The Outer Space Men, LLC Outer Space Men Cthulhu Nautilus Action Figure The Outer Space Men, LLC, 2018
Day #2,015: August 21, 2018
Cthulhu Nautilus Descendant of the Elder Gods
Outer Space Men Action Figures
Item No.: n/a Manufacturer:The Outer Space Men Includes:Wings, staff, tail Action Feature:Pops apart, gives other toys inferiority complex Retail:$35.00 Availability: ca. June 2018 - Five Points Festival Debut Other: New head, Orbitron feet, Mystron waist with tail and wings, Astro-Nautilus body and arms
Absolutely no toy line has the right to employ the phrase "a long time coming" like The Outer Space Men. The line is 50 years old, and some of the toys took nearly 40 years from concept to product. The 45 years it took to get Gamma-X makes Cthulhu Nautilus seem speedy by comparison - the figure was teased in 2011 as a concept drawing, while the coloring and head were based on toymaker Mel Birnkrant's massive imagination. In addition to The Outer Space Men, Birnkrant also came up with dozens of other lines like the unrealized Monstro-City, and this 2018 Cthulhu Nautilus head looks a heck of a lot like a Cthulhu-inspired creature from that toy pitch.
If you ever bought the Cosmic Creators figures, this is a lot like the two Mel Birnkrant series - shiny, pricy, and spectacular.
The chunky design made it to plastic for the masses as this simultaneously gorgeous and hideous monster The 4-inch figure's wings and tentacles look positively vile, but that paint job is a thing of beauty. The metallic candy-like red is unlike anything you see in a mass-produced toy, and purple suction cups really look gorgeous. The figure is mostly molded in white paint and coated in a thick, rich red, gold, or blue - the exception being the head, which is clear blue plastic painted red.
The clear blue lets light shine in and causes the eyes to look like they're lighting up - it's wonderful! The torso was cast in clear red, but unfortunately the wings and tentacles render the light-up chest crystal sort of moot. At the right angle you get a hint of a glow, and it looks best when the wings are removed. A sea creature-ish monster with a clear blue ocean in its skull makes for a great collectible, and it's certainly one I appreciate.
Articulation is similarly standard. Cthulhu Nautilus has about 19 moving parts, counting some points of articulation that are useful and others that are not. Swivel knees aren't too handy to have, and the rotating wings aren't something you will ever use - but the extra tentacle movement sure is handy for making this figure continue to feel truly alien. The tail helps to prop the figure up, and I have to say it was a pain in the rear to plug in - the hole was a little tight, thanks to the paint. You might want to try cramming another Glyos peg in there before assembling the tail, thanks to the thin, slick, and flexible appendage being hard to maneuver in there.
The figure seems to be a new head with bits and pieces of three other figures. The feet are from Orbitron. The lower waist, wings, and tail are from Mystron. The upper torso, legs, and tentacles are all from Astro Nautilus. I would wager this means that lots of unused parts were dumped in China somewhere, as those other pieces have yet to make an appearance elsewhere.
The figure's accessory is a gold matte trident - and compared to the rest of the figure, it's kind of a bore. A chrome one would look stupendous, but it is what it is. The coloring isn't bad, but I would've liked something a bit brighter since it almost gets loss against the radiance of this figure's skin. You can't compete with it.
Despite the figure's high price tag, I'd say it's worth it. I have too many toys, and it's one of the most beautiful things I've ever bought. The deep clear blue, the candylike red, and the glossy black wings all combine to make something truly out of this world. I would love to have seen a figure like this sold in stores to the general public, as it's quasi-demon-meets-tentacle-monster look is one of the most distinctive things out there. Sure, a regular Cthulhu toy would be similarly distinctive, but a) I never see those anywhere and b) these colors are better. With the added paint and inflation, it's kind of sobering to think this one figure, in 2018, cost $5 less than the entire first wave of four figures in 2010. But that's life, and this is pretty amazing.
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