Inferno, The Flame Man of Mercury Alpha Phase Outer Space Men Alpha Phase Figure Item No.: n/a Manufacturer: Four Horsemen Includes: Spare arms, removable helmet, ray gun Action Feature: n/a Retail: $19.99 (sold with Xodiac in a bundle) Availability: July 2010, Comic-Con Exclusive Other: Orange
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Before Hasbro decided to make a number of figures painted to be on fire, Colorforms and Mel Birnkrant pioneered a concept for a space man made of flame. Made in a tiny run of about 300 (reportedly), the Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Alpha Phase Inferno the Flame Man of Mercury Comic-Con Exclusive Action Figure has an unreasonably long name. The very first release of this figure, this translucent red figure is really bright and one of the best figures in the line. Subsequent releases were many included a fully-painted release, clear blue and clear yellow figures were also cranked out. At this time there are no known plans for additional releases of this mold, so complete collections will have four (five if you count variations) in them.

Making great use of the Glyos construction system, this 3 3/4-inch figure seems like it would be right at home with your old Kenner Star Wars figures. He has about 12 meaningful points of articulation and can be easily seated in vehicles of that era, provided you remove his giant flame "backpack" piece. The figure is able to fully separate at each point of articulation, and splits into about 17 pieces with a ray gun and two alternate "bent" arms, and these can be swapped with other figures in the line and other Onell Design Glyos toys. (You can see some examples of that in the pictures* below.)

I should note that this was not only one of the first modern Outer Space Men toys, but was the first official release of Inferno in any form. A 1969 "The World of the Future" figure prototype was designed, but never released or mass-produced. It had a clear red head and a light-up feature, and if you want to replicate that 1969 look, you can come pretty close. Just take the Alpha Phase figure's head and flame backpack, and plug it in to the fully-painted Infinity series body. Of course, this is easier said than done, as the Alpha Phase Inferno sold quickly and shot up on eBay-- right now, getting one will cost you. As such, cross your fingers someone at the Four Horsemen or Onell Design see it in their hearts to release another version of this figure in a red glow-in-the-dark plastic.

His helmet and chest symbol are removable, so you can swap the chest design with other figures like Mystron, Commander Comet, Electron+, and Metamorpho. He has no problems holding his blaster, which is the same peg size as non-Buildman Glyos fist holes. (So Pheyden, Savros, or Exellis can make use of this line's weapons, but the Gendrones are out of luck.) I believe this figure-- this whole series, actually-- to be some of the most delightful action figures released in 2010. With four (or five) paint jobs each, their action features work, the construction feature is tons of fun, the designs are all incredibly strong, and they're fun. Since there are tiny little parts which may look like candy, it's no surprise that this line wasn't designed for the mass market but rather, was sold at conventions or direct to the customer.** If money is no object, get this figure. If money is an issue... consider skipping a few lunches. The clear red works well with the design, and the yellow eyes are a nice touch. Plus as "upgrade" parts to the painted figure, there's no better choice!

* The photographs were taken from July 2010 and December 2010, prior to the Holiday Edition shipping. As such, those images are not present. I forgot to write this one, rather, I thought I had wrote it already!

** Given the opportunity, 16bit.com would love to have an exclusive variant of these things. Just saying.

Additional Images

Click here to see more Four Horsemen figures in Figure of the Day.

Click here to see more Outer Space Men figures in Figure of the Day.

Click here to see more Glyos Compatible figures in Figure of the Day.