ALIENS —
Custom Action Figure Project

Art Direction, Graphic Design, Custom Figure Production

To celebrate ALIEN DAY, I am proud to unveil a new series of custom figures that have been over a year in the making.

When Kenner launched their ALIENS line in 1992, the figures were a lot of fun, but didn’t resemble their movie counterparts. That’s where I decided to step in. I crafted custom figures to be a little closer to how the characters looked onscreen, while still adding in some flair to make them feel like toys. As the project developed, I decided to go all in and create the character art, the entire packaging, accessories, and more!

So much went into this labor of love, and I am grateful for all the support. Huge thanks to @joshuaizzo and @toyotter for their continued inspiration in helping me brainstorm all of these projects, and to @actionfigureinsider for all their support and coverage! 

Designed by Matt Cauley, 2024

Lt. Ripley
Warrant Officer

“How long after we're declared overdue can we expect a rescue?”

First up is LT. RIPLEY! As much fun as the original figure was, I wanted something that looked a lot more like actress Sigourney Weaver. To create Ripley I took an Ellie Sattler figure from the Kenner Jurassic Park line. I kept the torso, and added in new legs from a Jurassic Park Alan Grant figure. The hair is taken from a Minimate and reworked to fit over a reworked Ripley head. The arms are taken from a Star Wars Airspeeder Pilot Concept Figure.

Now Ripley is better prepared to take on the Xenomorph threat!

Rebecca “Newt” Jorden
LV-426 Colonist

“We'd better get back, 'cause it'll be dark soon, and they mostly come at night... mostly”

NEWT, as portrayed by actress Carrie Henn, was the sole survivor from the Hadley’s Hope settlement on LV-426. For being such an important character, you would think she would have appeared in the original line.

To create Newt, I took a Mego 3 3/4” Uncle Jesse figure from the Dukes of Hazzard line. The smaller size and somewhat rounder physique actually works perfectly for the character. In the interest of keeping things simple, I opted to use an Ellie Sattler head from the Jurassic Park line. A hollowed-out Cpl. Hicks head makes for a perfect helmet.

Newt now can fight Xenomorphs side by side with Ripley!

Corp. Dwayne Hicks
Colonial Marine

“I like to keep this handy… for close encounters”

Up next is CORP. HICKS, the squad leader of Second Squad’s gun team.

To be honest, this barely qualifies as a custom, since it’s nothing more than a headswap with the headset attached. The head is taken from a Kenner Starting Lineup Chris Miller figure. With the added shotgun and removable helmet, I felt it was a fun enough update to portray Hicks as he’s seen throughout most of the film.

Special thanks to actor Michael Biehn @therealmichaelb for bringing such a memorable character to life!

Bishop
Advanced Synthetic Android

“I prefer the term ‘Artificial Person’ myself”

For me, the BISHOP figure that was released back in 1992 was one of the most egregious errors of the entire line. To say it looked nothing like the character was a serious understatement.

To create Bishop, I took a Peter Venkman figure from the Kenner Ghostbusters line, added in a reworked Starting Lineup Y. A. Tittle NY Giants figure with sculpted hair for the head, and added forearms from a Jurassic Park Alan Grant. I’m not sure where the upper arms came from. but I’ll update this once I can figure it out. That said, I’m so happy to now add Bishop to the collection!

Huge thanks to actor Lance Henriksen for his role as Bishop!

Carter Burke
Weyland-Yutani Liason

“I'm Burke. Carter Burke. I work for the company.
But don't let that fool you, I'm really an okay guy.”

Next up is the villain of the series, BURKE! I adore this character, and although I understand the reasons why it was never included in the original series, I had to make sure he had a notable presence now. Plus, despite him being in “Sci-fi Fisherman Chic” attire, he adds a nice bit of variety among the Colonial Marines and all their camouflage.

Burke was created using a Jurassic Park Alan Grant torso, legs from a Kenner Ghostbusters Peter Venkman, a head from a Tonka Gianiuca Vialli Sport Stars figure, and a vest from Jazwares Fortnite Bone Wasp.

Pvt. Hudson
Colonial Marine

“Is this gonna be a standup fight, sir, or another bug hunt?”

As PVT. HUDSON, I was tempted to say that actor Bill Paxton stole the show, but to be honest the entire cast was handled so well as an ensemble that everyone has their time in the spotlight.

Although Hudson did get a figure in the original Kenner line, I felt that was a some room for improvement. For this custom, I took the Kenner Hudson figure and swapped in arms from Hicks to make it more accurate. I couldn’t really remove the shoulder armor, but I reworked that to match the chest armor he wore in the movie. The head is from a Scott Mitchell Starting Lineup figure. The rest were accessories I picked up for the project. A relatively simple piece, but it much more resembles his movie counterpart (while maintaining that Kenner toy aesthetic)

Sgt. Apone
Colonial Marine Sergeant

“Another glorious day in the Corps! A day in the Marine Corps is like a day on the farm. Every meal's a banquet! Every paycheck a fortune! Every formation a parade! I *love* the Corps!”

