Back in 1992, Tomart's Action Figure Digest put out a huge, hard-bound book full of (almost) every action figure and toy line that had ever existed, starting with the 1964 GI Joes.
With no real internet at the time, this was my first look at many toy lines from the early days of action figures as well as any real information on them.
I remember being immediately struck by a toy line from 1968 called The Outer Space Men by Colorform. There's just something about that retro-future look of that era that I love. The space suits... the dome helmets... and the simple yet crazy alien designs... All so cool. I would have loved to begun collecting this toy line, but the figures were (and still are) outrageously expensive! The original Outer Space Men line was not widely produced and even loose figures can go for hundreds of dollars each. Carded examples can sell in the thousands of dollars!
But they are just so cool that I never stopped wanting them-- or being fascinated by their designs and place in toy history! Fast forward to 2011 and the super talented-- and fellow super-geeks-- Four Horsemen Studios-- announce that they will be faithfully recreating the original Outer Space Men (in look but not design) along with their creator Mel Birnkrant.
Since then, The Four Horsemen have released (almost) all of the original Outer Space Men characters, along with some the were planned for the original line, but we never produced.
Getting back around to these SDCC exclusive figures, they won't be the ones you see in the pics below. Well, they will be, but not exactly. The "Alpha Phase" version is an annual edition they do each year for SDCC where the figures are pre-released in a single color, translucent plastic.
This year there will be two sets available for $60 each. You can buy them direct at SDCC, or you can order them from the Four Horsemen's store. If you've never purchased any Outer Space Men and have a interest in this kind of cool retro sci-fi stuff, then I highly recommended them! And what's even cooler is that they use the Glyos joint system, meaning each little part of the figure comes apart and you can mix-and-match arms and legs and heads to make your own designs!!
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