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 Alpha Phase Electron+, the Man from Pluto

Why the break? Well, after doing this for about a year it became apparent that October 2011 needed more prep work than I could handle-- I had a trip to two of the major US toy companies, a convention in New York, and I'm moving into a new office all within a 3-week period. So let's continue with Electron+, the second glow-in-the-dark release in the Outer Space Men line after Metamorpho in 2010. As the first action figure of Electron+, it's worth noting that while the arms, legs, and lower torso were recycled, the figure is actually shorter than other figures in the line. [ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

Review: The Outer Space Men Alpha Phase Astro-Nautilus, the Man from Neptune

When I first saw pictures of the original 1960s bendable figures, I never assumed that I'd own a version of Astro-Nautilus, let alone one in a low-cost action figure form. This translucent purple edition was the very first release of the mold, and legend has it that the edition size is about 300 pieces. It's a low-run figure, as low-run figures go... but since nobody seems to be collecting the line, well, maybe 300 pieces was the right size. [ READ MORE ]

Review: The Outer Space Men Alpha Phase Inferno, the Flame Man of Mercury

Before Hasbro decided to make a number of figures painted to be on fire, Colorforms and Mel Birnkrant pioneered a concept for a space man made of flame. Made in a tiny run of about 300 (reportedly), the Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Alpha Phase Inferno the Flame Man of Mercury Comic-Con Exclusive Action Figure has an unreasonably long name. The very first release of this figure, this translucent red figure is really bright and one of the best figures in the line. Subsequent releases were many included a fully-painted release, clear blue and clear yellow figures were also cranked out. At this time there are no known plans for additional releases of this mold, so complete collections will have four (five if you count variations) in them.
[ READ MORE ]

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]

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!

Review: The Outer Space Men SDCC Alpha Phase Metamorpho

Via our parent site 16bit.com:

Metamorpho is the first modern release of the character from the old Colorforms Aliens line, this time as an action figure. Limited somewhere between 300 and 500 pieces, this glow-in-the-dark Alpha Phase "prepaint" features about 12 meaningful points of articulation, Man-E-Faces style face changing, and swappable arms. Fun enough to be worth the $10, but you won't get it that cheap. [ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

Outer Space Men 2010 Packaging vs. Glyos Packaging

The 2010 Outer Space Men line takes a lot of cues from the Onell Design Glyos toys-- most notably the "open source" (read: freely usable) articulation system which allows for parts-swapping. Onell is currently using a ziplock-esque plastic bag with a stapled header card, which the Horsemen adopted for the new range.


The glow-in-the-dark Metamorpho is seen next to a Glyos figure. This packaging may only be for these exclusive figures, as one of the Horsemen shared that actual blister cards are in development as of Comic-Con this week.

Interesting notes:
• There are no UPCs or SKUs on the packaging.
• There are only 2 header cards-- it's Metamorpho on one side, and Astro-Nautilus on the other. Smart cost-cutting move!
• There is no mention of SDCC or Action Figure Xpress (the booth at which these were sold) anywhere on the packaging.