I just received my copy of the design book for AvP:R from Amazon...lots of interesting tidbits, great photos (not seen online), concept art, even some sculpted maquettes for viewing purposes.
I definitely recommend this to Alien and Predator fans and if some of our talented customizers here want to try their hand at some sculpted Predator masks...there are PLENTY of ideas to use.
I'll take some photos later for those interested.
Some neat info:
-LOTS of PredAlien designs...one design conceived the PredAlien to be around 10-15 ft. tall...as big as an Alien Queen! One thing that remains prominent in the designs is the Predator's mandibles. The book also clears up that because the PredAlien can pump embryonic chestbursters into a human host, all the Predator traits are lost as the embryos take the traits of the host.
-It's reinforced that AVP's Predators were young, inexperienced hunters being tested against Aliens for the first time...Paul Anderson is a flip-flopping idiot.
-The Wolf's face mask was capable of full eye movement with eye blinks and cheek squints, independent brow articulation, jaw open and close, and double jointed mandible motion.
-Wolf is described as a "guy in his forties, still in great physical condition but relying more on brains than brawn". Before getting to the "scarred" look...there's also design work of piercings and tattoos for Wolf's actual face. It's also mentioned that the Strause bros. at first thought the 7' 1'' Ian Whyte was not tall/big enough to be the Predator because of the "bulkiness and disproportion" of the AVP Preds...but it was explained to them that some of the other performers in Predator suits were not as tall as Whyte which made the Predators all look short and stocky. The face design also went back to that of Predator 1 & 2, with less of the "humanized" look of AVP. Whyte also had to perform the final battle "blind" because the Wolf's real face had mechanized eyes.
-There are several weapon designs as well...including concept art for "Battle Claws" that would've looked worse than the forearm blades.The whip is indeed constructed of an Alien tail and is said to be ten feet long.
There's also highlights of A LOT of concept mask designs. Some are really impressive with "gill-like" designs...one in particular harkens back to the Celtic design but includes some razors and spike along the "mouth area". Even more so, some resemble trophy "skulls". There's some molds of some, one of which is really ornate and intricately designed and moves the laser-sighting device from the side of the mask to the middle in a script-like design. On the final, completed mask...there's even a photo of the interior mechanics of a Predator mask.
-On the actual ALIEN...yep, the body molds are the same from AVP. The Strause Bros. were fans of ALIENS and wanted the ridged dome (though I'm sure some budget issues were considered as well) and the new neck design is actually based on the Alien Queen neck design with consideration to the actor's head being in the neck as well. The paint scheme on the Facehuggers was modified as well...you can definitely see a more "blackish" tone to them even in the film.
-REMEMBER THAT EBAY AUCTION FOR ONE OF THE AVP:R ALIEN SUITS? That was legit! It was actually a dummy and the crew worked with local law enforcement to set up an undercover meeting with the guy and they got it back!
*SPOILERS ON POTENTIAL EXTRA SCENES*
-A lot of stuff from AVP was reused (duh)...including masks,suits, and even the original Scar "dummy" from the "Birth of the Hybrid" scene.
-"skinned" Predator bodies were actually made and placed in the Predator ship for filming...this was essentially the PredAlien falling back on his "Predator instincts" and the Wolf would've saw these when investigating the crashed ship. The Wolf was also supposed to reveal his face for the first time to the audience inside the crashed ship instead of at the Predator homeworld shots. There are some shots of the Wolf with his mask off looking over the mask of one of the dead Predators (that mask is indeed the HT Asia Ancient Predator exclusive mask!).
-The scene in the Predator ship when two Predators are walking along carrying the tableful of Alien Eggs...one of the Predators has "Trilobite" mask that was used on the HT Sideshow Exclusive Ancient Predator.
-Some more scenes could very well have been planned to be during the day (or afternoon,late evening...whatever). But the movie was getting a lot of attention from the locals (including the stolen dummy) so filming was switched to night. One lady even complained about the filming of the scene of Wolf in the tree using his Medi-Kit because she claimed the tree was a "special tree" and was protected because it was very, very old. She even asked what were the ingredients used in the Predator blood and was satisfied with the crew using it after they read the list off to her.
