Alien Explorations

Aliens: Sgt. Apone's uniform

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Propstore: Vietnam in space was always James Cameron’s vision for his Alien sequel. A war movie where a technologically advanced race quickly find themselves out of their depth and struggling to survive against a poorly armed (actually unarmed in this instance) foe in a hostile environment. Aliens became a huge and enduring hit and is still one of the most collectable of titles. The props, costumes and weaponry are much sought after and highly valued.


Nothing typifies the war theme more than the United States Colonial Marines (USCM) and their all out battle with the Aliens. They became popular characters and the focus of many peoples attention. The weapons, especially the Pulse Rifle generate huge amounts of interest. The Colonial Marines were slightly stereotyped characters with large ego’s and apparently limited intellect. They were extremely likable but were efficiently despatched one by one as the titular creatures wreak havoc.

The Marine costume in the Prop Store collection is that of Apone. He was the sergeant of the platoon and superbly portrayed by Al Matthews. The outfit is complete but not all the elements are for Apone. The original sets or armour were mixed long ago and it is a constant mission for collectors to try and reunite all the correct components. The metal armour itself was designed by Emma Porteus and constructed by Terry English. Terry is a genuine craftsman, and although perhaps better known for creating incredible sets of more traditional armour and helmets, he clearly enjoyed the science fiction project and is still very proud of his work today. Multiple sets were made for each character and the paint patterns are all different. The costume is displayed on a custom mannequin with replica tracker, shoulder lamp and grenades (3 grenades are originals). ( Source: http://www.propstore.com/the-prop-store-collection/aliens/sgt-apone/ (2016))






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