I find the problem with the paint job is that it looks like a model hobbyist did it, it doesn't look very naturalistic. The hands just look too cliched big bad monster, much prefer the more subtle proportions and extra digit on Giger's alien.
The thing I hate about later versions is the shape of the jaw and the goofy teeth, and the excessively big open gap behind the teeth. Can't beat Giger's sculpt, even if behind the scenes shots reveal the latex suit had problems.