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: The Outer Space Men Beta Phase Metamorpho Action Figure

Sometimes enthusiasm trumps common sense, which is why I own four different versions Metamorpho, the Man from Alpha Centauri. Proof positive that pre-paints work, I bought two versions of this figure before the regular "standard" edition came out-- and then got another one. This particular version was bright clear pink, and while I really can't knock it for being a bad figure it's not really as interesting as the first glow-in-the-dark release or the third "main line" Infinity Series release. It's merely OK. [ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

Review: The Outer Space Men SDCC Beta Phase Inferno

Another review! Today it's NYCC Beta Phase Inferno which, at press time, finally seems to have sold through.

It's a clear yellow repaint (there are also red, blue, and normal versions) and I gotta say, it looks fantastic against a dark or black background. Well worth picking up, even if the head looks like a golden raisin in the regular body's helmet.

Review: The Outer Space Men SDCC Beta Phase Xodiac

Xodiac, The Man from SaturnJust like the Alpha Wave figure, this green version of Xodiac, the Man from Saturn was sold as a convention exclusive and limited to around 300 pieces. While the Alpha Phase one was orange, sold in San Diego, and a huge hit, the Beta version is green, sold in New York, and didn't sell out-- it was actually available for months after the fact through Action Figure Xpress. A limited number of this set (Beta Phase Xodiac, Metamorpho, Astro-Nautilus, and Inferno) were offered through the Four Horsemen's site directly as a pre-order and literally sold through within minutes-- about four minutes, to be exact. Why the drop-off in popularity? Who knows? [ READ MORE ]

Outer Space Men Class of 2010

The first year of the new line is wrapping up (calendar year, that is) and here's a quick pick of the first 16 action figures in the line-- minus a weapon variation or four.

2011 is still up in the air, but the Horsemen have confirmed Mystron and Commander Comet as the next two in production. We hope you've enjoyed our ramblings, and be sure to come back next year for more news as it comes up!

Our NYCC Beta Wave Figures Arrive, Packaged Samples

While only 30 people got sets by mail direct, odds are you're beyond caring what the packaging looks like-- but here it is! It's the same packaging as the Alpha Wave from San Diego Comic-Con, but the New York series still looks great-- especially Xodiac on the black background. In person, it's stunning.

NYCC Outer Space Men at ShopAFX

Action Figure Xpress has sets of all 4 Outer Space Men for $47.99. Given that they're pretty limited, the price isn't half bad. Closed auctions on eBay have been $50-$75 for the set, or about $17-$20 for a single figure. Or, of course, you could just order the normal figure set which is due to ship later this year. The set is limited to roughly 300.

NYCC Beta Wave Outer Space Men Shipping

If you didn't get to New York Comic-Con, odds are you ordered (or tried to order) the four Beta Wave Outer Space Men figures from Store Horsemen. If you did, your order has been processed and odds are you have just received a FedEx shipping notification that your order is being processed for shipment today.

New York Outer Space Men ON SALE NOW SOLD OUT

A few minutes late, but still timely, Store Horsemen has the 4 New York Comic-Con Outer Space Men up for pre-order. Only 30 sets are available and it's limited to 1 per person. A set is $40 and $9 for domestic shipping in the United States. Good luck!

UPDATE #1: These have since sold out-- by about 6:10 PM.

UPDATE #2: On The Forums, the Four Horsemen confirmed the set sold through in 1 minute, 41 seconds. If your order confirmation number ends in 2998 or less, you got in. If not, odds are your order will be canceled. Obviously, watch their forums for more specifics on this issue. And hope they make more to fill the orders with next time.

NYCC Beta Wave Nautilus or Astro-Nautilus?

The blue Beta Wave Astro-Nautilus was revealed today to be clear blue and pretty darned swell. The Alpha Wave version was clear purple. Limited to 330 pieces, it will be paired with the Beta Wave Inferno figure and sold via Action Figure Xpress at New York Comic-Con for $24 per set.

We approve.

NYCC Beta Wave Xodiac Revealed, Green

The next New York Comic-Con exclusive figure from Outer Space Men is Xodiac! The Man from Saturn is now green, rather than orange or the final production figure's colors. His gear comes in orange, and he's pretty striking in a sort of an Ecto-Cooler kind of way.

The Four Horsemen also revealed that this Toy Tokyo exclusive will be paired with Metamorpho and sold for $24. There will be 330 sets.

NYCC Beta Wave Inferno Is Yellow

Next up on the announcement parade is Beta Inferno, a yellow prepaint of the upcoming figure from The Four Horsemen. This New York Comic-Con exclusive is also limited to 330 pieces and will be sold at the Action Figure Xpress booth-- AFX had the Alpha wave at San Diego Comic-Con earlier this year.

A limited number of these will be sold online, but at 330 pieces, well, don't get your hopes up.

NYCC Beta Wave Metamorpho Revealed

Seen here is the Toy Tokyo exclusive Metamorpho which will be limited to a puny 330 pieces. Sold at New York Comic-Con later this year, it'll probably be $10-$15 and sold with a yet-to-be-revealed second figure. But we're waiting for more on that.

The Alpha Wave Metamorpho was sold at San Diego's Comic-Con International and was cast in glow-in-the-dark plastic. This one is clear red, and quite striking.

NYCC Outer Space Men Beta Wave Exclusive Details

The Four Horsemen celebrated Labor Day in the USA by working. Specifically, by posting a press release with details of their new exclusives-- no pictures are available yet but they mentioned in their forums they could be up as early as this week.

The short of it:
- There will be 4 figures, 330 of each
- StoreHorsemen will have 30 (yes, 30) sets and that's it
- The figures will be sold via Action Figure Xpress and ToyTokyo at NYCC

These "Beta Waves" are notable in that they are the second set of "prepaints" before the real figures are made... and when will this be? No idea. But for building hype, this company seems to be doing a great job of ensuring fans will have to do some work to get these. For more details, consult their press release and stay tuned here for more!