Prop Store

ADI /BOSS Film Alien 3 Rod Puppet Maquette raw cast from PiH auction

Ah, I had two copies. Gave one to a friend a few months ago. Nice book.

IIRC there was more than one puppet. The 'greyer' colours on that one pic are the ones I prefer, but I'm probably alone there!

The production used a lot of gels and lighting which made the creature look more yellow/brown, but it's a really muted rust/brown in reality. I have a suspicion that a lot of buildup paint schemes are influenced by the ADI 1:1 fibreglass display version, which they pulled from their suit (?) moulds. It received a very detailed airbrushed paint scheme with a lot of gloss clearcoat, and looks like it was a lot lighter in colour than the puppets or screen-used suits.
 
Man,it looks like I lucked out twice on the book! :cry

Any idea what these sell for when they can be found?I'd like to get my hands on one.

I never knew there was more than one rod puppet used,but I imagine they were back-ups in case of wear and tear/damage.

When it comes to the ADI 1:1 display version are you talking about this?

ina3vb.jpg


30u49ax.jpg
 
Nope, that's an Alien 4 unit (flattened rear of head, different feet and tail, has back tubes like the Big Chap and Aliens versions). The ADI buildup was crouched - it's the one on the cover of the little Japanese book, in fact. Pretty much the same colour scheme though.
 
Some more on colours: the big cable-control "adolescent" torso/head/arms puppet was very yellow/beige, very much like Clutch's Burnett pic above. However I think this might have been intended as an intermediate stage between the pale colours of the burster and the darker adult colours.

Having had a good look at the book tonight I kinda wonder if the shot of the crouched 1/3 scale with Fasano might more accurately show its real, greyer colours: most of the other shots showing the really strong rust colours are shot under filming conditions i.e. a lot of lighting going on. It's pretty brown in the display pics, if that's the same piece. Either way, there is a lot of grey on the puppets. And yeah; no idea how many armatures were made but a lot of skins were run.

The 1:1 suits weren't seen much, but are pretty much grey with beige highlights.
 
Last edited:
Nwerke said:
Nope, that's an Alien 4 unit (flattened rear of head, different feet and tail, has back tubes like the Big Chap and Aliens versions). The ADI buildup was crouched - it's the one on the cover of the little Japanese book, in fact. Pretty much the same colour scheme though.
Click to expand...

Yeah,I've seen a video tour of ADI where someone claimed it was the A3 fullsize cast.Just wanted to make sure that wasn't the one you were referring too.

I think this pic(below)maybe of the one your talking about.If it is, I never realized it was fullsize,I just assumed it was another maquette.Isn't that the one used for the Cinefex cover? I've never seen it in any of the pics/videos tours of the ADI showroom...interesting.

Actually,the more closer I look at the Fasano pic myself,I really think it's the lighting that makes it look greyer.Plus the whole picture seems to have a grey fuzziness about it. The lighter colored areas could be beige/brownish and the darker areas the black over/under tones.

I watched the visual effects(optical fury) part of the DVD again showing the rod puppet and it definitely looks like the beige/brownish color, not grey.I don't know if the puppet was fully painted and finished in those videos though:confused.

Do you have any pics of the puppet in the grey color scheme?I've never seen any that I can remember.

Nice discussion by the way,it's nice to talk to others knowledgeable on the subject.I really like learning more about these pieces.:thumbsup



vh3qfr.jpg
 
Drudge, that 1:1 A3 Alien is in fact a full scale fiberglass A3 display. It was made for planet hollywood and when they (at least the one this was at) closed, it went back to ADI. It is currently hanging in the main workshop, not set in the display room. It's got a tail (not pictured) that raises around the creatures right side and ends pointing right beside it's head. It's a cool piece!
 
SoP, I'm glad they still have that around. Do you have access to it? If so, can you take pics? :D

Drudge, right back atcha! :thumbsup

The Fasano pic puppet's lighter colours *are* beige. It just doesn't seem to have the deep red/rust undertones. The "lead spattered" rodpuppet is also shown in similar grey/beige colours.

I think I have the collector cards around here still somewhere. Those definitely had some shots of the puppets that aren't in the Bandai book, but I can't recall the colours.

It doesn't seem unreasonable to me that a puppet would have been painted to match the full size suits that Woodruff performed. (Which as I say were very grey if the Bandai pics are anything to go by.) But I could be completely wrong! I'll try to dig out the cards.
 
PS yeah, that pic was the one I was talking about. I didn't know it was made for Planet Hollywod! It must have been booked before the film was finished? It is the one on the Cinefex cover, and in the Bandai book.

Another point of difference; I think people exaggerate the white along the sides of its head heavily. The Cinefex cover shot has a strong highlight there which whitens it out; the suits and puppets weren't like that. In general I like the simpler colours on the puppets better, really.
 
