in it's current assembled and undercoated phase.

An all white finish surprisingly suits the figure. No wonder Scott considered creating an alternate translucent version the suit. Too
bad the materials of the day weren't up to the task as a translucent Alien would just add an extra level of creepy. Using today's
material science such a suit wouldn't be a problem. Anyway, here is the figure revealing all of it's super detailed glory.

The amazing thing about this figure is the amount of details that are present throughout and the white finish does a lot to highlight the fabulous presentation. For a figure that's over 35 years old now, the sculpt was not only very movie accurate but was incredibly well stylised to suit the function of an oversized action figure rather than be considered as a statue or display piece. This was intended to be a toy, after all, and the amount of detail in it is impressive.

Unfortunately, the coating also reveals some of the figure's less attractive features. Not only does the white amplify all the details but it also highlights some of the damage that these pieces exhibit. The tooth marks on the tail and the melting of the nose and other features on the head is immediately apparent. I've done my best to reduce these damaged locations, but they will never be 100% perfect. This isn't the only distraction that the white coating presents to the viewer. Gaps in the joins that are normally not visible now become apparent. The wide gap in the shoulder pauldron, the gaps at the wrists, neck, hinged jaw and spaces appearing in the legs become a lot more obvious. The figure was intended to be cast in dark, gun-metal grey plastic which contributed a lot to conceal these distracting features which are common on all of these figures to varying degrees. Some gaps can be wide open and unnoticeable. Wide gaps on the legs at the top of the thigh where they join to the hips are very common on the figure.

This figure isn't going to last very long in this state as I will shortly be progressing onto its next stage. So I will be taking a ton of photos while it is still in this condition. My next post will be more of a gallery of images of the figure in this current state so that you can appreciate the terrific detail that it is blessed with. Then it will be sent on to the next stage of this customisation as planned and this ephemeral stage of the figure's journey will shortly be history, only recorded here as part of the process.

-Windebieste.

[windebieste]

Before I move on to the next phase of coating this fellow in black (I could really choose anything but black suits my purposes here) and therefore lose this terrific opportunity to showcase the detail that is present on this figure, here's a small gallery highlighting some of the fine features present throughout the figure.

The head of the figure is a network of hoses and sculpted shapes. It's too bad the shoulder join on this figure is so pronounced as it is.




The front torso and shoulders of the figure demonstrate some intricate details not easily seen in an uncoated figure.




There rear of the figure is likewise no less detailed. The 4 diamond arranged screw holes which are normally well concealed on the figure's back are clearly visible here.




Upon the back of the hand can be found a richly detailed surface...




...while the underside of the palm shows no less attention to detail.




From the side, the join bisects the ribs and likewise, the hip join also separates details from the torso and the thigh.




The lower forearm and upper thigh are great examples of the detail on the figure's limbs.




The lower abdomen, vulva and upper thigh details are observable here. Vulva? Yes. Yet another feature of the action
figure that caused some parents concern back in 1979.



Some nicely sculpted details present on the rear of the knee and the calf on the figure.




Here the foot displays a multitude of hosing, veins and other details on the toes.

There you have it. The details of the figure laid bare in a coat of white that is otherwise obscured by the native gun metal grey that the figure is natively cast in. It's an impressive sculpt. Especially when compared to other toys of the day. This action figure is deservedly regarded as being a significant vintage toy - for many reasons. ...some good. ...some not so good. It's a credit to the figure's sculpting that despite its lack of paint (excepting upon the head), the detail is so impressive it carries the figure's presentation without any need for such coatings.

-Windebieste.

[windebieste]

Ack... I'm finding I will need to do some more investigations and material tests before I proceed with this custom piece. So I am going to be absent from my regular posting here. Perhaps for up to a week.

In the meantime, I'm just going to leave you with this wonderful image. It's a close up of the figure's generously gaping vulva. I think all action figures should adopt this much needed feature, regardless of gender. Nothing beats having conservative parents discovering that their child is playing with subversive toys. Especially commercially made toys based on R-rated movies. ...and Nationally marketing them at AGES 5 AND UP. lol.

