Alien (1979) Nostromo Crew Shoes Replicas

[Mike J.]

As I write this, we are less than 1 week away from "Alien Day" (4-26, ha ha), so I might as well start posting my 'progress' ...

The Nostromo crew members mostly wear a weird looking canvas hi-top sneaker onboard the ship. The scuttlebutt around the internet is that those are modified PF Flyers. I therefore bought a more recent but used pair off eBay.

The apparent modifications (if indeed PF Flyers the hero shoes were) are as follows:

• Painted white
• D-rings riveted over the eyelets for lacing
• No visible ankle patch logo
• Replacement sole
• Third ventilation eyelet added

I'll start with some reference pics:

 

[Mechanized]

Nice! I’ve always wanted to do a pair myself.

Look forward to seeing more :thumbsup

 

[Mike J.]

Thank you!

So, here's shot of the shoes I got (before & after).

They're just on the warm side of off-white, and that's OK with me. They may be painted entirely, anyway.

The first thing I did was take off the logo patches on the ankles. Luckily, they were actually sewn on, so a few minutes with an X-acto knife and all's well.

My shoes also had a noticeable red, white & blue stripe up the back of the heel, and a little green PF logo at the base of the heel. I mixed up some acrylic paint and gave them both a quick coat.

Also visible in my second image are my markings for the third ventilation eyelet (positioned 'behind' the originals, towards the heel). I measured the distance between the centers of the eyelets and make some marks with a pencil & ruler.

 

[division 6]

Nice.

I have a pair sitting in the closet waiting to be modified.
As far a I got was removing the logos.

 

[mrbungle]

awesome thread, thanks for posting.. i am going the pj flyer route myself. it is the closes thing out there i have found.

 

[Wayne R.]

Can't remember if I've posted something similar here or on the Aliens Legacy site, so apols if this is a repeat or someone else has said it.

I don't know what the shoes were, but I did find some very similar ones on Ford Prefect's feet. The BBC's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy would have been filmed in 1980, so they're bang-on as far as the era's concerned.


There were at least two kinds of boots used on set, Prefect's are the sturdier and higher-top ones. Dallas' boots had a less pronounced grip and weren't as high on the ankle. I THINK they were Hi-Tec, because I owned a pair in about 1984. They were white canvas, had a Converse style sole and the logo was different back then. On some shots of Dallas' shoe you can see this shape, painted over:


Which is part of this:


And here's Dallas' boot for illustration (with the logo pointing the other way):



Sorry, searching for 80s UK footwear and clothing catalogues hasn't turned anything up yet.

 

[Mike J.]

That's a great find!

I think that Dallas' shoes do have at least a different toe 'bumper' texture; the ridges appear wider than anyone else's.

 

[Mechanized]

Good eyes, gentlemen.

I guess captains have the luxury of having better(?) or different sneakers.

 

[joberg]

Great project Mike!! I always loved those shoes

 

[Mike J.]

Thanks!

Thursday, I picked up some shoe-type eyelets from a crafts store, and cut the holes for them.

I also gave the heels a second coat of off-white acrylic paint, slightly different color this time.

I have purchased on eBay a bunch of tiny D-rings.

And I've been pricing rivets & some white vinyl for the D-ring straps. I think I can get those from the fabric store, too.

 

[Mike J.]

Today, I bought an eyelet setter and carefully placed the third ventilation eyelet on each shoe.

Also purchased some medium size rivets and some marine-grade vinyl for the D-ring straps.

D-rings should arrive Monday or Tuesday.



-MJ

 

[Mechanized]

Moving along nicely. Just that third eyelet and repaint give those shoes a different vibe

 

[Mike J.]

Figuring out the width of the straps with some paper templates.

 

[Mike J.]

My D-rings arrived today, and I fear that I may have bought the wrong size.

Comparing a quick mock-up of my rings (taped in position) on my shoe to the close-up of (what is presumably) Dallas' shoe in the med bay, my D-rings seem a little small and thin.

I have therefore ordered another bunch from eBay.

Let this be a lesson to you: don't rely on someone else's work; make your own measurements to determine what will look the most accurate on your project.


-MJ

 

[Mike J.]

Still awaiting new D-rings. If they arrive by tomorrow evening, I may be able to rush this all together in time for 4-26.

If not, I'm not inclined to waste 36 rivets on incorrect straps, which will then have to be cut off and replaced when the (hopefully) better D-rings arrive.

Therefore, my plan B is going to be the original laces and eyelets.

Gave the canvas uppers a wash of diluted white acrylic paint this evening. Not much visible difference. Will try another application tomorrow morning before I leave for work.

 

[Mechanized]

If not, I'm not inclined to waste 36 rivets on incorrect straps, which will then have to be cut off and replaced when the (hopefully) better D-rings arrive.

yea, that would be a nightmare. Completely understandable

 

[Mike J.]

No dice on the D-rings when I checked my PO box at 5:30 PM today.

The second wash of white acrylic paint is dry. Results still pretty subtle.

Barring a miracle later this evening, attached is a pic of where they stand (no pun intended).


-MJ

 

[Mike J.]

Professor Farnsworth: "Mixed news, everyone!"

Got my new D-rings in – they seem to be the correct size. Comparing them to the closeup in the film, they appear to be (proportionately) the same size as the presumptive Dallas shoe, but made of a thinner gauge of wire. Close enough for my purposes, honestly.

However, I thought I'd try my shoes on this evening, when I got home from work. Sort of a test drive, make sure they feel OK... And they don't. Not that they're too tight to get on or wear, but after about two and a half hours, they gave me weird cramps in my right foot. Which makes me think it'd be a bad idea to wear them all day long tomorrow. They were always snug, but perhaps they're too small for real wear. Like I shoulda gone a half size up. Uh... live and learn, I guess?

Gonna put these on the metaphorical back burner for now. You all have a happy Aliens Day tomorrow.

"...I like griping..."


-MJ

 

[Mechanized]

try out a different or thinner insole before you buy another pair. I think the PF’s come out. Sometimes I’ll do that with new shoes to ease breaking them in.

 

[Mike J.]

I think they're just too narrow across the widest part of my foot, which I can't really change much. Even barefoot, in the morning, they're still a tight fit. Too close for comfort.