Introduction
The head posed a number of problems. I wanted a practical, easy to wear costume so good vision was essential. The head was also much too small to fit onto my human head. The upper teeth and lower jaw are cast separately and must be attached.
To make the head fit my head, I removed the inner latex layer and cut out some of the interior foam. This was done gradually to ensure that the head cavity didn't become too large. When a good fit was achieved, I sealed the interior with a thin coat of liquid latex.
Vision
I wanted the Alien to be able to walk around safely without assistance. My large head helped somewhat because the Alien head sits higher. The neck was attached to the head with a fabric liner. This allows the neck to be longer and permit larger eyeholes. The eyeholes were then covered with thin mesh fabric that disguises the eyes.
The fabric liner of the neck was a tube of fabric, machine sewed up the back. I cut the eyeholes into the fabric and glued the thin mesh fabric in place. The latex neck was slit down the back and glued to the fabric piece, leaving bare fabric at the back to allow it to fit my head and to provide ventilation.
The neck was attached to the head using Copydex by gluing the excess fabric inside the cavity in the head. I found that the neck was a bit baggy at the bottom so I put some elastic at the back to pull it tighter while still being able to fit over my head.
In retrospect, I think the eyeholes are slightly too big and the neck is a bit long but it provides excellent vision with only the centre of the vision blocked by the jaw. It could be said that my Alien looks a bit long necked, but I think that is a reasonable price to pay for good vision.
Jaw and teeth
A little "dental work" was necessary to fill in a couple of bubbles in the teeth and to make them look nice and sharp.
The excess foam and latex forms a "plug" around the mouth area of the head. This must be trimmed before the top teeth can be attached using Super Glue. The top teeth include a palate that covers the hole where the "plug" was removed.
I attached the lower jaw using two small bolts. The head of the bolts can be recessed into the Alien's cheeks then covered using kitchen towel soaked in liquid latex. The jaw can be temporarily attached using pins to find the correct bite before you commit to anything.