I'll be back to complete work on this custom item sometime soon.

Enjoy gazing into The Abyss...

-Windebieste.

[windebieste]

This past week has been about experimentation and problem solving for this figure. Now that I have a clear idea of how to achieve all that I intend to modify and complete this custom item, I'm now more willing to discuss the end goal. So, here, for your amusement is a piece of concept art I've cobbled together that expresses most of the elements the will appear in the finished custom work for this figure.

Presenting to you, 'G G ALIEN', The FrankenKenner Monster:

The imperfect battered and mangled parts that comprise this figure will lend themselves perfectly for this customisation.
This is going to be too much fun to make!

I'm sure that when HR Giger designed the monster for the film, he didn't expect it to be marketed as an 18" tall child's toy. When released in October 1979, Kenner's over-sized Alien action figure was met with disapproval and driven by conservative parental groups off the shelves and into bargain bins for quick sale. Throughout the early 1980's, the unloved toy was sold cheaply to clear the over abundant stock.

During the mid to late 1970's, another great antisocial phenomeon was taking place. The Punk movement was largely a culminating reaction to anti-authoritarianism that had been brewing for 20 years and rebellious Rock and Roll reached its summit in the early 1980's. Such bands as The Sex Pistols, Black Flag, The Dead Kennedy's and many others rose in popularity and despite it's overt antisocial stance, the art and culture of the Punk community became a legitimate folk phenomenon.

Given, then, that the unpopular aspects of the Kenner action figure and the equally disapproved Punk phenomenon by conservative groups, it's appropriate to marry both these themes in this figure. I'll be adding a larger range of tattoos to the FrankenKenner Monster than those presently depicted here. He's going to be embellished with Punk slogans and band names, most of which will be inspired by bands that were contemporary to when the figure was released and in stores.

The FrankenKenner Monster, now also to be known as GG Alien, will become my tribute to these bands and ideals. Emblazoned across his body will be content some people will find offensive. So be it. In the words of Mae West, "Those who are easily shocked, should be shocked more often". Mae west quotes are the best! Look 'em up, sometime. You'll be surprised how much social wisdom she generated during the early half of the 20th Century. Besides, let's face it. The length of that phallic elongated head lends itself perfectly to a full, bristling mohawk. This is going to look great! Especially with that added safety pin through the nose and a small chain attached to one of the shoulder pauldrons.

One of the things I would like to add to the figure is a T-shirt with the slogan, 'I HATE Pink Floyd' written across the chest. It's an optional item I'd like to add but if it doesn't work out, well, so be it. The number of projections upon the figure's back make this feature difficult to implement. I can always investigate its inclusion at a later date, anyway.

Finally, coming full circle on this item, the band, The Dead Kennedys are well represented on this custom figure. Not only with their band logo and song names, but their final album was entitled 'Frankenchrist', a great album and it's moniker shares more than just a slight resemblance to this figure's new identity. The DK's were sued in the 1980's due to 'obscenities' appearing as part of the art for that album and while winning the case, the proceedings eventually terminated the DK's functioning as a band. Today, that win stands as a milestone case in Free Speech and artistic expression.

The offending material? A painting by HR Giger, called 'Landscape XX' that depicted a wall of multiple copulating genitals.

-Windebieste.

[windebieste]

The first thing I need to do before I continure is prep the head to accommodate the mohawk. To do this, I secure it into a vice and drill a line of holes along the center of the top of the head at even intervals. I can't make the holes too large in diameter as I don't want to weaken the head but I need enough holes to make a nice continuous line across the top of the cranium.

A pair of photos showing the head secured in a vice for the purpose of drilling holes to accommodate the mohawk.

