Arachnid Alien - Various Colors

Rainbow Arachnids 

The Arachnid alien from Kenner was released in 1994, at the very end of the line. It was released in Series 3, along with the Night Cougar, Wild Boar, King alien, Swarm alien, and the great Queen Hive Playset. The figure would return 2 years later in the KB exclusive Alien vs Marine 2-pack (1996). 

It was distributed in low numbers (compared to other figures from the line) and was one of the latest of that final series to arrive at retail. I recall in 5th grade my friend picking one up at KB Toys in early '95. And of course when I then searched, I turned up none. The last three figures were tough to find (Arachnid, King, Swarm), but thats a story for another time.

In this article we'll explore the many different versions of this figure, both released & unreleased. Officially there were only 2 versions of this figure released: the regular version and the black/silver version from the 2-pack (both pictured below). 

The only 2 versions released

But there are photos of this figure in 2 other color schemes, one of which made it so far as being printed on the card back. These two will be referred to as the Tan Arachnid & the Gold Arachnid, naturally.

Let's start with the Tan Arachnid. I first saw a photo of this in an issue of Wizard magazine. It was the 1994 Toy Fair coverage, and it showed all the upcoming Aliens & Predator figures from Kenner, and this fascinating piece was among them. There's other documentation (pics) in both of Kenner's 1994 & 1995 Toy Fair catalogues. It appears tan with light tan/cream accents or detailing on the head. Its really hard to tell from the pictures, but I think it might be 2-toned. It might be light tan with a dark brown over-spray accent hue, with the light tan/cream accents on the head. Or it might just be the lighting & shading of the photo. I never could figure it out. If you notice, the feet are reversed on this version.

Rear-view of Tan Arachnid

Tan Arachnid from Toy Fair '94

I have to say this has always been my favorite version. I don't know if it's because of the coloring, or if it's simply because it's different than the released figure. But it's always been burned in my brain. Some of the most expert collectors have no knowledge of the piece's whereabouts. So maybe that's another element that makes it appealing; it doesn't exist anywhere outside of photographs. No collector has come forward to claim they posses it. No collectors have any info about it. Nothing. It must therefore be unobtainable. Below is my custom replica, in my best attempt to capture it's coloration properly.

**UPDATE 3/31/22 - I added a photo above showing the rear view of the Tan Arachnid, and its plain to see that he's a lighter tone, and therefore his body & head are in fact 2-toned. Dang.**

My custom Tan Arachnid

The next version is easier to see. It's the version depicted on the card back of the Arachnid alien. Naturally, this product varies in color or appearance. This version is otherwise the same as the released figure: red body, black head with silver teeth, and gold accents. This pictured version has waaaay more gold though. Its head is most all gold (whether its black but covered in all gold or is red with all gold is up for debate). Its an interesting look, very metallic. It does look, to me, like the head might've been red instead of black, but the photos are not clear enough to discern actual color, lighting artifacts, or even printing artifacts. 

Gold Arachnid as depicted on card back

And just like with the Tan Arachnid, there hasn't been a collector yet who's claimed to posses (or even have seen) this figure. Or know any history on it. It only exists in photos. 

I've contacted many very expert Kenner Aliens collectors, and none have any info on this figure. They've obtained or have come across many other rare or unreleased Kenner Aliens. But not these 2 Arachnid figures. Odd.

My custom replica

Final version; the version that was released in 1994 had a red body, black head, and light gold accents. Its been my belief that since this was the finale to the line, Kenner pulled back as much as possible, in this case with the gold over spray. Rather than a generous over spray, the figure gets just a dusting. Compared to the other versions, the one that actually came to market was visually...dull. 

Maybe if they did more gold, or even a more darker color scheme. It might also just be that this version is indeed nice, but because we've seen other possibilities, we've (I've) become infatuated by what we I don't have.

Regular Arachnid figure

Then there's a 4th version. The Alien vs Marine 2-pack; Drake vs Arachnid. In this version the figure is all black, with a dusting of silver spray. That's it. Easy.

2-pack Black & Silver Arachnid

People really liked this version because:

1) it was an opportunity to get an Arachnid alien (which were tough to find at the end of the line in '94). 

2) this black & silver coloring was more "movie accurate", though the whole concept of the spider xeno was definitely not in any of the movies. So not movie accurate at all.

All these differing color schemes really make the otherwise odd Arachnid alien figure much more interesting. No other figure in this line had these many changes from initial product development to product release (Not including any figure designs or development that happens in the prototype stage, of course).

Just to reiterate: I'd very much like to purchase the Tan Arachnid Toy Fair sample. Top monies given. 

Thanks for reading!