SCI FI PI

Alien V Predator: The Ultimate Chess Set

I must admit when I first saw the recent pics of the AVP chess set my little geek heart skipped a beat.

Here were three things I love dearly – chess, Aliens and Predator (though generally I’ve much preferred when the latter two are kept as far from each other as possible) – brought together in a super-stylish, frak-I-gotta-have-it type way by UK-based artist Joker-Laugh (aka Francis Gray) – who put pics of his marvellous creation up on the deviantART website.

I mean, the use of clear plastic to depict the Predators’ cloaking devices, the fine detail on each of the xenomorphs, even the board itself, spoke of rare artistry.


If you haven’t already gazed upon this mighty work then behold:



Battle lines drawn.



Aliens VS…



Predators.


Pretty aren’t they? I thought so. But original? Ah, not quite so much as I’d hoped.


It seems in late June of 2004 SOTA Toys was excited to present the Aliens VS Predator Collectors Chess Set – a limited edition of 5000 featuring prepainted resin and white metal pieces that were extremely detailed and accurate to the “new” film.


Here’s what it looked like:



Better or worse than the recent Joker-Laugh version?



Melee!


It retailed at the time for US$299.99, and there was even a limited edition pewter set of 500 later released.


Here’s avid collectibles nut MrFreakZombie running you through the details:





So, it appears Joker-Laugh perfected the form, rather than striking out into unique territory. But that’s cool because his set is one-of-a-kind and KICK-ASS (until he throws those puppies into a mold and starts cranking them out on an industrial scale).


Sci FI-themed chess sets are about as old as the game itself, as these little beauties attest:



Darth Vader’s a Queen? Well that explains why the Attack of the Clones love scene was so stilted.




Ah, dinobots – the apex of Transformer evolution.




Apparently one of Fischer’s unmet demands in Reykjavic was to play on his Mario set, but Spassky refused, he was more of a Sonic kinda guy.



And the king of all themed chess sets – The official Star Trek Tri-Dimensional Chess set by the Franklin Mint!


There’s one on Amazon right now for $595.11, that’s a bargain!



Spock enjoyed playing against himself – though the Vulcan side tended to win.

What's Your Favourite Stephen King Novel/Story/Adaptation?

With Kingdom Hospital airing on Thursdays at 8.30pm, it seemed like a good idea to pose the question.

Out of his entire, prolific career, what is your favourite King book/story or adaptation?

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  Bearfax 4 months ago

  Personally I'll hang out for my Killer Tomatoes vs the zombies of Plan 9 from Outer Space set

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  Paul Pritsis 3 months ago

  lol.. I have one of those Tri-Dimensional Star Trek sets... I KNEW it would be a good investment one day! If only I could get my head around the 3rd dimension!
  

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  whoviansdelight 3 months ago

  The original Danbury Mint Doctor Who Pewter Chess set is awesome as well. Had heaps of extra Kings/queens and villans to improve it also

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  Bearfax 3 months ago

  Of course with the Dr Who chess set you've virtually got enough transformed doctors to form a whole chess set. I can see Tom Baker definitely as the king. Matt Smith would be a shoe in for the queen.

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