October Toys Outlandish Mini Figure Guys (OMFG) Series 4 Minifigures October Toys, 2015
Day #1,240: August 5, 2015
Outlandish Mini Figure Guys Series 4 Fossil Freak, Wooly Wisp, Tree Witched, Bullseye, The Siren
Outlandish Mini Figure Guys (OMFG) Series 4
Item No.: n/a Manufacturer:October Toys Includes:5 figures Action Feature:n/a Retail:$10.00 Availability: July 2015 Other: Available in multiple colors, of which we have not seen yet
It's been a while. Outlandish Mini Figure Guys Series 4 are here after what feels like a very long break, as the last series hit my mailbox in October of 2013. Series 5 has yet to make it to Kickstarter, but the winners have been selected so we know who it'll be. But we're not worried about them yet - we have to look at these guys first. The set coloring is pinker than previous series, and #3 was the pinkest so far. It still doesn't quite match the intended M.U.S.C.L.E. color, but at least it's a decent color. For those paying attention, the intention of this line is an amazing one - the October Toys forum held a contest to vote on the five best original slug figure designs. The intent (which wasn't actually always kept) was to make a simple figure with no glued-on parts and have the line more or less top-to-bottom designed, made, and voted on by the community. On the whole they nailed it, minus the whole "one piece" part. With rising costs, this may be a problem for future series... but some of these guys are simple single-piece figures.
I don't remember any real controversy over voting with ties and whatnot here, but there were a few development snags on the way, particularly as costs go. For example, the set was no longer $10 shipped to supporters. On the other hand, another "stretch goal" figure was added to the mix and that's a plus.
I was pretty stoked to see The Siren win. Corwin Webb's design was sculpted by George Gaspar, and there's a lot of tiny detail here - a little anchor hangs from the boat, and the sea witch motif carries anchors as trophies on her hands and on the back of her head. Her crown seems to be at least partially made of broken ships, but the boat in her hand is phenomenal. It's so tiny, but there's a little flag and a skull on it. Tiny portholes can be seen on the side, and a very simple deck may be viewed when you look down. And that's just one tiny part of the figure.
The 1 3/4-inch figure itself has a scaley tail as well as a pretty decent body - the proportions aren't too nutty, and the belly button is difficult to see unless the light hits it just right. The hair is sort of flat, and the face is a lot more in line with those classic M.U.S.C.L.E. figures. Mr. Gaspar's sculpt seems to carry the "simple" part nicely - it's all one piece of plastic, and it looks great. It has no markings identifying a manufacturer or sculptor that I could notice.
Next up is the dinosaur bone zombie ceratopsian Fossil Freak, sculpted by October Toys' own George Gaspar based on a design by Michael Stearns. He's pretty big and packed with textures. Skin, bone, and rotting flesh are all visible in this not-quite-a-zombie dinosaur creature.
This one is about 2-inches tall at the height of his frill, but the detail! Oh, the detail. The right arm is exposed bone. The head is cracked open with a bit of brain. You can see his tongue, eye sockets, and even the bottoms of his feet and hand are sculpted with wrinkles and creases. It's a good demo of how many textures you can cram in a single figure, and it's worth noting it - like all of the figures - stands easily and requires no special balancing or bending to keep upright.
The biggest figure in the set is basically the evilest plant in the box with Tree Witched. The creature was designed by MudMarox and sculpted by GormTransMonster... and boy howdy is he thick. This one is complicated, with more cuts and separate pieces. It looks like the craggy head is a separate cut, and the arms appear to be glued in place as well. It's very creepy, with a wicked squint and wooden fangs plus a haunted house on his shoulder. Maybe it's the Phantom Shithouse from Series 1 - I can't say for sure.
The feet are flat, but the body itself is loaded with knotty detailing. You can see rings at the bottom of his body, with visible holes from where other limbs used to be. In pink the tips of the body look a little like coral, but it's hard to not be impressed by the gnarled wood and its imposing presence. This one would have made a fantastic "mega" figure, were such a thing to ever exist.
Having been up for a vote before, Bullseye has been sculpted before with different takes based on the art of Tom Khayos and Ana Bruja-Khayos, but the final, simplified sculpt was by George Gaspar. An eyeball has a toupee with horns and a tail, plus hairy legs with cloven hooves. It's quite striking, and this one would have absolutely benefitted from paint were such a thing feasible. Most of his height is the horns, otherwise he'd only be about an inch high.
This one actually has some extra work done on the bottom of his feet, allowing him to leave prints in the dirt were you to take advantage of such a thing. He's covered in wrinkly skin with hints of hair on the legs, plus the tail is, of course, quite hairy. The horns are pointy but soft, so hopefully nobody will get impaled on them. It's a striking design, and a great monster for this all-monster set.
Rounding out the set was the very impressive Wooly Wisp, designed and scultped by Billy Parker. In voting, a painted sample was shown so it looked incredible. A dark creature with bright eyes looks a lot different than an unpainted pink figure, but it's still a shaggy sight with exquisite detailing.
At under 1 1/2-inches tall, he's easily one of the shorter figures in this line. It appears one of his legs is glued in place, but you probably won't notice unless you squint because the furry detailing covers his entire body and masks the seams. Each eye bugs out from his hairy head, and his fuzzy paws have meaty fingers coming out from each hand. The tree-toed feet have claws on each one, making this another fine monster this increasingly creep-filled line.
This is a great set- potentially the greatest since the first. If you've been buying these and didn't burn out on all the variant colorways, go run out and order one for ten bucks now. It's worth it. As the line grows I find myself wishing I had some sort of display shadow box for this line, perhaps I'll find one on Craigslist. But I digress. These figures fill the promise of the whole "designer toy" thing by giving you a sampling of creative, weird designs at a price that won't make people want to punch you. Ten bucks for five figures is a steal, and I keep buying these because I'd feel like a chump if I didn't. I need to find better ways to display them, but I guess that's what the tops of computer monitors are for. Snag 'em if you see 'em.
--Adam Pawlus
Additional Images
Additional OMFG Series 4 Kickstarter Packet Images
Note: Normally, the set of carded OMFG figures will be sold with just a red cardback with 5 figures inside. Kickstarter supporters, depending on their pledge level, were treated to an oversized art postcard as well as a folded poster, a sticker, and possibly bonus Brainwave figures. I elected to get the $25 level with black and flesh Brainwave figures, plus a bonus black set which is exclusive to Kickstarter.
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It's been a while. Outlandish Mini Figure Guys Series 4 are here after what feels like a very long break, as the last series hit my mailbox in October of 2013. Series 5 has yet to make it to Kickstarter, but the winners have been selected so we know who it'll be. But we're not worried about them yet - we have to look at these guys first. The set coloring is pinker than previous series, and #3 was the pinkest so far. It still doesn't quite match the intended M.U.S.C.L.E. color, but at least it's a decent color. For those paying attention, the intention of this line is an amazing one - the October Toys forum held a contest to vote on the five best original slug figure designs. The intent (which wasn't actually always kept) was to make a simple figure with no glued-on parts and have the line more or less top-to-bottom designed, made, and voted on by the community. On the whole they nailed it, minus the whole "one piece" part. With rising costs, this may be a problem for future series... but some of these guys are simple single-piece figures.
