Asst. Supt. Aaron costume (Alien 3)

[ID10T]

Apparently, not everyone's favorite Alien franchise movie. I enjoyed it- just take it for what it is. Effects were not the best, but the movie was good and the ending is spectacular- rather than drag it out into yet another sequel, Ripley takes her own life, along with the new queen. Wait, there won't be any more, right?

I'm a fan of the "used" universe of Star Wars, Alien etc. The "clean" universe of Star Trek I never connected to.

Who cares, right?

So, I decided to make up an Aaron costume. The jacket is a readily available It is the "N2-B" with the white faux fur ruff removed from the hood. Since the film was from the 90's, and jackets were surplus, I had a self-imposed date of "pre-1980" production to closely match. They are available brand new, if that's your thing. I found one from 1978 in my size.

Then we have the "bird" patch on the left breast, and the "W 161" red round patch on the right sleeve (quite a bit lower than typical location). The readily available bird patch available on eBay has an error, that is easy to correct. It needs beak reduction surgery, which is actually quite easy to accomplish.

Name and rank/position tapes are made from cotton webbing and lettered with a Sharpie. Using 3/4 and (perhaps) 1/2" stencils to letter neatly. US spec (58 pattern I think) webbing is the popular choice, but I found some UK issued cotton webbing I'm planning to use. The weave pattern is different on one side as compared to the other, so note this when making your tags. They are fixed with Velcro; black seems to be the popular choice, since Ripley's jacket (with no tape; only Velcro) appears to be black.

Shirt is a Hanes mock turtleneck, white. They don't sell them under their regular brand now, but they have them under the "Port & Company" brand name. Shirt gets a "W" logo stenciled on the back- I made a drawing of it based on measurements taken off a screen used shirt.

Boots are 20-hole cap-toe "ranger" boots. These are also readily available in many sizes. Popular "punk rock" boots. Not terribly expensive either. Screen used were steel-toe variants, with the toe exposed through accelerated wear. (I don't think I'll be tearing mine up that much).

Belt is a German belt- plentiful and cheap. I've bought a couple now for various projects for $5. The green paint is stripped off the brass buckle for this outfit. Otherwise, use as-is.

Aaron (and others) also wear a WWII Leather watch cover. We never see anything inside it, and it was probably worn empty. These are available as reproductions as well.

Dog tags were most likely recycled actual issued (to some random serviceperson) dog tags. Only the top two lines are debossed, and they stuck a bar-code sticker in the open space below that. I had some made locally, but then found an on-line vendor to make something special...

Hat is a little tricky. It is probably a dyed OG-106 cap (or OG-504). I found a brand new 504 for myself, but I'll keep looking for a 106 in my size, which might be a better match. Dyeing is challenging...

The real problem part of this outfit is the pants. (It seems I always have trouble with pants). They seem to be custom-made for the movie. Very odd design, with elastic, drawstrings and lacings. And they're sweatpants. They have shin-reinforcements as well. There was a rumor some were going to be made, but I'm not holding my breath...

Let's get started!

 

[ID10T]

Jacket files:

(Images from an auction house, selling the costume for reference) The last couple are from the jacket Ripley wears. But it shows the velcro well (looks to be sage green, not black) and the patch well too. This patch is stitched on better- on Aaron's jacket, they used green thread and had a single stitch ever half inch or so around the perimeter. Also notice the positioning- this one is on the seam and Aaron's is off the seam a bit.

I received my jacket in good condition. It has some staining, which the seller disclosed, but otherwise it's in great condition. Zippers all work and no obvious tears. I removed the fur ruff and wore it a bit to check sizing and the "look" on me. I'm tall, so it looks a bit silly with typical pants which sit at the hip...

These are the patches I received from an eBay seller. The bird patch is pretty good, other than the beak detail. The red W patch, I'm not happy with. Quality is great, but the colors and sizing of the logo are off. I purchased another (cheaper) one from a different seller, and it also has it's own issues... The black one is fine for the hat, but I did remove the plastic "seal" film from the back to soften it up quite a bit.

Preparing for the operation: beak reduction surgery...

Success! Just need to put some age on it, and it'll be good...

Fortnately, we have plenty pof genuine shop filth here, for accurate ageing. (I did sand with 180 paper first, to take the "sheen" off). Done.

And my second 161 patch. Better color, but the size of the patch is a bit large (not bad) and the bottom of the numbers are not in line. Plus the "W" should reach to the edges of the patch, and the weave of the "W" should not have the overlapping weave these both have... Holding out for something better, so let me know if you have something!

 

[joberg]

Great project. Love the research you've put into it. Do you have a pic for the pants?

 

[ID10T]

The pants... These are complicated:

Back

Front

Lacing on the back; drawstring on the front. A few belt loops (only on the back of these I think). Very odd design. Considering how fast other elements were thrown together, it seems strange these were completely scratch-built, but as far as I know nothing matches these.

I have some other photos, but not handy at the moment.

 

[ID10T]

The boots:

You can see how they wore through the leather to the steel toe. Similar 20-hole boots are available on eBay for under $200 a pair. Plus, they can be worn as regular boots...

