The Outer Space Men, the classic creation of Mel Birnkrant, are headed back into your collection as a new line sculpted and produced by Four Horsemen Studios. Here at IAT, we weren't familiar with the original line and wanted to learn more about it to help us appreciate the new versions. We were fascinated by what we learned, but we still had a few more questions. For those answers, we turned to the greatest resource there is on the Outer Space Men, Mel Birnkrant himself.
The Four Horsemen are nearing the end of their tenth year in business, and they're gearing up to make the next year one of their most productive years ever! Not only are they going to continue to handle the creative duties on Mattel's DC Universe Classics, Masters of the Universe Classics, the new Green Lantern Classics and more, but they’re also moving forward with their own popular FANtastic Exclusive project in the fall,
Back in February, IAT broke the story on the Toys R Us Exclusive Batman that had magically reached retail shelves before collectors knew it existed and it was in our April 15th Q&A that Mattel let us know the TRU program would continue with new versions of Green Lantern, Flash, and a 4th unnamed figure. A metallic, Modern Hal had already been spotted on eBay and in the Attack of the Show SDCC preview, so it wasn't hard to put two and two together. MetallaHal was on his way.
Tytus is an excitement roller coaster. First, you hear they've shown him at Toy Fair and the ride starts ratcheting up. You find the pics as you near the first peak, but with little warning, the articulation is announced and you drop ten stories. You drift through some various minor twists and turns, slowly building you back up to order him. Despite some reservations about the next drop, you get excited and you order your way up the next ramp. He arrives. He looks great in the box, then you open him and...
I was never content with the complacent yellow faces Lego men had when I was a kid. I still remember the first time I saw the Pirates theme in the 90s. These Lego men, although still smiling, now had beards, stubble, and sideburns – not to mention an occasional hook or peg leg. It was a paradigm shift that renewed my interest in Legos. Minifigures have come a long way since their very humble beginnings in the 70s. This year, they’re finally available as singles and Lego has rehooked me yet again.