Now the holes are all drilled, it's time to go back outside with all the disassembled pieces of the figure in tow and spray them for their finishing coats of black. This is the last time you'll see any of these pieces in this intriguing white state. I'm kind of reluctant to paint over the white because it does look good, highlighting the figures many detailed features where the shadows are cast. I may do this again on some other scuffed up and bedraggled figure and leave it white. I'll use something other than plastic primer undercoat as well. Maybe a gloss white would look good.

There's plenty of time to consider doing so at a later date, once this Project is complete and documented. One thing at a time.

Besides, the holes are drilled now and it's onto the next stage.

It may look no bigger than a toothbrush but the bristles on this domestic cleaning brush are about 3 inches long. Perfect for my needs on this
figure. Such a great colour, too!

As for the mohawk itself, the 'hair' will be extracted from a $3 brush I bought specifically for this purpose. I won't be adding this feature just yet - there's still a lot of other work to be done on the figure. Another several coats of black paint, tattoos and logos to be applied by brush along with other features as well so it makes sense to prep for this item now; and add it as the final detail to the head at a later date.

-Windebieste.

[windebieste]

Time to get moving on with this little Project...

Goodbye 'Albino Xeno'. It was fun knowing you. Here's the head, front torso half, both arms and the quad dorsal appendages during the first
pass on painting them black. This was started late last week and finished yesterday.




Now all of the pieces are painted black. Multiple coats and patience is required for an even coating and to avoid drips and pooling.




Here's the painted head (with the holes already drilled, of course) and the blue brush from which the material will be extracted that will become
the bristly mohawk. This will be one of the last tasks done on embellishing the figure. Note the very sturdy square shoulder bracket at the
base of the neck. This was a VERY handy feature for securing the item into a vice for all of that drilling.

At this stage it's progressing well. Right now for the first time I feel like all the parts selection and preparation work is over and I now have a good base to launch into this Project properly. Aside from the drilling of the holes in the head, I consider all the effort spent on this Project to date to be preparation work. This is very important for any Project. The better prepared and planned it is, the higher the likelihood will be of it being successful. I've spent quite some time tidying up these pieces and making them more presentable. Some of them were really rough and in need of attention. Now that that's all behind me, I can commence on the thematic customisation planned for this figure.

First, though, I'll assemble the figure once again take some comparison shots of the all black figure along with a couple of its peers. There's just a couple things I want to discuss about this item before I continue with this Project and start embellishing it with tattoos expressing logos and offensive slogans.

Thanks for reading!

-Windebieste.

[windebieste]

Here it is. The bee-yooooo-ti-fahl FrankenKenner Monster with all of its parts painted black and now fully assembled.

Sans dentition, carapace and glow in the dark paint work; and despite its various deficiencies, the black figure looks impressive.
The jaw activation system and swivelling at the wrists still have complete functionality; as do all the other critical joints at
the shoulders and hips.

Of course, there's also the pose as well. Note the arms can be set into any position. Already, GG Alien is better than most loose
examples of this figure that can be listed on Ebay. lol

I've seen these things painted black before and I can understand why people like to coat them this way. It's not just the 'cool' factor, the action of painting it completely freshens up the figure. It looks as good as new and very attractive. My issue with such attention to the figure is you can achieve exactly the same results without the extensive modification that painting does to the figure. Just by washing it thoroughly in hot soapy water will completely refresh the item. Disassemble it, wash it, reassemble it and in appearance it is as good as new. I would not go to the trouble to refresh one of these figures by painting it black when a good going over with a toothbrush is more effective and doesn't alter the figure in any way or remove it further from its original condition. Painting the figure black would be the wrong course of action if all you want to do is make it look 'cool'. Give it a wash instead. It's easier, quicker and it will retain its value.

Painting a figure will devalue it - I assure you!

