If you like retro space toys, you might be familiar with the Galaxy Laser Team reissues from Tim Mee Toys. They're 60mm "army men" figures. What you may not know is that there's a Jumbo set for sale on Amazon right now, and they're pretty big - check out these comparisons with the recent Glyos Outer Space Men, and click here to buy a set.
Covering the modern era of the classic Colorforms Space Aliens action figures. Presented in association with 16bit.com. Not an official site. Visit TheOuterSpaceMen.com for more.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men White Star Alpha 7 Action Figure
I like White Star Alpha 7,
despite it being part of an incomplete "White Star" master set (so far
anyway). And the fact that it's overpriced. And that I really have no
good way to display it. It's just a fun little figure - sometimes these
things are interesting for no good reason, particularly since I have an
aversion to white figures due to yellowing over time. (Glyos have been
good so far, though.) This Martian is decidedly not of the red
planet, which I find mildly disappointing - I was always hoping for a
red one - but the white one ain't bad. The solid opaque color adds a
little to the figure in terms of making it feel old, particularly as
space toys of old were largely unadorned with such extravagances as
"paint..." or articulation, but who's counting.[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]
Monday, July 28, 2014
Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Alpha Phase Ohpromatem Action Figure
Of all the figures in the line, Ohpromatem
may well be the toughest to spell. Three versions of this figure exist,
and this clear, smoke one was the first release. It would be followed
by an all-white figure plus a fully-painted figure, all of which look
pretty awesome for different reasons. As the only translucent version
of the mold this figure will probably be of more interest to fans down
the road, particularly since most figures received 3 transparent
precolors.[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Beta Phase Gamma X Action Figure
I had some problems with another version of this character, but White Star Gamma X works slightly
better for me than the clear colorless $31 version and the
fully-painted $26 version for one reason: met expectations. The clear
one costs twice as much as this one - why? I have no idea. But this
one has about the same amount of paint applications, and at half the
price actually looks pretty great. The parts more or less all fit in
place and while there aren't any options for customization like
alternate elbows or fists, it was also $16.00.[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Alpha Phase Jack Asteroid
This
ability for a classic figure line to grow is both exciting and
terrifying. So many action figure lines are revived without the
original cast seeing plastic, new entrants are sometimes seen as
unwelcome pests - but not Jack Asteroid. Not only did he debut after we saw evidence of the original 13 Outer Space Men
were hitting plastic, but the design was a clever twist on existing
figures - the body is Metamorpho, from 2010. The helmet, backpack, and
weapons are recycled from the Terra Firma design, which debuted in early
2012. The only completely new element is his human head, one of very
few mass-produced people noggins in the Glyos-compatible toy world (so
far.)[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]
Monday, July 7, 2014
Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Infinity Edition Jack Asteroid Action Figure
While Terra Firma was revealed to the world first, Jack Asteroid
worked out well as a variation on the theme. For all intents and
purposes, Mr. Asteroid is the 21st Century Major Matt Mason stand-on.
The original Outer Space Men were made by Colorforms to be
compatible with Mattel's line, and since Mattel isn't doing anything
with Major Matt Mason (and indeed may never) it's reasonable that this
Space Race toy line needed its token human white male astronaut. The
orange-suited figure is an insanely clever reuse of Terra Firma's helmet
and accessories with Metamorpho's body and a new head. One of the big
selling points of figures (like this one) that use the Glyos system is
that you can swap around parts, but it seems this is mostly used for
customization purposes or color-swaps. With Jack Asteroid, they're
giving us what amounts to a completely new figure just by using paint
and existing accessories - kudos.[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Infinity Edition Terra Firma Action Figure
I was pretty surprised to see Terra Firma
at a New York event for The Four Horsemen a few years ago - not only
was she the first new member of this group in decades, but she was
rather shapely. Having a fairly limited background in such things I
thought her form looked a lot like Little Annie Fanny character I saw in
a Hake's Auction catalog that got mailed to me, which I later found out
was a Playboy cartoon character, which I wasn't interesting enough to
know already because... when you meet my parents, it'll all make sense
to you then. This nifty new figure draws heavily on real-world space