Anyone familiar with the vintage Kenner line knows they took a *lot* of liberties with the SGT. APONE character design. I mean, I totally get it, as they needed something toyetic and to set it apart from the rest of the Marines.

This Apone uses the Hicks figure as a base, with arms from a Ghostbusters Dr. Peter Venkman figure. I hollowed out a Hicks helmet, and reworked the Apone head to fit inside. Even customizing him, the final figure started to blend into a sea of green military fatigues. Still, I wanted something closer to how the character looked in the movie. 

Special thanks to actor Al Matthews for his work as Apone!

Pvt. Vasquez
Colonial Marine

“Look, man. I only need to know one thing: where they are.”

VASQUEZ didn’t really require much work to create a figure that was a closer to the movie version. I placed the original Vasquez figure into boiling water, and after about 3 minutes I was able to pop off the arms and head. I then took a Lt. Sparks figure from the STEEL movie line, also made by Kenner, and used a Dremel rotary blade to slice it apart, retaining the upper half. I did the same on a Jurassic Park Alan Grant figure (also also made by Kenner) for the lower body. I bonded the Lt. Sparks torso to the Alan Grant lower hand, and added on the Vasquez arms and heads. The Smart Gun is from a GI Joe Iron Grenadier figure, the perfect scale I needed! 

Let’s all take a moment to thank actress Jenette Goldstein @realjenettegoldstein for her role as Vasquez!

Pvt. Drake
Colonial Marine

“They ain’t paying us enough for this, man…”

To be honest, the original Kenner DRAKE figure was pretty good. It didn’t really match the character onscreen, but it was in the general ballpark. I decided to make some adjustments to nudge it closer while still maintaining the spirit of the original figure. As such, I added a harness from GI Joe Cobra Officer. The head is reworked from a Jurassic Park Muldoon figure with a hat, headset and camera attached. The Smart Gun is actually from a GI Joe Iron Grenadier figure, and was the perfect scale I needed! The finishing touch was adding the name “DRAKE” as a waterslide decal onto his shirt.

Lt. Gorman
Colonial Marine Officer

“All we know is that there is still no contact with the colony and that a xenomorph may be involved.”

This is LT. GORMAN (as portrayed by actor William Hope), another character that was missing from the original figure line. Although Gorman was woefully inexperienced in the battle field, he had plenty of memorable scenes in the movie. To make the figure I took the arms from a Kenner Ghostbusters Peter Venkman figure and attached them to a Kenner Jurassic Park Robert Muldoon torso. The head is from a Starting Lineup figure, I believe, while the legs are from a Kenner Lost World Dieter Stark. 

Pvt. Frost
Colonial Marine

“What the hell are we supposed to use, man, harsh language?”

PVT. FROST had some great lines in the movie, but was yet another figure that was sadly omitted from the original Kenner line. I took some liberties with this one, trying to capture the spirit of Kenner while adding some variety to the shelf. I also tried to use as many authentic vintage Kenner parts as possible. The legs and helmet from an Aliens Hicks, torso from a Jurassic Park Dieter Stark, and the head from a Swamp Thing Bayou Jack. The Long Range Tracker is from a Kenner Congo Movie Peter Elliot figure, while the rifle is taken from a Congo Kahega.

Special thanks to actor Ricco Ross for his role in the film.

Pvt. Spunkmeyer
Dropship Pilot

“What’s this stuff supposed to be?”

Next up: PVT. SPUNKMEYER, the co-pilot of the DropShip sent to investigate the loss of communication from the Hadley’s Hope community on LV-426.

To create Spunkmeyer I used mostly a Kenner Ghostbusters Peter Venkman figure. I added the jacket, taken from a Ceremonial Luke Skywalker figure. The head is from a Starting Lineup Dominik Hasek figure. I love how so many various lines can be combined seamlessly to create figures that could have existed even back when these were initially released.

And special thanks to actor Daniel Kash for bringing such a memorable character to life!

Pvt. Crowe
Colonial Marine Medic

“You always say that, Frost. You always say, "I got a bad feeling about this drop."”

Another unmade character is PVT. CROWE, a member of the Colonial Marine Corps, deployed with the 2nd Battalion Bravo Team. He only had one line in the movie, but it was a memorable one!

To make Crowe, I took a Hicks figure, removed the head and replaced the arms with those from a Kenner Ghostbusters Peter Venkman figure. The head is from a Starting Lineup Jim Harbaugh figure. The helmet is now removable, so he makes a pretty good background marine figure.

And special thanks to actor Tip Tipping for bringing such a memorable character to life!

Pvt. Wierzbowski
Colonial Marine

“……………….”

Next in the series is PVT. WIERZBOWSKI!

It’s somewhat unfair that the marine with the coolest name has virtually zero dialogue in the film. Even Hicks shouts out “Wierzbowski!” twice, which is still two more lines than the character had, aside from a scream off-screen. To make up for this, I wanted to add some pizazz to his figure! Although the original figure made for a terrible Bishop, it works pretty well here as “Space Marine Battle Armor”. I added on some extra armor to the shins, applied some Marine insignia, added a harness from a Jurassic Park figure, and the head from a Starting Lineup Trent Dilfer figure, which bears a striking resemblance to the original actor.

