1980s Films Christmas Decorations

1980s Films Christmas Decorations

My film decorations on my Christmas Tree.

What

Christmas Tree decorations based on things from 1980s films.
They Live (1987) alien as an angel.
John McClane from Die Hard (1988) in a duct.
Bishop in the tunnel from Aliens (1986).

When

I did the Die Hard and They Live decorations in 2023 and the Aliens one in 2024.

Why

I saw a better version of the They Live alien as Christmas Tree topper on the internet and might even have bought one, but the guy that made it wasn’t selling them anymore. So I decided to have a go at making it myself.
The other ones weren’t my original ideas either.

The original much better “They Live” Angel I based mine on.

Development & Progress

It would have taken me far too long to try to model a female They Live alien by myself so I found a 3D model online and adapted it. It was a male version, but a good start.

There was way too much faffing about with general modelling, mixing hair from a completely unrelated 3D model, and feminising the male model. I also had to find another model with arms and hands in a suitable pose to throw in.

I 3D printed the parts and painted them.

After painting, the front and back of the head were pegged together.

The 3D printed parts on top of a cardboard cone for the body shape.

I did try making a pleated dress with a gold trim, but I have next to zero ability in figuring out sewing patterns and sewing itself. Consequently, the material part was much less elegant than I had hoped for. I never made a halo for it either. Only because by this point I was sick of the project already.

Lots of people have made this, like the version above. Here are some instructions that can be adapted:
https://www.instructables.com/Die-Hard-Christmas-Ornament/

The image is bent to give it some sort of depth, but this could easily be made without it being done like that.

The separate head and hand with a lighter were made and added but they probably weren’t necessary. The LED light poking through is a good feature though.

Stills from the film weren’t suitable for the circular shape of the truncated Pringles tube I put this in, so I had to expand the image.

I covered the chopped tube with wrapping paper and put the lid on the rear.

The image was cut out in an elliptical shape so that it would have a curved perspective look to it in the pipe. It’s not essential, but it does look a bit better with some dimension to it. I also stuck a blue LED light through when it was in place on the tree.

Current Status

Unsurprisingly, they’re in my loft for 11 months each year, but I might re-make these in a better way one day.