Kane

"Oh no... not again!" Subject begun assignment with company with a level 7.3 I.Q. and a level 5 personality GMA. Throughout subject's assignments both figured remain constant. Subject's history related to not achieving medical degree is quoted more fully in file coded Psych.6875-BN, Summarized: Subject is highly idealistic overachiever, type A personality (level 18.7) with a biomedical overcount with interferes with concentration and performance without medication. Under pressure at medical school, subject abused medication (Dylop-Chronium 47) and caused an embolism with [sic] hospitalized subject for 107 days. After pysch. reorientation at Mann Hadley's medical clinic, subject responded to career therapy and chose to study for a commercial pilot license. After achieving it subject became an executive officer on a British Hospital ship but again succumbed to drug abuse and was removed from position for re-evaluation. After diagnosing subject as a Hunter-Selman personality variation of type A, Dylop-Chronius 47 treatment was concluded and was replaced with Carothene Matrix A concentrations. Subject may self-medicate with commercially made alcohol. Tendencies to alcoholism countered with daily consumption of Selway Digression molecule binders (SDMBs). This treatment proved successful and was rated operational for duty again. After grueling duty as captain of a medical tug, subject asked for transfer away from medicine related jobs and went into merchant transport assignments. Because subject begun to lower GMA count and reduce self-induced stress factors, performance and concentration increased and subject achieved higher rank and responsibility. WARNING: Subject still exhibits high level of idealism and at this time his impulsiveness makes him a poor candidate for full command. Recommended that further diagnosis should be undertaken before upgrading subject further. Above was never acted upon due to employment discontinuity which occurred 2/17/2134 cf. Document 81 under file BG97-G. The (frankly way-too-long) text we've been quoting for all these Alien 40th Anniversary Collection figures comes not from the packaging, but from the Nostromo Inquest dossiers, which were written as set decoration for 1986's Aliens. With that in mind, the whole bit about Gilbert Ward "Thomas" Kane being hospitalized and that derailing his career feels like a nod to Jon Finch, the actor who was originally cast as Kane: all the smoke used on set for atmosphere caused a severe bronchial attack, and he was placed in intensive care for several weeks; with the film unable to delay that long, the role had to be recast, and thus the world got John Hurt instead. (The brief break before that happened did give the crew more time to finish the sets, though.) Like Ripley, Kane is mostly a re-release of an existing figure. He was the first figure they made wearing the compression suit (a mold they've gotten a lot of mileage out of, now, thanks to Ripleys (of both Ellen and Amanda varieties), Lambert, Dallas, and several re-releases. Since John Hurt would never approve a toy using his likeness, the figure's head shows him with a facehugger glommed on - as Rustin said, a logical and reasonable solution. Oh wait, I'm sorry - did I say John Hurt would never approve his likeness? Well, you know how NECA feels about being told something can't be done. Yes, this "re"release of Kane might as well be the first one ever, because this one includes an alternate head featuring a fully revealed, fully licensed plastic John Hurt face. He's wearing his flight cap, which makes us ask how they got that off him once the facehugger had grabbed him. The body is unchanged from the previous releases, and the paint is still good. You'd never know it from looking at the movie, but NECA seems to believe everyone's suit was a different color, with Kane's being a pale yellow. The metal bits have an aged wash that makes them look even more like old-fashioned diving equipment than they already did, and to keep the yellow from feeling like Kane's just wrapped himself in a gigantic baby blanket, there are sections of a darker mustard color and some beige pads. It works for him. On the left buttcheek you'll find an American Tricentennial patch - the official specs say it's to be worn over the heart, but maybe putting it on his behind is a joke? He's the only member of the crew not born in the United Americas, so now he can sit on their symbol all day. Because he's got two heads, Kane needs two helmet domes - one pristine, one melted so the facehugger can get in. The facehugger is molded as a separate piece, but it's glued solidly to the head, which is disappointing: imagine if you could take it off and give it to other figures! He also comes with a big, boxy flashlight and an RXF-M5 EVA pistol that can holster in the loop on his belt. Fittingly, the only time the gun is ever seen clearly in any edition of the movie is when Kane is holding it while examining an egg in the director's cut. (They're more prominent in some of the promotional stills, where Dallas and Parker were wielding them). The articulation on the toy is poor, owing to the bulky design of the suit, but to give it any more movement would have been unrealistic. In some alternate world where Ridley Scott didn't fill his sets with incense smoke, Jon Finch stayed on Alien and was the creature's first victim. And maybe in that world, this opened the door for lots of nerd-friendly roles for him, meaning he was the one you'd have seen in Harry Potter, Hellboy, V for Vendetta, Indiana Jones, Snowpiercer, and more. With the release of this figure, we now have actual toys of the entire Nostromo crew, which is a great milestone. That said, we still hope NECA does Kane (and Dallas and Lambert) out of their spacesuits and in their duty clothes, because that would be a lot more fun. And maybe give Kane a swappable chest, like the Ultimate T-1000 had. -- 02/20/21

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