Re: UPDATED:HT Nostromo Kane : Fabric Spacesuit - Neck post collar
In some places where the suit was in contact with the plastic tray insert - the rubber had become sticky and "melded" with the tray. In areas where the suit wasn't in contact with the tray - the rubber has dried out and cracked.
I have good news about this, sort of...
In my professional work as an artist, I have worked with many different grades of silicone rubber.
It will cure perfectly and become virtually indestructible, but only if it is mixed with its catalyst in the correct proportions. There is a very narrow margin of error; if you add too little catalyst to the base silicone, it can continue the curing process for a very long time- even for years. It may never fully cure, maintaining a state of tackiness forever. Or, if too much catalyst is added, it can become dry and cracked. Either way, it can effect other materials it comes into contact with.
That is what I suspect happened in your case, tinister. Your silicone suit came from a batch of silicone that was carelessly mixed in the wrong proportions.
The reason I said this is "good news, sort of" is because there are good batches too, as in my case. I live in California like you do, and my suits are holding up fine, almost four years after purchase. It's too bad they... suck. LOL!
But that's where YOU come in. I'm really glad you're doing this, and I am IN. However, for those who own these figures or the ALIEN 'big chap', for example, (I'm lookin' at mine right now) you might have a good batch. Time will tell.
tinister, have a good flight and a fantastic vacation! (where ya going?)
By the way- to illustrate what a huge fan of ALIEN I really am:
A few years ago, I looked up
Martin Bower on the net. He was the chief model maker for the film. He has a website (
https://www.martinbowersmodelworld.com/) where he accepts commission jobs. I paid him $2,200 + $300 shipping from the UK, to build me a replica of the ALIEN Refinery, being towed by the Nostromo.
When I got it, I was thrilled beyond words. He even signed the display stand, below the 10 inch rod it sits upon. Looking at it made me want to research the original model, to compare it to mine... BIG MISTAKE.
I found so many fundamental flaws, I couldn't count them. I mean, basic structural and proportional errors, and tons of small sloppy details- but hey, I don't blame him; $2,200 will only buy you so much. If I had paid $5,000, I would certainly have demanded much better quality.
After the initial thrill wore off, I began to fix the errors... and I never stopped.
Luckily, he actually had sent me some unpublished production photos (Shhhh!) which allowed me to make corrections which would have remained unknown to me otherwise. I completely re-surfaced the entire model, and performed numerous major surgeries. As of now, the model is about 80% finished.
Now, I look at it this way: I paid Martin Bower $2,200 to
teach me how to build an ALIEN Refinery.
I'm still glad I bought it when I did, before my current health issues began. Now my energy and money are harder to come by.
That's another reason why I admire you and your efforts so much, tinister- I know what it's like to dive into a project and be driven to do it right. You have my respect, sir.
There is a pic I found of Dallas and Lambert between takes sitting down. You can clearly see that the soles of their shoes are flat (and rounded from walking). These were used during the trek scenes. Then I have a couple pics of Dallas and Kane at the base of the Space Jockey - and you can see that the soles of the boots in those scenes are thicker and have a very distinct cross pattern on sides. The pic of Kane - Hurt is sitting down and the sole of his boot is directly at the camera and you see that their are deep treads on the bottom.
