Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men White Star Mystron Action Figure

Did you know that The Outer Space Men toy line turns 50 this year? It's true! The space race got people really excited about space and space toys, until we landed on the moon and everybody got bored. Because of that, the original prototype figure that led to White Star Mystron was never produced - but we got little versions of him now for a fairly nice price. If you've been following these reviews - and I've only got a couple left to write - you no doubt know that a lot of the early figures share a ton of parts, which coincided with lower pricing. Everybody won! ...initially. This Mystron was in a Comic-Con exclusive from 2013, after each figure had a minimum of 4 or 5 releases in various colors. The higher prices and reduced paint was sort of a slap in the face. I still bought it - and I basically like it, even though it'd make a better custom base than a play or display toy. Also I get to say that I own a White Devil action figure. 
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Overview: The Killer Xodiac

Xodiac!   Man of Saturn, born of Outer Space!   The Outer Space Men had a significant number of repaints, most of which were interesting, and also there was a White Star version.   The only one you don’t see in the above photos is the Galactic Holiday variant - there was a gold accessory version (pictured) and a silver accessory version which I do not have.  I hate that kind of variant, but hey, if you’re sellin’ I’m buyin’.

This is a remake of another figure from 1964, which was a bendable figure like Gumby and Major Matt Mason.  The newer, smaller figures from The Four Horsemen (and the Glyos factory) can pop apart at each joint, allowing you to swap arms, legs, heads, and other pieces to your liking.  It’s fun in practice, great for customizers, but if you’re just a guy with a lot of toys it isn’t terribly useful in the long run.   But if you ever wanted to see what someone looks like with mismatched pants?  It’s handy.  It doesn’t hurt anything.

With 9 distinctive mass-produced versions (plus a weapon variant) Xodiac has more variation going on than pretty much everybody.   At Comic-Con in 2010, he was one of the first four figures with his clear neon orange Alpha Phase release.   I have a hard time picking a favorite, as there are so precious few action figures which include the planet Saturn impaled on a stick for my amusement.

They all more or less share the same name, but the gold one - pictured above carded with the original name - was christened “Goldiac” by the creator, Mel Birnkrant.  He’s notable in that he has a beard that is painted a unique color that does not match his skin.   He’s Xodiac’s pop.  

Also interesting, Xodiac’s weapon received a semi-late change before production in 2010.  The butt of the gun is actually a Glyos peg, whereas the mechanicals for it (seen here with the PMS colors: http://database.glyos.com/2011/08/xodiac-glyaxia-command.html) show it rounded off.

Now if you want my sentimental favorite, that’s Glyaxia Command Xodiac.  The Glyos people were kind enough to give me an early look at it at SDCC 2011, and I was kinda ridiculously giddy to have it.   The figure also sold out almost immediately - not unusual for an Onell Design drop, as they cultivated a fanbase who shows up on time to buy.  Just tell them where to go, they’ll be there.
Anyway - Xodiac got a lady friend, the horrifying Horroscope, in 2013 and 2014.  The head looks more like  triple-eyed Cthulhu, with tremendous breasts and a booty to match - just like you want from the alien space creature of your nightmares, envisioned through the prism of Harvey Kurtzman’s cartooning.   She only got three figures - a clear purple one, a White Star one, and the fully-painted one.  I kind of hope they do more.

Want more Outer Space Men reviews? http://www.16bit.com/fotd/land-outerspacemen.asp

Overview: Astro-Nautilus Thus Far

More Outer Space Men!  I haven’t done an updated complete group shot in a while - maybe I will if we get another Astro-Nautilus - but these shots cover the major bases.  The four-armed creature from a planet associated with a god of the sea, Astro-Nautilus was one of the most memorable figures from the original line-up.   If you saw pictures of the original bendable toys, you didn’t forget this one.

Each tentacle on the 3 3/4-inch scale alien is two pieces, and each leg is three.  The pieces all rotate and allow for mixing and matching.  The designer Mel Birnkrant incorporated a couple of loops on the staff, allowing a tentacle to slither through on the giant 1960s bendy figure as well as the modern action figures pictured above.

