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 ]

Old & New Outer Space Men Comparison Shots

Over on the Fantastic Exclusive Forums, you can get a glimpse of some great comparisons between the original bendable figures and the late 2010 action figure releases! What's more, you can also get a glimpse at Bruce Jensen's tiny customized bendable Alpha-7, the Man from Mars, who just happens to be in scale with the figures. Great work, Bruce!

Review: The Outer Space Men SDCC Alpha Phase Xodiac

Xodiac, The Man from SaturnA bizarre but increasingly common phenomenon in the toy business is the notion of the "pre-paint." The idea is that you release the figure's repaint or variant before the "real" release-- Xodiac, the Man from Saturn is one such figure as this clear orange "Alpha Phase" version came out nearly six months before the standard carded release. Heck, there was even a "Beta Phase" version in green released before the real deal, which is an ingenious way to recoup some costs before the toy finally comes out. This release sold out within a couple of days, and the edition size is supposedly somewhere around 300. [MORE]