On the other hand, giving the figure an overall coating of this nature does help to unify its disparate pieces into a cohesive whole. Especially in this case where all the pieces were selected due to them being damaged in some way. Some of them irreversibly so. By painting the figure, the banged up nature of this particular sample is driven considerably into the background. The raw irreparable damage done to some of the figure's parts such as the mangled tail, the scarred face and broken elbow spur are the only obvious imperfections now observable and even their presentation is substantially softened by the fresh black coating.

Of course the big sacrifice of such a global coating is the loss of the terrific Glow in the Dark paintwork details on the head. Yes, it's too bad these have been sprayed over. That was unavoidable. I can add these back in by sculpting and baking a (reusable) stencil out of polymer clay* and respraying this feature back onto the figure; but the characteristic paint being eliminated isn't a problem here. It was never planned to be returned to it's former presentation - I wouldn't have painted it in the first place if that was the goal here. So the glow in the dark feature is gone. I'm willing to live with that loss in exchange for the result I am aiming for on this custom figure. Such is the nature of sacrifice - no matter how big or small.

Anyway, reassembling this black figure has presented me with the opportunity to compare this all black Kenner Alien action figure to one of its very close cousins. I will get to this shortly. I can see this post is growing a little too much on the lengthy side so I am going to break it in half and continue with the comparison as an independent post. It's a lot to write - and a lot to read. So I will split this entry into 2 and post the 2nd half later.

Maybe today... maybe tomorrow... Either way, back soon!

-Windebieste.

*On my To Do list.

[windebieste]

The 1979 Kenner Products Alien action figure has an amazing history. So, let's take a look at a single and not very well known aspect that you may find of interest.

Piecing this particular specimen back together gave me an impression of how similar it is to one of the Kenner Alien's lesser known varients, the 1984 Tsukuda Hobby Jumbo Figure Series No.2 Alien. This particular figure, made in Japan, is an intimate derivation of the older Kenner figure and is one of several items made during the 1980's and 1990's that used Kenner's abandoned toy as a base for commercial product. The all black Japanese vinyl figure is considered to be the Kenner Alien's poor cousin.

The 1984 Tsukuda Hobby Alien figure and its box. PROS: It looks just like the box art image. CONS: It's a rubbish figure that should not be
removed from the box it came in.

The Tsukuda Hobby Alien is of course a re-issue of the Kenner figure and I'm going to take this opportunity to present to you a direct comparison between an all-black Kenner item and the not-so-wonderful Japanese repressing. Standing both of these together, the outstanding similarities are immediately noticeable, with some variations being present. Notably, much of the head of the Tsukuda Hobby Alien differs from the original. The tongue and teeth are hard moulded into the figure with no articulation and the trigger mechanism recess for their activation is obviously filled in. The carapace fits even more poorly on the head (See photo above.) and features like the tail and both hands upon the wrists need to be fixed to the figure by the owner.

Black painted Kenner figure (Left) and the 1984 Tsukuda figure (Right). Despite the obvious claim emblazoned upon the box that it
is 'OVER 18 INCHES TALL', the figure barely measures 17.75 inches in height as a result the Japanese pressing is a good inch shorter
than the original figure.

It's not a great figure by any means and while its deficiencies are pronounced it does have some improvements over the original figure. Important among these are the revisions to the method the arms and dorsal crest are fixed to the figure. Tsukuda made sure that these do not break and go missing. These Japanese made Alien figures are much more rare than the Kenner items but unlike the the original US figure I am yet to see one that is missing its arms or crest. About 80% of all original Kenner Aliens are missing either one or all of these features today. Tsukuda just made improvements in these areas and then fubared the rest of the figure.

As Tsukuda Hobby used the Kenner toy as a base for its moulds, their figure appeared in toy and hobby stores around the World were purchased by fans and enthusiasts. These savvy customers were quick to identify and deride the item. Many fans claimed it to be a 'fake' and a bootleg of the earlier Kenner product. The truth is the old Tsukuda item was a legitimately licenced product from 20th Century Fox. The absence or any mention of the original Kenner toy or any of their product line logo badgings on the box was noted. The fact that all insructions inside the box were written in Japanese did not help this situation. The only only outward indication that the figure was a licenced product is expressed in small print on the bottom of the front of the box. The figure also displays the relevant copyright information on the sole of the right foot but it is often made illegible by being printed with white paint on the felt fabric surface that covers the sole of the foot.