And special thanks to actor Trevor Steedman for bringing such a memorable character to life!

Cpl. Dietrich
Colonial Marine

“Looks like some sort of secreted resin…”

CPL. DIETRICH, another unmade character, is a combat medic deployed with the 2nd Battalion Bravo Team.

To create Dietrich, I used a Steel Movie Lt. Sparks for the torso, a hollowed out helmet from Hicks, and legs and rifle from a Congo Karen Page figure. The head is from a Tyco Cadillacs and Dinosaurs Hanna Dundee, so aside from that the recipe uses 100% authentic Kenner parts.

And special thanks to actor Cynthia Dale Scott for bringing such a memorable character to life!

Cpl. Ferro
Dropship Pilot

“We're in the pipe, five-by-five.”

There is something so badass about CPL. FERRO! Calm, cool, collected, and a top notch professional. Ferro is one of the characters that never made it into the original Kenner line, which is a shame because she’s awesome!

To make the custom, I used a combination of a Jurassic Park Ellie Sattler torso, with arms and legs from a Congo Movie Karen Ross. The head is from a Steel Lt. Sparks, while the helmet is I believe from a random motorcycle helmet. I don’t recall where the vest came from, though maybe repainted from a GI Joe Classified figure? Aside from the helmet and vest, all parts used in this project are authentic vintage Kenner Toys.

Huge thanks to actress Colette Hiller for owning this role!

Dropship Pilot
Aerial Combat, Transportation

“Just another day in the sky, right?”

You didn’t think I’d stop with just the 16 “main” Aliens characters, right? This week brings a close to the project, featuring 3 ALL-NEW characters!

As I was working on the project, I picked up all sorts of cool figure parts and began cobbling things together. There were some figures where I loved the sculpts, but they didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the aesthetic. Since Kenner made up the character AJAX for the line, I decided I could make up my own as a way to sneak more into the line!

First I would like to unveil the DROPSHIP PILOT figure! She isn’t intended to be Ferro necessarily, but more of Ferro’s Co-Pilot, or a generic Space Marine flier.

While sourcing materials, I stumbled upon the Kenner Lost World Sarah Harding figure. It’s has an absolutely beautiful sculpt, but to make it blend in a bit better with the Marines, I gave her legs from a Lost World Peter Ludlow figure, a vest from a Ceremonial Luke Skywalker, a helmet crafted from a Starting Lineup figure, and a fresh coat of paint.

Combat Specialist
Tactical Command, Combat Readiness

“Listen up Marines. We’ve got a job to do.”

For the second “bonus figure” I’d like to present the COMBAT SPECIALIST! I imagined her as sort of a drill sergeant or trainer for the group.

I tried using the Cadillacs and Dinosaurs Hannah Dundee for various characters. It didn’t really work out overall, but her lower torso works well here. The upper torso is from a Kenner Gargoyles Elisa Maza figure while the arms are taken from a Steel Movie Lt Sparks figure. The vest is from a Ponda Baba “Walrus Man” figure, while the head is from a Starting Lineup Jackie Joyner-Kersee figure, along with a fresh coat of paint. The gun is from a GI Joe Super Sonic Fighters Zap figure. Lots of various parts, but they all work together pretty well!

Xenomorph Wrangler
Medical Expertise, Field Surgery

“I’ve seen worse, but let’s get this cleaned up.”

THE FINALE! After 2 years in the works, I am thrilled to unveil the final piece in my 19 figure Kenner-inspired ALIENS custom figure line!

Here is the XENOMORPH WRANGLER! (Although I referred to her as the RESCUE EXTRACTION MEDIC right up until the reveal). This is a character I imagined as a Field Medic braving the battle field to restrain Xenomorphs while she or her fellow Marines administer rescue operations to their injured comrades.

While sourcing materials, I kept trying to incorporate the Kenner STEEL Movie Lt. Sparks figure. It has an absolutely beautiful sculpt, despite the disproportionately long legs! By removing these and splicing in arms and legs from a Congo Karen Ross figure, I was able to modify Lt Sparks figure enough that she now blends in seamlessly with the others. Plus, who doesn’t love a Capture Claw?!? It was a staple of Kenner action figures during the 90s, so I added a Trapping Brain-Drain Helmet from a Batman Forever Riddler figure. It didn’t make sense for the Riddler, but I love it as an accessory here!

Additional Images

I had so much fun working on this project. I did pretty much everything on these, short of sculpting the figures themselves. I recreated the original card art, redid the back of the card, photographed all the "instructions" at the bottom of the card, wrote the copy, designed the stickers, the character artwork, etc...

What started off as a simple curiosity evolved into a love letter for the great Kenner action figure sculpts of the early 90s, before everything became X-TREME and overly stylized.

Special thanks to all of you who offered encouragement, support, counselling, and friendly nudges along the way!

And a huge thanks to Pierre, Steve, Josh, Jason, and Gene for letting me bounce so many ideas off them during the process.