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!

Scorpion Alien - A Kenner Legacy in Exploding

Exploders

The Scorpion Alien from Kenner. It's a fine example of balance between form & function, aesthetic & practicality. One of the best & most popular figures from the line, this figure perfectly captures the look of the creatures as seen in Aliens. Yes, there are some details that are not movie accurate. But it's a toy first and foremost, so it needed some interesting visuals; colors & spikes.

Other than the near perfect movie accuracy, this figure has a wonderful play feature. Depress a button on it's rear spine & he explodes! Simple, fun, and true to the movies (especially Alien³).

But what's really interesting is that this exploding feature was not new to Kenner. In fact, they used it previously on 2 other toy lines. These included Beetlejuice and Terminator 2. As we compare these three exploding figures, you'll see how the mechanism design improved with each generation, with the Scorpion alien being the best version of this "tech". 

The first figure to utilize this feature was Beetlejuice (1990). I can't find any earlier figures from Kenner that use this feature (Let me know if Kenner used this feature again on any subsequent lines!)

Pretty simple; squeeze his legs together, and his torso pops off. He's made of 3 parts - head & inner body, a front chest half, and a back half. His inner body has a hole in the bottom, with a spring, that then sits on a post on the hips. The little latch that holds & releases the inner body is white metal, and is positioned to the right side of the hip. 

Other than the metal latch in the inner body, not much holds the 2 halves together. They just sit on the hips, with a short semicircle ridge along the hips. With slight jostling, the torso can fall off, leaving the head & body still attached. So a good concept but not quite perfect.

Next figure to be an exploder is the T-1000 from the Terminator 2 line (1991-92). 

He has the same break up; head & inner body, and a front and back torso half. Again, the head & inner body have a hole with spring at the bottom, and it again sits on the post on the hips. A metal latch again, but now positioned facing the front of body. Also, no leg squeezing, but rather a button on the back of the hip, on the waistline. This trigger is pretty sensitive compared to the Beetlejuice or the Scorpion alien. Press it and bang: blowed up.

The new latch orientation and new hip-notches make the torso a bit more sturdy. No jostling will make him prematurely fall apart. And the implementation of a button trigger reduced the size and/or need for internal leg mechanisms for the latch function. The design is improved.

Finally, the Scorpion alien. Released in 1992.

He was likely designed around the same time as the T-1000. But the Scorpion clearly improves upon the T-1000's design. The layout is the same: head & inner body with hole & spring on bottom, which sits on post on hips, with a front chest & rear back half.

But the latch now faces the rear, towards the spine. And on the rear spine is the cleverly hidden activation button ( it's part of his boney spine!) On the hips are two pairs of very tall tabs that slot into each torso half. This creates a very nice lock on the torso, so you can play with the Scorpion all day long without any issue. 

He won't blow apart until you want him to. And when he does, watch out. I think he has the most powerful spring in this bunch. And that rear button is tough to press sometimes. No premature exploding can happen. You can drop him without his body blowing apart.

Very interesting that Kenner used this feature so frequently. Clearly the person(s) who designed this must've been very happy to see it live so long across multiple product lines.

 Thanks for reading!

Kenner Aliens: Cards & Series variations (US)

 

This article is created in an attempt to identify & organize all the versions of Kenner's Aliens action figure line. I have so far managed to create a visual timeline for these figures without any official Kenner corporate correspondence or memorandum. It is, at this point, all conjecture & theory. 

I've poured over every piece of info available; old toy magazine articles, actual figures and packaging, Kenner promotional material, and most importantly (and most unreliable) from my own personal memories.

I'll also point out now that this all pertains to only the US figure release, and only the original run. So no Aliens v Marine, no Hive Wars, Aliens KB repaints, etc. This details the Aliens figures released from 1992 thru 1994. 

There are 3 series, with multiple waves in each series. Series 1 starts it all off. Series 2 is immense, with various waves with new product, very messy. And the final series 3 closes out the entire line. 

Lets just jump in, shall we?

*********************

A series, a wave, a line, a run. These toy terms are sometimes used interchangeably. We all do it. For purposes of my article, I have established a rigid set of terms. They are as follows; 

Line: the products, in their entirety, as a concept and as a product to be sold to the public. (ex: "Kenner's Predator line")

Run: the quantity & duration of the line sold at market (the initial retail release, not second-hand in a collector's market or thru liquidation discounters).