Like many figures, many Outer Space Men from the modern incarnation are more popular (and tougher to find now) in their “regular” incarnations, with the lower-run, often 300-piece exclusives slowly declining in price while their painted peers go up. Later waves are particularly pricey now, and from the look of things this week’s new Orbitron Diversus edition might be as low as 100 pieces.  (We don't know, but it sold fast.)

What’s really amazing was the price range on these guys.  Most of them started at $10 - a  bargain!  As time went on, prices went up.  The largely unadorned white one was part of a big boxed set of 8 figures for $115, which makes it a little over $14.   The black suit one was sold first at a gallery show I was at for $125  with an art print and only 4 figures, or about $30 depending on what value you put on the art print.

I took the above photos in numerous places for several reviews over many years, and they’re pretty inconsistent.  However, you’ve now seen every modern era Astro-Nautilus save for the gold staff variant of the red one, which I do not have.  If you like space toys whose designs largely hail prior to the moon landing, these are some you should absolutely look up - along with the Marx Mystery Ship and of course Mattel’s own Major Matt Mason.  After the moon landing, space toys were a tough sell without a major media tie-in.   Thanks for nothing, New Frontier.

Here’s a review of the White Star one: http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130801-white-star-astro-nautilus.asp
Here’s a review of the Cosmic Creators Four Horsemen edition in green: http://www.16bit.com/fotd/130124-osm-4h-cc-astro-nautilus-neonautilus.asp
If you want more reviews, here’s a list:
http://www.16bit.com/fotd/land-outerspacemen.asp

Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men White Star Electron+ Action Figure

Space is a fascinating thing - heck, science in general is great as it changes our perception of the world, and our toys follow. This entire line was conceived before man ever sat foot on the moon, so the potential for our being alone in the solar system was a lot different. We didn't open the box and kill life on other planets yet, so the notion that something could be out there wasn't quite as fanciful as it appears today. With the recent visit to Pluto, it makes sense that we look at White Star Electron+ as he was still in the hopper. A lot has changed in the last two years, namely the line finished its five-year mission and the license expired over at the Four Horsemen. New figures may be coming, but the prices of some old figures have plummeted thanks to what one sharp toy collector referred to as "punitive" repaints. He's not wrong.
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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.
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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.
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Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men White Star Inferno Action Figure

I liked the idea of the White Star figures a bunch - blank white figures are great custom fodder, and I think would have made great debut releases rather than as third encores. White Star Inferno came out at a pretty high price-per-figure as a large boxed set, which I have no doubt limited its appeal to hardcore fans or hungry customizers. The set was marked down a significant chunk within a month of Comic-Con, which stung, and the set was followed up by a New York Comic Con set of six white figures based on the 2013 new characters.
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White Star Outer Space Men Price Drop

Did you buy the 8-pack of White Star Outer Space Men Action Figures at Comic-Con? I did.  And we're suckers, because ActionFigureXpress marked it down 20% from $114.99 to the much more reasonable $91.99.

It's a much better price for plain white figures with a few blue highlights.  They are by no means remarkable, but if you're planning on collecting them all (and mathematically, you aren't) it's a chance to get them on the cheap.  Or you can wait for another markdown and get some great custom fodder.

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

While 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.
[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

White Star Edition Outer Space Men IN STOCK Now

 

The Action Figure Xpress exclusive White Star Edition Outer Space Men Action Figures are up for pre-order as I type this. It's $114.99, same as at the show.

The set is one big box with 8 bagged figures inside.  Each figure is cast in white, unpainted plastic with a few blue highlights on eyes, weapons, and chest symbols.  Each figure has some clear blue element with the sole exception of Inferno.   Figures do not have any black splotches or unpainted white bits, as the previous images were mock-ups and not the final product.  They're pretty good - I have a set here and I'm still going through them, but they're basically exactly what you would hope for.

SDCC: AFX Gets 8 Exclusive White Star Outer Space Men

The Four Horsemen and Shop AFX have new White Star Edition Outer Space Men coming for San Diego Comic-Con 2013! Eight figures are bagged and put into a box, with white painted figures featuring clear blue or painted blue accessories.

The set of 8 figures is currently online for at-show pick-up pre-orders only.   $115 gets you the set, or about $14.38 per figure.  Only 200 sets are being produced, so like other recent non-infinity edition sets it's a fairly low run.  (And yes I pre-ordered mine.)

