Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Alpha Phase Terra Firma Action Figure


Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Alpha Phase Terra Firma Action FigureThe first "new" prototype figure shown to the world was Terra Firma. She was a big surprise at the Futuretro show in New York back in 2012, even though she's visible (barely) on an art print sold at the show. She's also a fairly adult release in an updated children's line, owing her look to the cartoon art of old Playboy magazines. This certainly helps her stay in that 1960s vibe, despite being designed rather recently.
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Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Cosmic Creators Mel Birnkrant Edition Blue Angel Commander Comet Action Figure


Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Cosmic Creators Mel Birnkrant Edition Blue Angel Commander Comet Action FigureExtending the life of the Outer Space Men is a tricky proposition - you've got a line with limited marketing and limited appeal, so rather than get tens of thousands of people to buy 1 of each figure, you get hundreds of people to buy seven or eight of each figure. The strategy results in some increasingly clever creations, including Blue Angel Commander Comet. Mel Birnkrant did us a solid by describing his creative process at length, so go ahead and read that when you're done gawking at the pictures.
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Monday, August 5, 2013

Cosmic Creators Outer Space Men 2013 - Arriving

They're here! I was lucky enough to get the box today - as usual my postman neither knocks nor rings the bell, but throws down the box as hard as possible so I can hear it in another room.  Courtesy of the top-notch packing job from TheOuterSpaceMen.com, this new Cosmic Creators Outer Space Men Mel Birnkrant Edition came through perfectly - with a bonus mug, to boot.

According to the forums, some figures have alternate Commander Comet helmets (purple on one side and blue on the other) so that may be a variant to watch for.  Everything is coming up sunshine, and it's worth noting the weapons are that shiny vac-metal we all love and not the duller gold paint!  At press time I have yet to open mine, but I got set #111.  Each has Mel Birnkrant's signature and is hand-numbered.

It's also worth noting that Alpha 11 is cast in a clear colorless plastic and is painted - just like Metamorpho from the "2.0" line.

TheOuterSpaceMen.com still has 19 sets available at press time.  For $20/figure ($80/set) I can safely say it ain't bad - especially since unpainted figures creeped up to $20 earlier this year.

Reviews and more images should go up in the next few days, for the seven people who read this blog.  (Tell your friends!)

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Shipping: 2013 Edition Cosmic Creators Outer Space Men


For real this time!  The delayed Cosmic Creators Birnkrant Edition Outer Space Men action figures for 2013 have shipped - I've received my shipping notice and at least one person on the Twitter has confirmed receipt of said figures.  (It appears mine will be here on Monday.)

According to TheOuterSpaceMen.com, 19 sets remain of this quartet. At $80, the set is priced similarly to this year's SDCC Alpha Phase exclusives but has significantly more paint.  We'll start reviewing these guys soon, with the first one likely going up mid-week next week.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men White Star Astro-Nautilus Action Figure


Four Horsemen Outer Space Men White Star Astro-Nautilus Action FigureWhile I've been hoping for "blank" or "unpainted" opaque figures like White Star Astro-Nautilus for a while now, I always imagined them cheaper and sold individually. A giant boxed set of 8 figures with practically no paint screams "completeist only," which is no doubt why the 200-set run didn't sell out at Comic-Con and why people aren't exactly screaming to get these. A few samples were being flipped on eBay for $200 per boxed set, but oddly nobody is splitting up the sets to sell singles just yet. Given the increasing prices and decreasing customer base for the line, I hope future, similar sets are sold individually just to encourage less-hardcore fans to jump on board. Were I new to this line, dropping $240 on 14 figures at 1 booth at a show would be pretty terrifying.
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