Series: within the product line, a distinct change or addition to the line: new product under the same line, same product with different features (colors, accessories), new packaging art/styles/info, and/or obvious notations on product ("new", "collection 3", etc)

Wave: Upon a product's release, a "wave" consists of the actual delivery of products to the public. A single series can be released in multiple "waves". (ex; Maybe the first wave was a small number of product due to uncertainty about it's sales strength. Once it shows strong sales, a second "wave" of these same "Series 1" figures would be delivered, followed by a possible third "wave", and so on). A helpful indicator of a wave is the last two barcode numbers - "00", "01", "02", respectively. Only theoretical, but so far have proven to be accurate.

With an understanding of these above terms, we'll see how Kenner's Aliens line has a number of series that overlap in different waves with each other. This, in my opinion, is what creates confusion on how to properly organize and sort the entirety of the Kenner Aliens line. 

Series 1

Series 2

Series 3

Series 1

In the fall of 1992, Kenner released its line of action figures *loosely* based on the film Aliens. Initially planned to coincide with the release of Alien3, that plan was quickly changed and the line was tweaked into what we know as the Kenner Aliens line today. Series 1 was first released in low numbers in select markets in the US (Chicago, NYC, Cincinnati), as Kenner was unsure of the line's strength at retail. They were already burned in 1979 with the first Alien toy, and hitching their wagon to a movie from 1986 that not many kids would be familiar with was an already risky move. Add to that the dour & critically panned Alien3, and Kenner was hesitant. But thankfully the line was a huge hit in those test markets. So the remainder of 1992 into spring of 1993 saw the mass retail debut of Series 1. Series 1 consists of: Ripley, Hicks, Bishop, Drake, Apone, and ATAX, as well as the Queen, Bull, Gorilla, & Scorpion, aliens. The Aliens were a late release due to factory issues, and so Series 1 was almost only Marines and vehicles (Power Loader). By spring of '93 the aliens hit shelves. It could be considered that the 4 aliens were part of "wave 2" of Series 1. But in Series 1, this is not a very significant point. We also got the EVAC fighter (instead of an awesome movie-accurate DropShip...a story for another day)

Series 1 Bull

Series 1 Wave 1 (.00)

Series 1 Wave 2 (.01)

Series 1 Card Art - All characters are rendered in a watercolor or guash style. The Alien head in the background is very large & prominent, with its grasping hand at the bottom left.  All series 1 figures come with mini Comics (and facehuggers for the xenos). Queen has orange egg art since she's a "Deluxe figure", as well as ATAX having an orange background due to his being "Deluxe".

Series 2

Ah, this is where things get tricky. Series 2, promoted & advertised as a " Spring '93" release. The Series 2 figures are: Vasquez, Hudson, O'Malley, as well as the Rhino, Queen Facehugger, Mantis, and Flying Queen aliens. Again, the new Marines were shipped before the alien figures (they were really giving factories a hard time, huh?), and naturally the few Marines ordered proved to be poor sellers. Everyone just wanted more aliens. So they made more aliens. And a Hovertread vehicle.

1993 Kenner Action Toy Guide

Kenner was ready for a second series, as indicated by ALL series 2 card-backs having a copyright date of 1992. But series 2 figure were at retail in 1993, and all series 2 figures have " '93 " stamped on their body. I don't know what the policy is for copyrights on action figures, but its interesting to see that the packaging was created before the figures were "pressed", so to speak. 

But it gets crazier. The series 2 Marines card-backs have cross sells for the series 2 xenos (see below). But when the series 2 xenos are shipped, their card-backs lack ANY CROSS SELLS for the series 2 Marines. None. So its official, right? No more marines from Kenner, nothing but xenos. We wont see Marines anymore.

Series 2

Series 2, wave 1, Vasquez (S2 aliens shown)

Series 2, wave 2 Mantis (no Marines!)

WRONG. The Crab & Panther alien card-backs depict Hudson, Vasquez, and O'Malley in their cross sell. Why? How? The cards are copyright 1993, and these figures are clearly printed, cast, packaged, and sold after the first wave of Series 2. But there they are, along side the new line of Predator figures from Kenner. 1993 was a very confusing year. Series 2 was a very messy series. 

