The Outer Space Men are coming! Well, some of them are arriving again, but in better fashion! Some are showing their Alpha Edition colors! Some have found new lives in their exclusive Artist Edition colors! The best part is, we have a retro-styled photo shoot First Look at them all. Yep, the awesome throwback property revived by our pals the Four Horsemen just keeps on trucking and while the earlier series got a slight reboot just before Comic Con, Series five and six are in their beginning stages and the Alpha Editions are available now. If you have not had a chance to check out these guys yet, c’mon in and have a look-see. We are just now getting some fresh new pictures from the surface of Mars, so it is apropos that the Outer Space Men are breaking out again.
Creator Mel Birnkrant brought us the Outer Space Men at the height of the space race in the 1960s, and for kids around the country, thoughts of “little green men” from the great beyond were certainly top of mind. While the original line did not make it past a couple of series (indeed, this was way before my time and I am sad to admit that I did not even know their existence until the 4H revived them) and a set of Colorforms, from the look of things at Comic Con, the Horsemen have every intention of getting all of the original concepts out in plastic. In fact, Birnkrant even created the new female character Terra Firma to be released in the not-too distant future. I am very excited to get the definitive editions (that is, Infinity Editions) of all of the characters, but let’s take a look at what is available now, retro-style!
Series one and two Infinity Editions 2.0
As you might guess, when this line launched it built up a fan base over time, and since the first Infinity Editions of the first two series were pretty small, a lot fans missed out on them. Well, the Horsemen want to get these babies in the hands of all the collectors that want them, so 2.0 editions are now available. The best part is that the 4H don’t just rest on their laurels in straight rerelease, many of the colors have been corrected and the construction in the Gylos joint system is tighter than the originals. If you missed out on these the first time around, or if you are looking for an upgrade, be sure to pick them up. Some of the improvements include:
- Astro-Nautilus: The purple skin color and blue trident colors have been altered to more closely match the original 1960 prototype.
- Inferno: The head, gun, chest button and back flames have now been cast in clear red/orange instead of being painted.
- Metamorpho: The white armor has been brightened to better match creator Mel Birnkrant’s original vision of the character. The weapons and chest are now cast in clear pink instead of being painted.
- Xodiac: The helmet color, staff color and gun color have been altered to better match the 1960s prototype.
Astro-Nautilus
Inferno
Metamorpho
Xodiac
Series 1 & 2 Creator Editions
If you have been following the line, you know that each series gets a few different releases with new color palettes or decos. A new execution for these has been the Creator Editions, and this time, these have been created by the Four Horsemen themselves. While I am always one to gravitate towards iconic editions for my toys (here the Infinity Editions), I can say that I am really digging the colors on these guys. My two favorites are Metamorpho and Inferno. There is just something about the blues and pinks used in these two figures that I really love. I got to chat with Cornboy at SDCC this year about the Creator Editions, and if I remember correctly, Shane, Sherry, and O-Dawg (the awesome unsung Horsemen support stable) had a lot of input in the designs of these editions. They look great and I certainly put these above the Alphas and Betas in terms of preference. Plus, if you order these from Store Horsemen, the cards will be signed by the artists themselves!
Astro-Nautilus
Inferno
Metamorpho
Xodiac
Series five and six Alpha Editions
Ah, finally series five and six are upon us! I have been waiting with bated breath for the hulking Cyclops figure for a long time, and now he finally arrives and is so large, he makes up series six all by himself. The long-awaited Gemini and Orbitron comprise series five and I cannot think of a better way to spend an Outer Space Men series than with a guy with two heads and a guy with a removable brain. Orbitron is cast in a translucent pink while Gemini is yellow and Cyclops is blue. As you know, these (mostly) unpainted figures precede the Infinity Editions, and it is cool that they make an almost holographic image, almost as though the series has not beamed down yet. I simply cannot wait for the Infinity Edition of Cyclops and he is by far the in-depth figure in the line so far. I love his armor and he has a nice holster to keep the ray guns ready at the hip!
Gemini
Orbitron
Cyclops
This line has its hooks in me big time now. I love the retro ’60s-chic feel of the figures, and that is coming from a guy that is normally not into the smaller 3 3/4 scale. The concept of the line is so much fun and I would be over the moon if Mattel would let the Horsemen tackle a Major Matt Mason line that would coincide with these guys–what fun! These babies are up for preorder now, so don’t delay since they will go fast. Hopefully the future editions of series five and six will be out soon and we can bring on seven and eight!
*Thanks for reading our little retro-styled look and thanks to the Four Horsemen for sending them along–we always appreciate it!
Additional Links