Tsukuda figure (Left) and the black painted Kenner (Right) Alien. There are obvious similarities between these distinctly different pressings
of the same figure. I've not added the tail to the figure because it's a pain in the butt to manipulate into place.

The reception of this figure was not great and fans of the day were not impressed with it. It looked like a cheap knock off and it had little to no publicity when it was released outside of Japan. It was obviously a repressing of the earlier figure and most features are identifiable with ease but there was no outward indication it was an updated example of the earlier figure. If anything, the Tsukuda Hobby Alien figure was met with even less enthusiasm than the original Kenner item. The general public had no knowledge of it and fans largely regarded it as an inferior product.

The 1984 Tsukuda Hobby Alien is a marvel to behold, possibly for the wrong reasons. It's an awful re-issue and fans at the time viewed it with no less than great skepticism. Today, it's easy to mistake one for a genuine 1979 Kenner Alien and I've seen more than one occasion on Ebay where the vendor was inadvertently selling them as such. The fact that the Tsukuda Hobby figure is only one of (at least) 4 re-pressings of the old Kenner toy just adds to the confusion - especially when the dates printed on the 1995 and 1997 Tsukuda Hobby reissues are erroneous and easily confuse them with the 1991 Halcyon kit - a kit that was essentially a torn down and repackaged version of the 1984 Tsukuda Hobby figure.

Aside from the missing dentition from the Kenner figure (Left), it looks remarkably like the Tsukuda Hobby item (Right). It's easy to see how
one of the 1984 items can be mistaken for an original Kenner figure.

As I have told people here and elsewhere, the history of the Kenner Products Alien action figure is amazing and a fascinating story worth telling. Addressing it fully here is outside the scope of my intentions to document the restoration (and current discussion on customisation) and preservation of these figures. Nonetheless, with this custom figure now painted all black, it's an ideal opportunity to take this little side step and engage in the diversion to directly compare the original 1979 Kenner Products figure with the first of it's nefarious descendants.

An original Kenner Alien in average condition (Left), Our FrankenKenner Monster (Middle); and the 1984 Tsukuda Hobby figure.

Now it's back to the customisation of this figure. I'll be continuing with doing that over the next few days...

-Windebieste.

[windebieste]

So now we're moving on to rapidly having the figure's integument completed. To do so, I want to mess it's surface up somewhat. As this figure is going to be influenced by the dirtier aspects of the Punk movement of 1970's and 1980's, it's going to be coarse and unattractive. Perfection is not the goal here. Taking advantage of the figure's natural grotesque ambience will be reflected in the final coatings before the detailed embellishing takes place. This figure is meant to be 'Punk' - not the safe homogenised uppity angsty emo teeny variety - rather, it's influenced by the dirty, gritty and raw forces that drove the movement at it's height during those past decades. There's nothing pretty to see here, just attitude against conservative establishments and the uncompromising assault of its comfort zones.

That's got to be reflected in all aspects of the figure's finish as well.

To kick this philosophy off, the finish of the figure has to be dirty and disquieting. to assist in this ambition, I'm going to highlight the high spots on the figure and then grub it down from there. Here's the pictorial documentation:

First, all the separate pieces are given a wipe down with a rag dampened with silver paint. This stage is roughly applied and some
surfaces are generously applied while others are less so. If I'd spent more than 5 minutes doing this, then I'd taken too long.






Both of these images show the assembled figure and the highlighted wipings. ...but it's not ending here. Simply
because there's a difference between a raw surface and one that's unfinished.