Series 2, wave 3 Crab ( .00, with Marines & Mini Dropship) 

Series 2 consists of 3 total waves: Q. Face hugger, Snake, Mantis, Rhino, & Flying Queen in wave 1. Then there's wave 2, and it consists of the Panther & Crab alien, as well as a Mantis sans a comic. Vasquez, Hudson, and O'Malley were definitely planned to be a part of this wave 2, since they're featured on the cross sells of the Panther & Crab. Of course they were ultimately not released here in the U.S.

Wave 3 is the same Panther & Crab xenos, but no Vasquez, Hudson, or O'Malley on the card-back. Absolute removal of any & all Marines, except for vehicles. (Cross-Sells & card backs will be discussed later)

Series 2, wave 3 Crab (.02, no Marines)

Series 2 Card Art -  Major changes: all character art now appears more detailed, more graphic in styling. The character art is also larger and more prominent on the card.The background alien has lost his bottom left claw, and has been reduced in size & placed behind the "Aliens" logo. The word "Action Figure" moves from below  the "A" in "Aliens" to a stacked position closer to the figure bubble. The card-back loses its purple edge border, giving way to the grid pattern. Series 2 introduces the cross-sell for the MinDropship (unproduced) vehicle in later waves . Flying Queen has orange egg art since she's a "Deluxe figure".

Strangely, only the Series 2 Marines have the smoke/fog color changed to a more blue & purple mix, and their background Alien retains its prominence next to the Aliens logo (rather than behind it), just like Series 1. But unlike Series 1 or 2, these Marines lack any mini comics. So I declare the Series 2 Marines to be the odd-balls, mucking everything up. They could be series 2, they could be series 1, maybe even series 2 but wave 2!

Series 3

This final series that ends it all; 2 waves, maybe 3, with the 1st a push of new product, and the 2nd & 3rd a sad closeout of planned releases. Then its over. 

Series 3 Arachnid (wave 3)

Series 3 Wild Boar (wave 1)

Wave 1 consists of "all new" figures for '94. It would appear the Wild Boar is alone in Wave 1, and I'm not entirely sure why. Looking at Wild Boar, he has no cross sells with Night Cougar, Arachnid, Swarm or King. He features Series 2 xenos, as well as the first 2 series of Predator figures on his cross-sell. 

The Night Cougar is a repaint (refresh?), likely part of wave 2, to keep things going while everyone waited for the last 3 brand-new xenos. Naturally, the King, the Arachnid and the Swarm arrived very late to retail due to factory issues (again). So they're part of a wave 3. The Queen Hive playset was more abundant & available than the regular figures for Series 3. 

So 2-3 waves, one on time and the other two late to already weak retail sales. Although KB was a believer in the line and sold all remaining stock from Kenner, it wasn't enough for Kenner to keep the line going as planned into 1995. But Kenner Aliens & KB Toys will work together again in the near future!

Series 3 Card Art -  not much different from Series 2, other than all figures having "New" in yellow bubbles on the top right corners of the card (King being the exception). Back of card has no Marines or Marine vehicles. Just xenos & preds. The King nor the Arachnid appear on any cross sells.  Also with the last 3 (King, Arachnid, & Swarm), on the front card, the art of the alien in the background is tinted more blue & white than all other versions. 

Card Back Variations

Below you'll see all the different versions of card back from the line, from 1992 thru 1994. 

series 1, wave 1 (.00)

series 1, wave 2 (.01)

Notice the change in the card-back layout. No more diorama, and the grid pattern is bordered with purple. Among all Series 1 figures, the diorama card-back is .00, the  grid/purple border are .01 & .02, respectively. Of particular interest is the scorpion alien; he comes in .00, .01, and .02 versions (below)

The variations primarily involve the instructional photos (00/01 vs 02). The other differences concern the front of the card and its choking warnings; sticker v printed warning.

series 2, wave 1 (.00)

series 2, wave 2 (.00)

series 2, wave 3 (.00)

series 2, wave 4 (.02)

series 3, wave 1 (.00)

series3, wave 2 (.01)

series 3, wave 3 (.00)

All clear now, right? As I said, the numbers on the UPC, when used with other details, are meaningful in sorting the lines.  They mostly indicate a change in the packaging, which USUALLY coincides with a series or wave change. But cant be used exclusively or solely, as seen in the samples above. Series 3 has 2 waves as .00, with a .01 in the middle...

Thank you for reading. And please note that this is an on-going article. If you know of other card versions, or of any detailed information on this line, please share! The more info the more precise this timeline can become. 

** 9/18/23 - updates coming soon! **