Series 3

Welcome back to the world of Outlandish Mini Figure Guys. The first series of OMFG figures was a big success, and the creators went right back to Kickstarter for another go-round. Series 2 was pretty well garbage though, with only two figures that were really must-haves (Shirtle and Puke Knight, for those keeping score at home), one that was the OMFG logo given legs, and another that was the October Toys logo (you probably don't recognize the name: they're the people behind the OMFG concept; which makes that toy - "Grimm Gourd" - the equivalent of [noted vanity project] Sure Fire). Anyway, Series 3 is going back in the right direction, so they got my money again. We start with the most "MUSCLE-y" of the group, Barbarianaut. Created by Charles Marsh, Barbarianaut could fit right into the classic '80s wrestling-themed line. The name isn't the greatest, but this is my toy, I can name him whatever I want: thus, he is no long Barbarianaut, and is instead "Astrogoth the Starbarian!" Zam! Astrogoth the Starbarian is wearing a rather normal pressure suit, but but accessorized it with a furry loincloth, an axe and a shield. The horns on his helmet look like something out of Heavy Metal, and the details on his space suit have just the right level of Zeerust technology to be endearing. Astrogoth! The Starbarian! "What if Krang rode around in a box instead of a robot?" Fruit Punch, that's what. Scott Tolleson's design is the smallest figure in this series - it's just a tiny rectangular box with a bendy straw in the top, and arms and legs poking out in the appropriate places. His creepy, squishy face emerges from the front of the carton. He's wearing boxing gloves (because "Punch" - or alternately, "Juice Boxer") and thick shoes. The "FRUIT PUNCH" lettering on the front is raised; ditto the letters "OMFG" on the back. There appears to be some kind of pseudo-barcode back there, too. The sculpting is very nice, with folded edges and just a few wrinkles to keep Fruit Punch from being visually "flat." Jonathan Wojcik designed Dr. Decay, a truly fearsome-looking monster. At first, a skeletal mushroom man may seem redundant, but remember: the Crawdad Kid only looked exactly like a mushroom, he wasn't supposed to be one. Dr. Decay really does appear to just be a skeleton that has piles of fungus that have congealed around him to fake the look of anatomy around the shins and forearms (like the fur on the Goons in Popeye). Actually... those hip bones are awfully wide... am I displaying gender bias by referring to Dr. Decay as "he?" Weaves can be doctors now, right? Good for them! Her giant hat comes down low enough to cover the entire face above the teeth, and she appears to be holding a mushroom-capped staff, but she's not: upon closer inspection, that's just a stick to prop up the asymmetrical overgrowth of the hat. Gross! The next character is Pugnacious, as designed by Bill MacKay (and called "Puggernaut" on the original drawing, for unknown reasons). He's like a combination of the two main characters from Battlepug - namely, the nameless barbarian warrior and the giant dog he rides. Two barbarians in one series? If these lineups weren't chosen by popular vote, we'd wonder what kind of theme OMFG was aiming for (he's actually inspired by McKay's real-life dog, Conan). Pugnacious is mostly humanoid, with three-fingered hands and big generically "animal" feet. He has a little curly tail poking out of his fur underwear, and of course there's a dog head. He's got nipple rings, because nothing says "fearsome warrior of the wastelands" like a piece of jewelry from the Piercing Pagoda. To complete the ensemble, the center of his belt features a cat skull. Cute touch! And finally, we've got the star of Series 3, TenCan. This one's a team effort: the concept was by Richard Brown, but it was designed by Nikolos Sardos. The name doesn't make much sense, but the design is pretty cool. This is a monster that lives inside a trash can, but it's not Oscar the Grouch. More like a dianoga, really. There are tentacles bursting out the sides of the can like arms, a single shoe (that appears to still have a foot in it), and a peg leg. The lid is lifted so an eye on a stalk can poke up, and a second eye peering out through a hole in the can. There's goop sculpted under the lid, a splash of something running down the back, and a banana peel hanging over the left hand side. There's a ton of personality in this design. Good work! The OMFG figures range in size from 1⅜" to just under 2" tall, and have no points of articulation. The pink used for Series 3 is the same used for Series 1, so it doesn't quite match MUSCLE, but it's close. After a supremely disappointing second series, OMFG came back strong with Series 3. Hopefully the Series 4 designs will maintain this level of quality, rather than backsliding. -- 11/10/13

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