Gentle Giant - 24" JUMBO Kenner Alien

[space ace]

Well I Pre-ordered it so feel free to call me any kind of an a** hole you see fit-lol. I'll probably have about a year to think it over since your card doesn't get charged until the item is ready to ship. I already have the SSC Big Chap Maquetee & Aliens Warrior Maquette, so if I do keep the order I'll post pix next to each. I had the original Kenner Alien in the summer of '79, so this figure is definitely a nostalgia trip for me. I tried hunting down an original one again several times, but was always disappointed in the results especially for the price being asked (my criteria was NM for everything & complete). Do I think GG is price gouging? Of course I do-but who knows how many of these they will produce as it says "limited"-whatever that means.

 

[Hedji]

Hilarious. But unsurprising, actually. Is anyone really shocked, given that the Wampa was $400?

I can't wait for the bubble to burst. This only accelerates it.

Greed.

 

[JAWS]

LOL!!! Whoever gets this be sure to post pics so we can all laugh at you

Well I Pre-ordered it so feel free to call me any kind of an a** hole you see fit-lol. I'll probably have about a year to think it over since your card doesn't get charged until the item is ready to ship. I already have the SSC Big Chap Maquetee & Aliens Warrior Maquette, so if I do keep the order I'll post pix next to each. I had the original Kenner Alien in the summer of '79, so this figure is definitely a nostalgia trip for me. I tried hunting down an original one again several times, but was always disappointed in the results especially for the price being asked (my criteria was NM for everything & complete). Do I think GG is price gouging? Of course I do-but who knows how many of these they will produce as it says "limited"-whatever that means.

J/K - I think you are crazy but congratulations.

I still think it would be a better nostalgic trip to buy the original... Hell I have seen some in acceptable shape for less then 50.00 (No box of course).

Either way I hope you are happy when it finally gets to you and you don't feel the shame of throwing your money away on an overpriced "bootleg"

 

[clutch]

The dome is not supposed to be clear. It was smoked. This kills it for me.

 

[demorathis]

I preordered this yesterday as well...I absolutely love the sculpt.

I have a mint condition alien with the box and I love it...but this is freakin awesome...can't beat 24".
If you can get the og version misb for $400 more power to you guys, but considering it goes for at least 900 in mint condition and probably has deteriorating rubber arm connectors, be aware.

What I love most about this is that the size reminds me of when I was a kid and how big the toy was in relation to me...it was like half my height.

Of course, I collect anything 79 alien that's a great display and this most certainly is.
I don't subscribe to naysaying about this because I think it's great

It's interesting how collectors of toys, find it so easy to express how unreasonable it is for others to collect toys they themselves don't intend to collect....

I wonder if we are crazy because We collect crazy toys or because We collect toys in the first place!

 

[demorathis]

The dome is not supposed to be clear. It was smoked. This kills it for me.

I wonder if they know...I sent them an email mentioning it...we'll see, either way is fine with me,
I would rather it be slightly frosted

 

[Darth Madden]

That is a lot of money. Its not like they had to sculpt or design any of it. All they did was scan it and let the 3D printer do the rest. YIKES. Of course they did have to "pay" $600 for the original one to scan so who knows.

 

[Jmek]

Well congrats to all who can afford it, I'd love to own it but $400 - $500 is way too expensive for me. Why are GG's prices so over the top?

 

[karamazov80]

Hilarious.

Exactly my thought when I saw what they were trying to sell for this price. Best of luck to them in moving it, but based on the apparent level of complexity (or rather, lack thereof) this looks to me like a $75-100 figure.

 

[DiFabio]

And I thought their Wampa was ridiculously priced.

Gentle Giant is crazy. The Hot Toys and Enterbay 1/4 figures are a little shorte with better sculpts, more accessories and features and are the SAME price for the most part. NECA? NECA has been doing a great job with their 18 inch figures and they're $80! 80 bucks!

Where the hell do they get off with this one? Sort of insulting asking that for it. This has got to be the worst priced toy collectible to date.

 

[buzzybean]

I've seen an original at a local thrift store for months for $225 but it's missing the dome of course. At least that's all I can see that is missing. Were there other parts on these that frequently go missing?

 

[buzzybean]

I preordered this yesterday as well...I absolutely love the sculpt.


Of course, I collect anything 79 alien that's a great display and this most certainly is.

It certainly is. Are you going to unbox him?

 

[cstojano]

I think you might need to consider who they are marketing this to - nostalgic, older collectors. I don't own any Hot Toys, yes they look amazing, but this is sort of all about the vintage feel and packaging. And these nostalgic collectors are older, well established financially, and hitting their stride with income expansion. I still find the scale issue odd. If they wanted to just go retro then why not make it a complete copy of the original, and thus peeve off those who own it already?

 

[Nintenjoe]

Well congrats to all who can afford it, I'd love to own it but $400 - $500 is way too expensive for me. Why are GG's prices so over the top?

That's what I'd love to know. Almost everything I've seen them put out is ridiculously over priced. I don't understand their logic. Do they not want people to buy their product? Set a high price and only sale a few units. Set a lower, more reasonable price and sell all the units. I think this Alien will be a peg warmer.