Hopefully we'll get a peek at the 2013 Alpha Phase figures soon - last year's were revealed on May 15, 2012 so it's gotta be due soon!

Massive Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Update

There are two things you may wish to see:
1. A new Four Horsemen update riddled with news on their many lines, and
2. The Updated 2013 Outer Space Men Checklist

Here's the short of it:
A. The line for 2013 will be expanded to 6 rather than the usual 3 or 4 figures, including Ohpromatem, Horroscope, Gamma-X, Colossus Rex, Jack Asteroid, and Terra Firma
B. In addition to the usual Alpha Phase figures, Action Figure Xpress will have additional waves of exclusive figures for San Diego Comic-Con in June
C. Gamma-X and Colossus Rex are being touted as "Premium" and "Deluxe" figures respectively, which probably means premium pricing.

With this in mind, it would be prudent to anticipate spending at least $100 if not $150 this July on this line alone - that's a lot of figures!

More details are promised on Monday.

Beta Wave Outer Space Men Arriving Now

THEY'RE HERE!  The latest batch of Outer Space Men are arriving in mailboxes, if you didn't pick yours up in person from New York.  They're available from Action Figure Xpress (where I ordered mine) as well as Store Horsemen.

Action Figure Xpress just happens to have slightly cheaper shipping and they ship pretty quickly, so all things being equal you may just want to give them a shot first.  This round of Orbitron, Cyclops, and Gemini are reportedly limited to 300 sets, which, it turns out, may actually be too large of a run for the needs of the market these days, unfortunately.

Outer Space Men NYCC Beta Wave Preorders Up Now

Action Figure Xpress put up the Beta Wave Gemini, Cyclops, and Orbitron at $65 plus shipping, the same price they were sold for at the show (sans shipping, natch.)  

For those keeping track, the Alpha Wave was sold for $50 last July, and Store Horsemen has that series down to $25.00 for a limited time... so if you don't have any versions of these molds yet, as far as bang for the buck goes, it's probably mathematically impossible to beat $25.  It's the same figures with the same tooling, just different coloring at a hugely different price.  (Thanks for the tip, Seth!)

Outer Space Men Jack Asteroid Sculpt Debuted at NYCC

ToyArk.com debuted an image showcasing new sculpts, well, some resculpts and one new sculpt.  Jack Asteroid, the first Earth human male concept we saw recently in the Outer Space Men line, was on display much to the surprise of people who are me.  I seriously wasn't expecting to see this one... but there he is!  Perhaps he'll debut in 2013 or 2014.

The figure, if you missed it, was designed as a refresh of Metamorpho reusing Terra Firma's accessories and a new head sculpt.   If you're at New York Comic Con this weekend, be sure to go check it out in person.

UPDATE: Tad Ghostal posted a much better photo of the two humans on the Fantastic Exclusive forums.

Beta Phase NYCC Outer Space Men Revealed

The orange Gemini, smoke grey Cyclops, and purple Orbitron were revealed in a recent Action Figure Xpress newsletter!  These will be sold at New York Comic Con and, from what was relayed to me, the set will be sold via Shop AFX after the show.

More on the 2012 Beta Phase Outer Space Men as we have it!

SDCC 2012: Outer Space Men Coverage

Go to 16bit.com's SDCC 2012 Outer Space Men coverage for the full galleries and tidbits, but here's a summary of what you missed in San Diego this past weekend.

Terra Firma (pictured) was on display for the first time in 3D form, giving you a look at how this figure has a lot more going on. Not only are there numerous pleasing bulges, but the deco seems to be amped up quite a bit as well.

Numerous custom figures were on display, but no new characters (or colorways) beyond those previously announced were shown.  As such, there's no sign of the rumored-but-not-a-rumor Pheyden or hints as to other convention exclusives for the year.

Check it out!

NYCC Outer Space Men Pricing Revealed (and Increased)

The Four Horsemen posted news on the prices and sellers for the 2011 Beta Wave figures. That's the good news. The bad news is that they're $25 for 2 sets at each of 2 booths rather than $40 for a set of 4 at 1 booth.

200 sets will be brought to NYCC. 100 sets will be sold online after the show... and for all I know it might be $49 shipped for all 4. So if you're in New York, happy hunting! And if not... happy clicking!