It’s a great time to be a collector, and I really enjoy my action figure collection, but I am particularly thankful for the first Fantastic Exclusive figure from the Four Hoursemen: Xetheus.
First off, Xetheus is a great figure in general. He has a striking and interesting design based on a classic mythological creature.
The sculpt is beautifully detailed with excellent fur and leather textures, an imposing form, and an intense expression. The paint is top notch with drybrushing, metallics, and a great glowing red eye. He’s got a great range of motion, some cool weapons to wield, and he comes with a neat little idol that he carries in a loop on his massive belt.
Little touches like the idol help sell the idea that this guy comes from a fully realized universe.
Secondly, Xetheus was part of the first Fantastic Exclusive project from the Four Horsemen. The Fantastic Exclusive, for those unaware, was a project where the 4H posted several different potential toy designs online and fans could vote on which design would be produced.
Once a design was produced, the fans could also help choose things like articulation and scale. The whole thing was fun and provided interesting glimpses behind the curtain at the toy-making process.
Finally, this figure helped cement my love for the 6-inch scaled, super-articulated figures, and my 4H fandom that dominates my collecting habits to this day. I do enjoy my hobby quite a bit.
The whole project and the design of Xetheus also inspired by own creativity and lead me to create many customs in the 7th Kingdom world that Xetheus hails from.