I'd love to buy jumbo sized Super Powers if they ever do them but I'm not paying $80 a pop for a hollow piece of plastic.

 

[demorathis]

It certainly is. Are you going to unbox him?

Likely...knowing gg they'll package it in a way you can repackage it I'm sure.
So I'll display him next to my other aliens



Btw, I don't know why it's such a big deal to some that it was scanned...many toys are....almost all their statues have scanned pieces.
Scanning is typical practice for many " replicas", also it's a way to duplicate something without being an interpretation.

I agree the price is high, but that's the way the ball bounces for certain licenses...star wars included...one reason I'm preordering, at least I'm getting it 100 less than retail...(if by chance down the road they drop further, I may consider getting another)
Wonder how many they'll make...maybe it'll depend on the number of preorders they get.

 

[BugStomper]

Hoping Collectibles Direct get it then I’ll use the discount. Will be taking it out the box for sure at this price and at an inch taller than my Marmit alien he will make a pretty cool display piece.

 

[demorathis]

Hoping Collectibles Direct get it then I’ll use the discount. Will be taking it out the box for sure at this price and at an inch taller than my Marmit alien he will make a pretty cool display piece.

No kidding!
An inch taller than the marmit...who'd-a-thunk-it? A taller action figure than my marmit? I'm hoping neca spits out a new quarter scale to add to that range of larger figures...
What would be great is a predator kenner style in this size...this alien was pretty decent even by today's standards, considering the relative proportions given the exaggerated features...giger himself stated what a good job kenner had done in capturing the alien's likeness ... Fairly accurate though simplified...the correct high heeled feet, the right finger orientations on the hands, the relative shape of the dome, the look of the skull, the overall gesture of the body, the peeling skin in random areas, even the flattened details just below the ribcage.

 

[Viking Spawn]

I'd love to own this... But not for those prices.

 

[demorathis]

And that's where the price divides those in the market...thus it is limited...to what number or time frame is yet to be announced.

But I'm pretty sure Gentle Giant is targeting folks who've been willing and able to pay the current prices on the classic figure,
but who may be frustrated at the lack of a mint condition supply,
and thus gives an alternate to a pristine original alien,
without devaluing the original Kenner alien's rarity by re-creating an exact copy; a substitute supply to meet demand.

By making the figure larger, they have the advantage of selling to those who already own originals;
who might want a complement or companion piece to their Kenner Alien, like in my case.

Some collectibles aren't intended to make a non-stop killing, but to be something of value and beef up the company's overall brand, and help create a new niche and sell The company's niche offerings at large....in this case, the reissuing of jumbo sized versions of classic figures, whether Star Wars or Alien.

This is a niche item aimed at a very niche market...
If it was aimed at a newer, bigger market, they could've easily priced it a LOT lower...somewhere close to what a figure in that scale would cost these days and make an absolute killing, but they aren't aimed at the casual fan, when i originally thought they would be.

Heck, if jakks could fill the market with $15-$40 31" darth vaders, and get even the casual or part time fans to pick this vader up in droves,
GG could've easily done it also...like someone mentioned, technically speaking he's hollow plastic,
he is not made out of gold, but it is the limitation and the provenance of the piece or its features that will ultimately determine it's value.

That said, I HOPE JAKKS GETS THE LICENSE TO DO A 31" 1979 ALIEN....


It's too bad they didn't do a straight up recast, but I have a feeling, either another company will someday, or they just won't, to retain the value of the originals.....but time will tell

..there IS obviously a market willing to buy this product...
And
...almost every major toy from the past has been recast almost exactly, from fisher price toys to Barbie Doll, to original hot wheels, Star Wars figures (the 4 pack with Vader, Luke, Han, Chewie circa 1995/6)

 

[JAWS]

Exactly my thought when I saw what they were trying to sell for this price. Best of luck to them in moving it, but based on the apparent level of complexity (or rather, lack thereof) this looks to me like a $75-100 figure.

That's my biggest issue. It does not look like a 500.00 item at all. It looks like it should be 150.00 max.

I preordered this yesterday as well...I absolutely love the sculpt.

I have a mint condition alien with the box and I love it...but this is freakin awesome...can't beat 24".
If you can get the og version misb for $400 more power to you guys, but considering it goes for at least 900 in mint condition and probably has deteriorating rubber arm connectors, be aware.

What I love most about this is that the size reminds me of when I was a kid and how big the toy was in relation to me...it was like half my height.

Of course, I collect anything 79 alien that's a great display and this most certainly is.
I don't subscribe to naysaying about this because I think it's great

It's interesting how collectors of toys, find it so easy to express how unreasonable it is for others to collect toys they themselves don't intend to collect....

I wonder if we are crazy because We collect crazy toys or because We collect toys in the first place!

I can see the obsessive ALIEN collector buying this. I like you point about the size and how you felt as a kid playing with the Alien toy. I remember feeling the same way.

I usually don't post much about items I wont be getting (if I post at all) but I was just shocked when I got the email from GG and then saw the price. But there are those who will want it and I hope they are happy when they get it.