program elements like her orange suit and the overall coloring on the
figure, plus builds on the 1962 cartoon character's built-in 1960s-ness
from Harvey Kurtzman and Will Elder. Borrowing from that which came
before is smart - the original Outer Space Men aliens were
derived from the back pages of films showcased in the likes of Famous
Monsters of Filmland, so it's only appropriate to have Terra's origin
come from contemporary magazines. [ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Infinity Edition Gamma X Action Figure
Back in May of 2010, I was blown away when I saw the announcement that not only would I be getting some Outer Space Men
figures, but they'd be 3 3/4-inch scale, Glyos compatible,
fully-poseable, and made by the Four Horsemen. That first batch was
glorious - each figure was well made, freely able to stand or sit and
everything just plain worked. Figures could sit in vehicles, the
glow-in-the-dark figure glowed quite well, and they were a very
reasonable $10 each - despite being super-low-run figures. A few years
on, edition sizes of 200 struggled to sell out and by the time we got to
Gamma X, it feels we just limped over the finish line to update the classic Mel Birnkrant action figure property. Some were good - Colossus Rex,
for example, was an exceptional figure and arguably the apex of what
Glyos compatibility has given us - but as the line went on, each year we
saw new problems. Figures may tumble off your desk due to weak hip
joints, or they couldn't quite sit, or in the case of Gamma X... I've
got a lot of complaints.[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Infinity Edition Horroscope Action Figure
The inspiration for Horroscope
started as one of many original designs over the years, the name of
which came from an old movie monster projector toy. (It's true, I
asked!) Sketches of the character originally started out as an
alternate head for Xodiac, but instead ended up has his daughter.
Building on Terra Firma's parts, Horroscope has a unique chest not yet
used on any other figure - note the lack of the flat surface used to
mount a helmet. Her accessories are cleverly repurposed from Xodiac,
and her new 2-part head was designed quite nicely. This is a keeper. [ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Infinity Edition Ohpromatem Action Figure
I will always have problems spelling Ohpromatem
but I will say this - she's impressive. The concept originated from
some Mel Birnkrant sketches that seemingly were made for the male
Metamorpho body, but instead the development bent the gender into
something just as creepy and arguably more interesting. She's also the
kind of thing I think I need to hide, because this is the first and
only figure I can name that actually has light-up breast functionality.
How am I supposed to explain this to visitors?[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]
Friday, May 9, 2014
Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men White Star Xodiac Action Figure
As we look at White Star Xodiac
- which I feel is pretty good - we're at a point where I think we can
all say that we've seen the bulk of what this line has to offer and how
it shook out. On the bright side, those of us who were too young (or
not yet on this planet) got a shot at some really cool characters,
rendered in a wonderful sturdy style. Also, it served as a stern
reminder of how fickle the collector market continues to be as most of
the figures were available for half price at some point or another if
you were willing to wait. Most of the "Alpha phase" figures sold
quickly, and there were a couple of fast-selling specials, but when you
get right down to it this is another line that the history books say you
could've saved a couple hundred bucks if you just waited it out on most
of them, even if it meant paying a premium on eBay for the "rare" ones -
it turned out the marketplace for the line was indeed small, but on the
bright side I actually have some of these guys. You can't win 'em
all, but I had a good time - and this is a pretty good figure despite
being stupendously lacking in deco.[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Infinity Edition Colossus Rex Action Figure
Since its debut in 2010, Outer Space Men figures have been erratically priced - bafflingly so, in some cases - so a higher-dollar figure like Colossus Rex
inspires scrutiny. At $26, you might ask "is it any good?" The good
news is that unlike the fairly awful Gamma X from the same release, Mr.
Rex is actually pretty awesome. When you pick it up, you can see
details that remind you that yes, this was indeed designed by the same
Four Horsemen that bring you Masters of the Universe Classics and other greats, while Gamma X reminds you that some things really aren't worth the wait.[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Cosmic Creators Mel Birnkrant Edition Red Devil Mystron Action Figure
Rounding out the set of Outer Space Men Cosmic Creators Edition figures, Red Devil Mystron
is one of the best of the bunch. The four figures are indeed stunning
creations, but the 200-set run failed to sell out - we're almost a year
after its launch, and they're still available for their original price.
