Reviewing Fanhome’s ‘E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial’ Build-Up Subscription Stages 91-95

The latest build stages for my E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Build-Up Subscription* have arrived. This box contains parts that complete the inner structure of the model’s body, the infrared remote control, and the skin for Zrek’s left foot.

I’m getting into the very last few months of this journey. As the final few shipments loom, I have conflicting emotions. I am very much looking forward to having this little weirdo greeting guests in my bar, moving and talking and lighting up. There’s a pride in craftsmanship that will come from having completed Zrek’s assembly from bits and bobs each month, but I will miss the anticipation of wondering what parts will be in the next box, and exactly when they will arrive. It’s probably a good thing that I will soon be receiving my first Fanhome 1989 Batmobile 1:8 Scale Build-Up Subscription later this month to scratch that itch when this sub ends.

Build Stage 91

The accompanying magazine for this build stage has articles on Halloween, restoration of the original ET animatronics, and the rise of female rock bands in the 80s. 

Apparently, Trick or Treating is a very American thing that hadn’t really been seen by global audiences before E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial hit the silver screen. As has been mentioned in previous articles about fast food delivery, table-top role-playing games, and other US culture practices in the 80s, trick or treating was enigmatic to most of the world, but quickly spread following exposure from ET.

The actual build stage consists of assembling Zrek’s tailbone and attaching it to the rear side of the model. These pieces are very similar to the chest, back, and hip pieces. They provide the internal structure for ET’s skin, while protecting the wiring and moving parts within.

Build Stage 92

This stage’s magazine has articles on comics, the emergence and fragility of animatronics in cinema, and… contact lenses? Yeah, I don’t know about that last one either. A few interesting points about comics and ET. There are no comics adaptations of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, which is a little odd, since other successful films of the time all seemed to have their own script adaptations in comics. There are also no ‘new’ adventures of ET, like you see with other sci-fi films of the time (like Star Wars). The film was parodied in MAD Magazine, The Muppets, and a few other places, but never had its own titles.

The build stage itself requires assembling and attaching the lower abdomen pieces, which, like the previous stage, will support the shape of ET’s skin while protecting internal electronics and moving parts. 

Build Stage 93

This magazine installment has pieces on international dubbing, digitization of the original ET animatronic, and Apple McIntosh. 

The article on dubbing is interesting because it changed how the entire film industry looked at the process. Spielberg insisted that every voice actor be personally approved by him, and that the actors playing each role matched the gender and age of the original actors. Previously, children of both sexes and all ages were played by adult women.

On McIntosh, if you grew up in the 80s, you know these machines. Apple wisely placed one in every elementary school classroom. While there weren’t nearly as many programs available for the machine as its competitors, the easier to use interface and the familiarity of having grown up with McIntosh sowed the seeds for the fierce brand loyalty that Apple enjoys today. 

The parts in this stage make up half of the infrared remote control, with buttons to control various single actions and animation cycles.

Build Stage 94

Stage 94’s magazine has an article on the changes made to E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial for the 20th Anniversary release of the film. Interestingly, they talk about a few of the changes made by Steven Spielberg and Carol Littleton (the original editor for the film’s theatrical release), but leave out the weirdest, most offensive, and most glaring change. The mentioned tweaks are the opening sequence, the subjective shot from Zrek’s point of view, extending the scene where ET is running from the agents in the beginning of the film, a changed line from “terrorist” to “hippie,” and a close-up of one policeman’s rifle being cut.

The big change that made absolutely no sense was the removal of firearms altogether from the scene where the boys and ET fly their bicycles over a law enforcement roadblock. In the original footage, those police officers had shotguns. In the re-edit, those shotguns were changed to handie-talkies. The police in the 80s would have 100% been sporting those shotguns, and there’s no logical reason why they’d be taking defensive shooting positions behind staged vehicles without long guns. This change has since been corrected, but it’s odd that it isn’t mentioned here at all. 

The parts included in this installment complete the infrared remote from the previous stage. We will be testing the remote and all the model’s functions in the next stage. 

Build Stage 95

Aha. Now that I’ve read this stage’s magazine, I retract my criticism of the previous magazine article. That one was specifically talking about edits to the celluloid. Extending, shortening, adding, and omitting scenes. In this magazine, they talk about the digital edits that took place after those practical edits were made. My fault. 

And, yeah, like I said, Spielberg eventually changed it back. The shotguns have returned, and the big guy has sworn not to take them away again.

This stage is one of those “Here’s a part for down the road” stages. The skin for ET’s left foot is here, but is useless without the next two stages (his right foot and pelvis skin), so the Fanhome folks have us testing the functionality of the model using the remote. 

There are twelve buttons. The first eight are numbered, and control very simple animations. The last four are lettered and trigger a cycle of animations and sounds together. 

• Button 1 makes the eyelids, eyes, and mouth move, while the “Be good” audio from the film plays. 
• Button 2 has the same animation, but plays “ET phone home.”
• Button 3 does the same, but plays “ET ET ET.” 
• Button 4, again, makes the eyes, eye lids, and mouth move, while ET says “I’ll be right here.”
• Button 5 extends and retracts ET’s neck.
• Button 6 moves the right arm up and down while lighting the right forefinger. 
• Button 7 is supposed to make the left arm raise and lower, but makes him blink instead. I had to look at other builders’ experiences on this one to make sure I hadn’t made a wiring mistake. They all have the same functionality with that particular button, so it appears to be a programming glitch. 
• Button 8 turns ET’s heart light on and off. 
• Button A makes ET’s head raise and lower on his extendable neck while he says “Be good.”
• Button B makes him say “ET phone home,” while raising and lowering his right arm and illuminating his right forefinger.
• Button C makes him say “ET ET ET,” while raising and lowering his left arm.
• Button D makes his chest light up while he says “I’ll be right here.”

A couple of notes here. The quotes are all authentic from the film, in the actor’s voice. I am curious why “Ouch” and “Elliot” are not included. I feel like one of those could have easily been subbed for “ET ET ET.” They’re much more recognizable and iconic to the film.

The other thing is that those cycles for buttons A, B, C, and D are a full minute long. That’s Zrek going “ET ET ET, ET ET ET, ET ET ET, ET ET ET, ET ET ET…” for a solid sixty seconds. It does get a little old. They could have had the audio play once and the animations go through a couple cycles and repeat to be a little less repetitive. I don’t think I’ll be running the lettered cycles at all when this model is completed. The individual actions are pretty cool on their own.

That being said, I’m super excited to slap some skin on this little dude in the coming months. This will be my first completed model, and it’s nice to have one on the shelf to remind me how cool my 1:2 Darth Vader and my upcoming 1:8 1989 Batmobile are going to be. 

*Fanhome provides this subscription to me free of charge for the purposes of review.