Alien

This is the flamethrower used by Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in the Ridley Scott masterpiece Alien. This was our hero’s main weapon as she battles the terrifying creature so famously created by Swiss artist H R Giger. This weapon was also used by Dallas (Tom Skerritt).

This flamethrower is practical to the extent that it was burning constantly with a pilot flame. Other than an on off flow valve, there are no physical controls or adjustments, it produced a constant and steady pilot flame for realistic shots and various close ups. A different version, with hose attachments to a much larger gas supply, was used for the spectacular full flame and burning scenes.

The bulk of it’s construction is formed wood, aluminium, steel and some resin components which have been painted grey with some general art department weathering and aging. The red and grey gas cylinders on the underside are dressing only and are not practical. The gas was actually connected to the rear where a small canister could be housed inside custom mounting, the gas was then fed through the inside of the prop to the nozzle where a standard spark plug would ignite it.

The flamethrower was such a popular weapon for Ripley that it was taken to another level when the sequel hit the screens in 1986. James Cameron’s vision of a “war in space” allowed many of the main characters to have similar devices and Ripley sets about destroying the Alien Queen and her nest with a flamethrower in the film’s finale. Ripley and the flamethrower are now synonymous with each other.