I definitely recommend this to Alien and Predator fans and if some of our talented customizers here want to try their hand at some sculpted Predator masks...there are PLENTY of ideas to use.
I'll take some photos later for those interested.
Some neat info:
-LOTS of PredAlien designs...one design conceived the PredAlien to be around 10-15 ft. tall...as big as an Alien Queen! One thing that remains prominent in the designs is the Predator's mandibles. The book also clears up that because the PredAlien can pump embryonic chestbursters into a human host, all the Predator traits are lost as the embryos take the traits of the host.
-It's reinforced that AVP's Predators were young, inexperienced hunters being tested against Aliens for the first time...Paul Anderson is a flip-flopping idiot.
-The Wolf's face mask was capable of full eye movement with eye blinks and cheek squints, independent brow articulation, jaw open and close, and double jointed mandible motion.
-Wolf is described as a "guy in his forties, still in great physical condition but relying more on brains than brawn". Before getting to the "scarred" look...there's also design work of piercings and tattoos for Wolf's actual face. It's also mentioned that the Strause bros. at first thought the 7' 1'' Ian Whyte was not tall/big enough to be the Predator because of the "bulkiness and disproportion" of the AVP Preds...but it was explained to them that some of the other performers in Predator suits were not as tall as Whyte which made the Predators all look short and stocky. The face design also went back to that of Predator 1 & 2, with less of the "humanized" look of AVP. Whyte also had to perform the final battle "blind" because the Wolf's real face had mechanized eyes.
-There are several weapon designs as well...including concept art for "Battle Claws" that would've looked worse than the forearm blades.The whip is indeed constructed of an Alien tail and is said to be ten feet long.
There's also highlights of A LOT of concept mask designs. Some are really impressive with "gill-like" designs...one in particular harkens back to the Celtic design but includes some razors and spike along the "mouth area". Even more so, some resemble trophy "skulls". There's some molds of some, one of which is really ornate and intricately designed and moves the laser-sighting device from the side of the mask to the middle in a script-like design. On the final, completed mask...there's even a photo of the interior mechanics of a Predator mask.
-On the actual ALIEN...yep, the body molds are the same from AVP. The Strause Bros. were fans of ALIENS and wanted the ridged dome (though I'm sure some budget issues were considered as well) and the new neck design is actually based on the Alien Queen neck design with consideration to the actor's head being in the neck as well. The paint scheme on the Facehuggers was modified as well...you can definitely see a more "blackish" tone to them even in the film.
-REMEMBER THAT EBAY AUCTION FOR ONE OF THE AVP:R ALIEN SUITS? That was legit! It was actually a dummy and the crew worked with local law enforcement to set up an undercover meeting with the guy and they got it back!
*SPOILERS ON POTENTIAL EXTRA SCENES*
-A lot of stuff from AVP was reused (duh)...including masks,suits, and even the original Scar "dummy" from the "Birth of the Hybrid" scene.
-"skinned" Predator bodies were actually made and placed in the Predator ship for filming...this was essentially the PredAlien falling back on his "Predator instincts" and the Wolf would've saw these when investigating the crashed ship. The Wolf was also supposed to reveal his face for the first time to the audience inside the crashed ship instead of at the Predator homeworld shots. There are some shots of the Wolf with his mask off looking over the mask of one of the dead Predators (that mask is indeed the HT Asia Ancient Predator exclusive mask!).
-The scene in the Predator ship when two Predators are walking along carrying the tableful of Alien Eggs...one of the Predators has "Trilobite" mask that was used on the HT Sideshow Exclusive Ancient Predator.
-Some more scenes could very well have been planned to be during the day (or afternoon,late evening...whatever). But the movie was getting a lot of attention from the locals (including the stolen dummy) so filming was switched to night. One lady even complained about the filming of the scene of Wolf in the tree using his Medi-Kit because she claimed the tree was a "special tree" and was protected because it was very, very old. She even asked what were the ingredients used in the Predator blood and was satisfied with the crew using it after they read the list off to her.
