One thing that there’s no shortage of is San Diego Comic Con Exclusives.  It’s become a requirement for any company, no matter how big or how small, to have some sort of exclusive offering for the show each year. 

The Four Horsemen are a group of artists you should know well.  They’ve done some amazing work for companies like Mattel, where they worked on the Masters of the Universe line, the Batman comic line, DC Superheroes, and even the initial Harry Potter series.  This gang of four extremely talented artists met first at Mcfarlane Toys, where they produced some amazing stuff.

Just like you’d expect from a bunch of really creative people, the Four Horsemen came up with a new idea for this last summer’s SDCC.  They brought the fans and collectors into the process of creating an action figure, from the concept to completion, and called it the FANtastic Exclusive 2006.  At most of the steps in the process, including selecting the theme, the actual figure, and various other items, fans were allowed to vote on their favorites.  They helped set the direction and scope of the exclusive, and they were even rewarded by the Four Horsemen when the line was distributed.  Along with the SDCC exclusive, they produced several variants that were distributed by several of the major collector websites.

Tonight’s review covers the SDCC version, the minotaur (although he’s not, technically) called Xetheus.  He hails from a planet called Mynothecea – and he’s basically a big, mean heffer.

“Xetheus: Champion of Mynothecea”

 

 

Okay, that’s cool and all, but you didn’t know about the whole voting thing last year.  Never fear – they’re doing it again for 2007!  Voting has already begin for the overall theme of the exclusive, so head over to the website and let your voice be heard!

Packaging – ***
The Horsemen went with a traditional cardback/bubble package, but spiffed it up considerably with great Seventh Kingdom (the name of the in house line from which the Big X hails), along with the FANtastic logo.  There’s no wasted space, and the bubble and card are both quite compact.  A nice example of exclusive packaging that does the job, and looks good doing it.

 

  

Sculpting – ***1/2
If you’ve never thought the bovine branch of the farm animal tree was particularly tough, think again.  You know those bulls that run in the streets, chasing morons?  Xetheus here could have them for lunch, with a little steak sauce.

 

 

The detail work is excellent, with multiple textures to indicate various material and furry skin.  The various ABS and PVC plastics that were used work extremely well to mimic the boney horns, leathery clothing, and metal blades and armor.

The sculpt complements the articulation fairly well, and he stands great on his own even with the small hooves.  The hands are sculpted to hold the accessories, and work well with both large weapons.

The scale is around 7″, although he does seem just a hair on the small side for a cow in that scale.  I think he really fits in better with 6″ scaled human lines than the straight 7″ lines.  EDIT – yep, he should be considered really in a six inch scale, which as you can see from the final comparison photo, makes him quite a bit larger than a standard human in that scale, as you’d expect.

I do have one question though – why does everybody keep refering to this guy as a minotaur?  Minotaurs have the legs of a man, and old Xetheus here definitely does not.  He’s a bipedal bovine, something not seen in our ancient mythology.

Paint – ****
If there’s one thing better than the sculpt, it’s the paint.  As I’ve said many times, a great paint job can make even a mediocre sculpt shine, and when you put one on an excellent sculpt – as is the case here – you have the makings of a dynamite figure.

While the textures of the various parts are important to make them appear as though they are made of different materials, the real key is the paint.  To get the horns to look like horns, the blades to look like metal, or the loin cloth to look like material, it requires just the right application of paint.  They’ve done a fantastic job with this figure.  Notice I didn’t get all corny and say FANtastic?

Now there might be an issue for some folks with the basic pallette they chose. I’m betting blue won’t be everybodies cup of tea for your basic butt kickin’ bull, but there are the various other variants to choose from.  And you can rest assured that the technical application of the paint is top notch on all of them.

Articulation – ***
Xetheus has plenty of articulation, and almost all of it works in concert with the sculpt.  There’s the ball jointed neck, ball jointed shoulders, pin chest, cut waist, pin elbows, ball jointed wrists, ball jointed hips, double pin jointed knees, and ball jointed ankles. The ball joints at the shoulders and hips are the best kind, jointed on both sides of the ball and allowing for the maximum amount of articulation, and having ball joints at the wrists and ankles is just icing on the cake.

 

 

Most of the joints are tight, although I did have a little trouble with the ankles and knees.  Their weakness is probably due largelly to the weight of the body they are holding up.

Accessories – ***
There are three accessories, which for an exclusive is at least two more than we usually get.

 

 

Xetheus has two weapons – a very large double ended contraption that would turn his opponents into T-bones and Porterhouse cuts pretty quick, along with a smaller, one handed double bladed knife-like implement of death called the H-Blade. Both of these weapons are very reminiscent of Klingon like blades.

X can hold them great, and pose with them in some pretty deadly looking stances.  The weapon comes apart, and can be carried on his back in a nifty sculpted bull horn attachment.

He also comes with a third accessory, that looks an awful lot like a baby rattle to me.  I have no idea what it is, although I’m betting it attaches to him someplace… EDIT – thanks to the fine folks at 4H, I now know that it’s a totem symbolizing his deity, which is also represented on his chest plate and knee pads.  He’s a very religious cow.

Fun Factor – ***
While these are designed specifically as toys, you can certainly see that’s where they get their inpiration.  They are fairly sturdy, with the exception of a couple joints, and the accessories make them even more fun for kids in that 8 – 10 range.  Who doesn’t need a barnyard animal to battle the evil forces?

Value – ***
Most con exclusives are merely repaints of existing figures, and run around twenty bucks.  Here you get a new character, that was influenced by you (as long as you did your civic toy duty), with great sculpting and paint, along with good articulation and accessories.  What more could you ask for?

Things to Watch Out For –
Not much.  A couple of the joints are a little weak, but that’s about it.

 

 

Overall – ***1/2
Exclusives are like any other figure – there’s everything from the most awful crap to the finest craftsmanship.  When it’s a figure from the Horsemen, odds are good it’s closer to the amazing than the awful.  Xetheus is a very cool design, treated with real care and attention by a group of guys that clearly love their work.  Oh sure, it’s not some fancy smancy license of the hour, but it’s definitely creative.  And the addition of getting fan input really takes this exclusive a level above the majority.

Where to Buy –
Well, since this was a con exclusive (and the other five variants were all website exclusives at different sites), the options are a tad limited.  However, you can order this regular version direct from the Store Horseman (cute, huh?) for $20 plus shipping, or you can order the super limited (only 250) variant they just announced, The Royal Guard, also ONLY at the Store Horsemen.

Related Links
One of last year’s Four Horsemen SDCC exclusives was Commader Argus from their in house M.A.G.M.A. Corps line.  And of course, you want to get your vote in for next year’s FANtastic Exclusive.

 

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