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

ExtraTOYrrestrial Custom Outer Space Men Action Figures

At Toypocalypse 3: ExtraTOYrrestrial, there was a surprise batch of custom action figures!   I made this gallery at 16bit.com showcasing the many figures on display.

Also notable were some lighted figures, which were in awesome diorama boxes.  The video is hosted on that page. Click here to see them all.

Toy Fair 2013: Outer Space Men and Women Debut at Toypocalypse 3: ExtraTOYrrestrial

Visit 16bit.com's Outer Space Men Toy Fair Coverage right now!  Why?  The Outer Space Women are here!  Ohpromatem (pictured), Horrorscope, and Astrodite made their world plastic debuts, featuring new and existing pieces from earlier figures and the upcoming Terra Firma, who you'll recall was at this event last year.

Click here for the gallery.

Please note there were additional custom figures, Power Lords, and other items on display.  We will be posting links and galleries as time permits, but we've got a meeting in like six hours so cut us some slack.

Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Cosmic Creators Mel Birnkrant Inferno Action Figure

How many times can you repaint the same mold before it gets boring? Well, Inferno just got his fifth release, and in a strange twist the pricing was increased significantly for this one. I think there's good cause, mostly because "Blazing Inferno" looks and feels more expensive. This is a mixed blessing, because I bought this same figure four times already for ten bucks a pop. So why did I buy it anyway? I knew I'd cave in eventually, and it seemed better to cave at $125 for the set of 4 than it would be to cave when the secondary market price "dips" to $250 some day in the distant future.
[ READ THE FULL REVIEW ]

Reminder: Cosmic Creators Outer Space Men On Sale Monday

Don't forget! The Cosmic Creators figures will go on sale Monday for $125 per set online. It may sound like a lot, but there's always eBay prices to worry about too.

As usual, the sets will be up at Store Horsemen at 9 PM Eastern.

Because I Missed It: Cosmic Creators Outer Space Men Four Horsemen Edition

I don't know how I missed these, but Tad Ghostal found Four Horsemen Cosmic Creators Series Figures at Futuretro last night. I didn't even see 'em. No release date or price was given, but they look gorgeous. ...so how much are they?

GALLERY: Futuretro Outer Space Men Customs

I added another Four Horsemen gallery over at 16bit.com. Go check it out for over 80 shots of amazing custom figures!

GALLERY: Futuretro Outer Space Men Design Boards, Prototypes

I posted the first of several Four Horsemen galleries up over at 16bit.com. Go check it out for about 68 photos of varying levels of quality. More galleries will be added with the vintage OSM toys, Gothtropolis, Symbiotech, and custom figures from the show as soon as time permits!

NEW CHARACTER! Terra-Firma, the Woman from Earth

I just came back from Futuretro, the Toy Tokyo show with tons of Four Horsemen stuff. I've got 300 pictures to go through, but I felt it was important to share this picture of a new character-- not a custom-- with you. Meet Terra-Firma, the Woman from Earth. Since it was noisy and the people to ask were in and out, I was not able to confirm the who/what/when/why/how, but I do have far too many pictures. So check her out!

Four Horsemen Toypocalypse Begins Friday Night!

It's about two miles and change from my hotel in New York, but I'm going to try to make it down to the TT Underground to see FUTURETRO: 45 Years of The Outer Space Men. The gallery is said to have a bunch of custom figures and special guests... plus an exclusive figure set plus art print (pictured) for $125. And I gotta be honest, I'm still waffling, but I'll probably come home with it if for no reason other than Inferno = YES and that's a dang nice print.

See you there?

Outer Space Men Exclusive Coming to Toypocalypse Show

The Four Horsemen have confirmed their upcoming February Toypocalypse show in New York will... well, just read it.

"There will be an OSM Toypocalypse 2: Futuretro exclusive. More news on that this week."

News on the show itself is still developing, but you can read some more here.