Then, with the figure still fully assembled, light alternate coatings of black and silver paint were applied to it in order
to soften the hard wipings and make the highlights look more integral to the figure. The light sprays help to blend the
highlights and still add a coarse texture to the whole figure. I didn't care too much about being neat or tidy during the
process. This was quick and dirty and was meant to look that way. It's also got to be pushed into the background so
the tattoos will contrast and stand out on the figure once they are applied.

The figure is now adequately rough looking at its most base level. This character has to look like it's been living in dirty squats for 3 months at a time and he's always been forced to move on when the demolition crew arrive, unlock the doors, evict the unwelcome inhabitants and begin to level their condemned accommodation. This customised figure isn't about the false glories of Punk. It's about embracing the harsh reality of downtrodden youth struggling in a World they have no place in, expressing themselves against ideals that care less for them and more for established conservative values. He's not meant to be pretty, just attitude laden.

Next, I'm going to start embellishing and adding the essential tattoos to the figure. This is going to be a fun process. It might take a while, too. Look elsewhere if expletives and offensive content offends you easily, otherwise it's nothing you haven't seen or heard before if you are familiar with any anti social content of the Punk movement.

Let's hope Management here doesn't mind. So far, it's been good and kind to me; permitting me to endlessly prattle on about old Alien figures, unaccosted. Let's hope that courtesy continues, shall we?

-Windebieste.

[windebieste]

So far, so good. Our rough looking friend is taking shape nicely. I've almost completed 3 of the limbs and they look great! OK, they're really messed up now but that's the point.

Here's the first 3 limbs almost completed. I may even leave 'em like this. So far here are both legs along with the right arm defaced with Punk
bands and slogans.




(Top) Henry Rollins has this striking Toltec motif tattooed on his right shoulder. I had to add one to GG Alien's right shoulder, too.
Of course, people will tell me he's not the first person to use it. (Bottom) A GG Allin conviction he lived by. Good on you, GG! You
didn't mince words and if anyone walked the talk, you certainly did; and we love you for it.




(Top) GG Alien has to have at least one of his namesake's inspirational tattoos placed somewhere on his mangled body and the tattoo of
his own tomb stone is a perfect icon. (Bottom) Some Dead Kennedy's inspired philosophy never goes astray.




Thank you for your wisdom, GG. You're The Best! You always was, is, and always shall be the 'Madman of Manchester'!

So there you now have about half of the body parts dressed in antisocial material and looking like they belong in the gutter. Well, that's where they're supposed to be. GG Alien's inspiration doesn't come from the glamorous end of the artistic and social spectrum. It spawned from a much more radical origin. An origin some people will find difficult to swallow.

Tomorrow, I'll have the head, left arm and hopefully the tail ready for display. Maybe not finished... but ready to show you. The worst part of this process is painting on these parts means placing them aside while the paint dries. It's too easy to handle wet surfaces. One slogan at a time has to be done per limb/part. Either way, expect more GG soon! WE LOVE YOU GG.

-Windebieste.

[windebieste]

Continuing with the skin art / body graffiti / integument illustrations... what have you, GG Alien's black canvas has had some more additions.

Here's the head. A few pieces have been added. What (dis)respecting punk would be without an anarchy symbol
prominently on display? Just in case you need to have it spelled out for you. Yes. GG Alien has very clear ideas about
how humans should be treated.




The left arm possesses an homage to the best song title ever! If you're not familiar with this song, you are missing out.
Seriously, Google it now. I've also added a Dead Kennedy's logo to the left shoulder. It's out of shot, but it's there.




In lieu of the knuckles being too small to initialise with individual letters to form a word, each segment on the tail
provides a similar purpose and more than ample opportunity to express this long held popular Punk sentiment.

Almost done. Just a few more vacant spaces to fill here and there upon the figure with some random 'tattoos' and he's ready for an assembled preview. Then, it's onto the final decoration of the figure.

-Windebieste.