The advent of lower-run figures like these has resulted in toys made
specifically for toy collectors, which is a twist on the hobby having
been tracking down parts of a shared cultural experience. This is art
for art's sake, and thankfully creator Mel Birnkrant redecorated his
creation in a rather spiffy way.[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Outer Space Men Scratch & Dent Sale Starts Friday
The Four Horsemen's Scratch & Dent Sale for damaged packaging Outer Space Men figures starts on Friday at 3:00 PM Eastern time. Some orders (including mine) have seemingly not been shipped from the previous sale in February, so be prepared for a potential slight wait on these.
They boast prices up to 50% off which ain't bad. Good luck!
They boast prices up to 50% off which ain't bad. Good luck!
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men White Star Metamorpho Action Figure
Generally
speaking, my love for my action figures increases with time. We spend
time watching TV or writing reviews, or I have to carry them around from
one home to the next. For all of their faults, I usually love them.
With White Star Metamorpho I've come away from this set (and
indeed the bulk of the 2013 offerings for this line) quite disappointed.
This set was blown out at reduced prices and practically given away
due to the 200-piece run being unable to sell itself, it looks as if the
White Star line won't necessarily ever be completed, and unless you're a
customizer these things are kind of a dud. They exist, sure, but
they're probably the least interesting figures in the entire run of
close to 80 different figures.[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Outer Space Men 2014 Infinity Wave Arrives at Four Horsemen HQ
According to Source Horsemen, the (as far as we know) final sextet of Outer Space Men are in the USA now! They'll start to ship next week, so says the blog post. (Hopefully they'll be in the same box as my Power Lords and Scratch & Dent figures - I can't wait!) This means they're actually a bit ahead of schedule, which is always wonderful.
New orders are open at Store Horsemen, but pre-orders will ship first.
New orders are open at Store Horsemen, but pre-orders will ship first.
Friday, February 28, 2014
The Last Drop Ever? New Outer Space Men Infinity Figure Pre-Orders, Chrome Accessories Now
Now available! The silver chrome accessories teased in December are up for grabs for $14.00 per set.
Also, singles and 3-packs for Terra Firma, Jack Asteroid, Gamma X, Colossus Rex, Ohpromatem, and Horroscope are up for grabs. Singles are $13 for regulars, $26 for larges, or $48 for a bundle of 3. Click here to get them.
The final Infinity Wave is expected to ship around March 15. As Astrodite wasn't shown at the latest show, nor was anything else new, it's possible that this might be it for a while. Get 'em while you can!
Also, singles and 3-packs for Terra Firma, Jack Asteroid, Gamma X, Colossus Rex, Ohpromatem, and Horroscope are up for grabs. Singles are $13 for regulars, $26 for larges, or $48 for a bundle of 3. Click here to get them.
The final Infinity Wave is expected to ship around March 15. As Astrodite wasn't shown at the latest show, nor was anything else new, it's possible that this might be it for a while. Get 'em while you can!
Friday, January 31, 2014
Outer Space Men 2014 Cardbacks Backsides
Source Horsemen posted the backside of the 6 new Outer Space Men figure packages for your viewing pleasure! Check out the bios and artwork, some of which you may have seen on Mel Birnkrant's own pages over the past couple of years.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Gamma-X and Colossus Rex Outer Space Men Carded Sample Shots
Colossus Rex and Gamma-X are both up for the peeking at Source Horsemen! It looks like Gamma-X might actually glow in the dark, and Colossus Rex is just freaking huge with amazing deco on his new armor. It's a win win.
No release date has been mentioned yet.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Carded Jack Asteroid, Terra Firma Outer Space Men Samples
Carded samples of Jack Asteroid and Terra Firma are up on Source Horsemen now! Check 'em out. Of note: Horroscope, Jack Asteroid, and Terra Firma appear to be cast in white plastic and painted over, like last year's figures. Ohpromatem appears to be cast in a clear plastic.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Outer Space Men - New Carded Sample of Horroscope
The Four Horsemen posted another Infinity Edition carded figure! A carded sample of Horroscope has been posted for your viewing pleasure along with the promise of shots of the other ones over the next few days.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Outer Space Men - New Carded Sample of Ohprometam
The Four Horsemen posted that the new Infinity Edition carded figures - that is, the painted ones - are moving along nicely! A carded sample of Ohpromatem has been posted for your viewing pleasure along with the promise of shots of the other ones over the next few days.
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