I don't know of any legal reason I couldn't get pictures of the A3 alien... It's not in the greatest state... Also, it's hanging on a wall as if it's scaling down from the ceiling. My shot access will be limited.
 
Nwerke said:
Another point of difference; I think people exaggerate the white along the sides of its head heavily. The Cinefex cover shot has a strong highlight there which whitens it out; the suits and puppets weren't like that. In general I like the simpler colours on the puppets better, really.
Click to expand...

Nwerke,

Are you talking about this striping?

254zvit.jpg
 
Drudge - yep. Well more the white background all along the sides of the 'dome'. It's exaggerated on that prop versus the screen-used stuff. All the colours differ really, the black 'bone' areas, the whites on the ribs and shoulder blades, the brown/yellow, etc. Out of the screen-used stuff, only the "adolescent" puppet looks similar.

SonofPumpkinhead, there just aren't that many pics of this piece available publicly, so I second Drudge - whatever the condition of the prop, whatever the display limitations, anything you can get will be awesome. It's one of my 'grails' so thanks very much in advance, in case you can get any shots.

Getting some shed time today so I'm hoping to find my cards...
 
Nwerke said:
Drudge - yep. Well more the white background all along the sides of the 'dome'. It's exaggerated on that prop versus the screen-used stuff. All the colours differ really, the black 'bone' areas, the whites on the ribs and shoulder blades, the brown/yellow, etc. Out of the screen-used stuff, only the "adolescent" puppet looks similar.
Click to expand...

I think that white color that's in between the ribs and the shoulders is actually the clear coat.It can dry that white milky color when it builds up to thick in areas, instead of drying clear.

Yeah,I think those pieces are painted that way for the glamour shots:D,like the Cinefex cover and for more close-up scrutiny(like Planet Hollywood) vs. what you would see in production or on film.
 
The white in the circle is either the glare from lights, or, if your referring to the white running the whole length of the dome, it's paint that's used to give a frosted effect, creating the look of a membrane if you will. It's all paint work.

I'll see if I can get shots when I'm in the shop this weekend. I don't have a decent camera but if I can use one of ADI's... I'll see what I can do... I've got a lot of my own projects going on over there currently and I'm swamped with the work... Doing a mold for my dad currently and I'm on a tight deadline...
 
SonOfPumpkinhead said:
The white in the circle is either the glare from lights, or, if your referring to the white running the whole length of the dome, it's paint that's used to give a frosted effect, creating the look of a membrane if you will. It's all paint work.
Click to expand...

Yeah,I was circling the frosted/membrane effect.I just wanted to know if that was what Nwerke was referring to.It's very nice paint work!:thumbsup
 
SoP, no pressure! And thank you!

Do you think ADI will be consigning more Alien pieces in the future, btw? :love

Sorry, couldn't resist asking. :)
 
Drudge said:
Hey arc60,

Do you know if your maquette has an inner skull?Does it have the clear dome that you can see the skull detail inside or is the head all one molded piece?

I don't think I've ever seen pictures of the Burnett maquette where I could see it.
Click to expand...

Hey. Sorry for the delay in replying. Didn't check back on this thread until today. No, my Alien3 skull is one solid molded piece. Yeah a clear dome with skull detail would be nice.
 
Woot! Most bits will be hopelessly beyond my budget, but I love to see what was built that never made it into Cinefex or the model mags. Ta for that!
 
Alright, I snagged some photos. NOW, if I get slack for this at some point, I'm gonna have to pull them, but for now, enjoy.

IMG_2929.jpg


IMG_2928.jpg


IMG_2927.jpg


IMG_2931.jpg


and my personal favorite:
IMG_2930.jpg


Again, this was a display piece made from the full sized suit molds for Planet Hollywood. I believe it's the same piece posted in the picture above.
 
This thread is more than 6 years old.

Your message may be considered spam for the following reasons:

  1. This thread hasn't been active in some time. A new post in this thread might not contribute constructively to this discussion after so long.
If you wish to reply despite these issues, check the box below before replying.
Be aware that malicious compliance may result in more severe penalties.

Similar threads

kingolaf99
Help ID ALIEN (1979) Hypersleep Sandals
Replies
8
Views
1,040
kingolaf99
kingolaf99
Puppeteer Artan
The amazing story of how i got 9 puppets from a professional puppeteer
Replies
2
Views
463
Puppeteer Artan
Puppeteer Artan
NSStudios
Question for USA members who have won items from London Propstore Auction
Replies
0
Views
510
NSStudios
NSStudios
masterjedi322
Prop Store - John Wick 4 auction
Replies
3
Views
643
masterjedi322
masterjedi322
RBJ
Old butterfields auction catalogs on line?
Replies
1
Views
319
scififan2001
S
Prop Store
Back
Top