[windebieste]

OK, here he is with all of his tatts in place. Just a quick preview of what he's going to end up looking like:

This charming upstanding fellow of high moral standing and fidelity to family values is almost complete*. He just needs to have his dentures inserted, get that mohawk into place and add some other miscellaneous accoutrements to him to help complete the theme. I May spatter him with a little red paint for good measure. After all, GG Alien is into self mutilation. I may also have to add some 'fecal matter' to his appearance as well. After all, I couldn't proudly call him 'GG Alien' if he wasn't covered in his own blood and sh*t, hey?

Either way, it's coming along fine and I'm looking forward to getting this custom figure finished.

-Windebieste.

*Er... Yup. lol.

[windebieste]

I just noticed that one of the Moderators have flagged this thread as 'ADULTS ONLY', which I support without any hesitation. Thank you for doing so and not outright deleting or censoring any content posted here. It's greatly appreciated! At the very least it's more responsible and a great improvement on Kenner's original age range that the Alien action figure's packaging was originally badged with in 1979:

The World's first commercially mass produced toy based on an R-rated movie was packaged in a box which was openly marketed at children.
Ye Olde Alien action figure caused quite a stir amongst conservative parents of the day. Maybe it should have been tagged as 'ADULTS ONLY'
back then. Anyway, to make things more interesting, Kenner (under the ownership of Tonka and later Hasbro), would eventually go on to produce
and market further 'ALIENS' toys inspired by the 1986 and 1997 sequels during the 1990's. Oddly enough, the age rating for those lines of toys was
deemed suitable for an even lower age group and the phrase 'AGES 4 AND UP' is displayed on their packagings. TRUE!!! Oh, Kenner Alien.
You have such a wonderful story!

To continue with the latest on this controversial make-over of a controversial toy, I'll be working on it again later today. I got a ton of things to do right now - as usual. But I will get around to finishing this fellow and documenting the results for you to enjoy.

-Windebieste.

[windebieste]

We are progressing nicely onto the final stages of this unorthodox customisation and the mohawk is now in place.

The bristles are pulled from the brush in bunches. They're initially loose (Bottom Right) and need to be gathered together
for inserting into each hole along the length of the top of the head. This is done with nothing more sophisticated than using
some sticky tape to bundle the loose fibers together (Far Bottom Right). The lowest point of the rolled tape is then spindled
to a point for easy insertion into the holes in the head where the widening diameter of the bundled fibers can then securely
wedge into place without falling out.




Here's the head with the fully populated mohawk now entirely in place.




Just a little shaping at the back and some trimming along the length of the mohawk is needed. Also, the front and the
back of the mohawk is dipped into a cup of hot water and bent forward and backwards at these locations to help make it
look more like a flexing hair style rather than just a bunch of bristles stuck into the head.

The head is almost finished now. It just needs a few final touches. The dentures need to go back in. A safety pin through the nose will also help to complete the theme. The entire figure is almost done now. This fellow has been a lot of fun to work on. Next I'll get him assembled with those features in place and take some more photos for you. Then he's almost done. I still want to add a T-shirt to the figure that has 'I HATE PINK FLOYD' hastily scrawled across it. There's a few other things I'd like to add, too. We'll get there eventually.

I'm looking forward to wrapping up this weird little Project very soon.

-Windebieste.

[cjefferys]

I enjoyed reading your comparison of the Kenner Alien to the 1984 Tsukuda Alien. It's definitely an inferior product, but I still recognize its importance in the history of Alien toys and really like the box art (very reminiscent of the MPC model kit, the "Alien" logo is identical.

I've not added the tail to the figure because it's a pain in the butt to manipulate into place.

I picked up an unassembled Tsukuda Alien in Japan a couple years ago and was wondering about the tail. Mine has never been assembled, the tail is perfectly straight. I was curious as to how it is bendable? I've been kind of scared of bending mine in case it breaks, but it does bend? And it looks like it would be tough to attach it to the figure, I was thinking I might need a hair dryer to soften the plastic first. Any advice?