 

[ID10T]

The shirt:

A Hanes brand mock turtleneck in cotton; white. A tea wash for a new one wouldn't hurt, although it is pretty nice looking before it gets splattered with blood later in the film.

And the logo did vary. This one is from the shirt Ripley wore under her jacket (I think):

The one on the white shirt is what I'm interested in. Someone with access to the shirt took measurements, which I transferred to CAD and made a drawing. NOTE: The bottom of the "W" was measured to be slightly narrower than what I drew. Possibly distortion/flexing of the shirt etc., since the triangles appear to be similar for all three. So, I guess mine is "idealized", with the bottom width 0.1" wider than the measurements taken. I do have the actual bottom measurement on my drawing if you want to "fudge" it in a bit. Print the PDF and scale it so the dimensions match those listed on the drawing. Instant stencil.

Black boot polish through the stencil seems to be popular- use an iron to set it into the fabric. I will use spray paint, because I like it... and it smells good.

 

[ID10T]

Dog Tags:

I got some locally, which are fine, but I wanted 18 characters on a line so I could add my Aliens Legacy number to the tag. I also wanted the full number added as a bar code to the bottom. Again, an "idealized" tag, but this makes a lot more sense than the crooked sticker stuck to a random tag option used in the film. Also, the notch is enlarged on the tag in the film, which I may do later.

These are my actual tags (photo by the seller).

I got these nicer ones from mydogtag.com He does the debossing (or embossing) as well as the laser engraving of your supplied logo. I was thinking a W-Y logo on the entire back side, before debossing, would be cool, but I didn't ask about that. Use the "help" option and work with Mark there- he'll make sure it's right for you and then create the cart to place the order. Super helpful!

For the tags, you want a standard chain as well as a "toe chain" for the second tag. First goes on the main chain, second goes on the toe chain, which hangs from the main chain. No silencers were used in the film.

 

[ID10T]

Belt:

(Picture borrowed from Etsy)

Some are brass like this, and what was used in the film, but most these days are painted green over the brass buckle. You just have to remove the paint... Usually 5-10 dollars to purchase if you find them at an army-navy store; much more on eBay and Etsy.

 

[joberg]

Those pants remind me of winter parachute pants( '50s and '60s.) Don't know if it's USAF or another army. This one is Soviet.

U.S. winter sweat pants:

 

[ID10T]

Those are great leads!

I thought they seemed too "finished" to be made for the film, but apparently the coats of the prisoners were made for the film...

But if nothing else, these are good leads and possibly base for modification.

Thank you!

 

[ID10T]

I did the last resort red dye treatment of my hat. And it looks like crap.

Going to plan B: rattle can.

I’ll do that Monday and then apply the patch, which will hide the mods to the hat panel I’m going to do so the thing doesn’t look like a Mohawk.

I also ordered mil spec “ranger green” and "Camo green" Velcro for the name tape. I’m not convinced the Velcro is black. The close up of Ripley’s jacket looks like a darker (than the sage jacket) green, but not stark black.

Still lots to do…

 

[ID10T]

Found and ordered a pair of base pants today. I searched the web after finding these (on eBay) and I cannot locate another pair... But, I think they're a "close enough" base for modifications...

 

[joberg]

^^
Looks good for a base, as you said. Too bad you couldn't have a second one (additional material for the knee-patches).

 

[ID10T]

I have an old hoodie that I can steal the waist band from, and plenty of other material for the shin reinforcements.

Hopefully...

 

[ID10T]

I’ve not updated here in a while but I e been busy.

After developing a technique, I have some name and title tapes done. The concept is simple: marked through a stencil onto the tape. The execution is not so simple…

I may re-do the title tape. The smaller letters are difficult to get right.

 

[ID10T]

The keychain:

We see that Mr. Aaron wears a locking carabiner on his belt, with an attached chain. This apparently was for keys which are never seen in the film. But the carabiner and chain are seen a few times.

Does anyone know what carabiner was used, and maybe also some detail on the chain? I have some carabiners picked out for possible purchase but have not done so yet.

I also have a chain and key rings but I think the style of the chain is wrong.

I plan to make some “futuristic” keys for the chain, which ride in the pocket. But I’d like to get the chain and carabiner right, or, as close as possible at least.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[ID10T]

Shirt, watch cover and tall wool socks have been ordered.

 

[joberg]

Title-tapes are looking good...I know that the "Marker Tech" is the cheap way to achieve those. I've done it before on a variety of fabric and it's always difficult to have the results you wanted. Kudos to you to have done it on such type of fabric

 

[ID10T]

Thanks!

I think the best way is to make an adhesive mask and airbrush the letter onto the tape. This method is about 80% good to me. If you look at the screen used tapes, you can see how clean and sharp the lettering is- but it is also clear it is not ironed on. I suspect a fast-drying ink or dye of some sort was used, with a mask of some sort.

This is close enough!

 

[ID10T]

Haven’t updated in a while but here we are. Adam (Nostromo Crew) came through with some nearly perfect reproductions of the red 161 patch.

With this in hand, aged, and delivered to the seamstress along with photo references.

I’ll have it back a week from Monday.