June 13, 2006
FOUR HORSEMEN UNVEIL FIVE MINOTAUR SOLDIERS EXCLUSIVES!

As we mentioned in previous posts and press releases, we’ve teamed up with five different partners in order to bring you lots more Minotaur goodness via FANtastic Exclusive 2006! The waiting has gone on long enough and now we’re releasing images of those five exclusive Minotaur Soldiers!

The 7th Kingdom’s Xetheus: Champion of Mynothecea now has help, and that help comes in the form of his five most fearsome and trusted allies, the Mynothecean Soldiers!

Emerging from the flaming depths beneath Mynothecea steps Raving Toy Maniac’s red-furred warlord, the “Defender of the Fiery Crater”!
Lurking in the darkest shadows of the Mynothecean caverns is Figures.com’s gray creature of the catacombs, the “Keeper of the Black Labyrinth”!
Watching over the mysterious and forbidden corners of Mynothecea stands Action Figure Xpress’s black beast, the “Guardian of the Dark Outland”!
Upon the mountainous horizon, ever vigilant of his green domain waits Big Bad Toy Store’s noble soldier, the “Sentinel of the Woodland Forest”!
And from the most desolate and dangerous frozen reaches of Mynothecea comes Toyfare Magazine’s white warrior, the “Protector of the Icy Tundra”!

These exclusives will be available to the public for pre-order through each of the websites mentioned above on July 19th, 2006 for $20.00 each, plus shipping and handling charges.

All five of the Minotaur Soldiers exclusives will come with a removable helmet, a war hammer, a spear/halberd with a war banner attachment, and all five will feature the same impressive amount of articulation as their leader Xetheus - with the added bonus of an articulated jaw!

Each exclusive is limited to only 250 pieces each, so be sure to get in there and get them all while you can!

Plus, everyone who’s a registered member of the FANtastic Exclusive message boards by 11:59pm on Monday, June 12th will have the special limited opportunity to pre-order Xetheus and all five of these exclusive Minotuar Soldiers days before anyone else by using a special “members only” password!

Also new to FANtastic Exclusive.com are exclusive photos of the Minotaur Soldiers, new production photos - including just received test shots and painted samples, and the early stages of voting for FANtastic Exclusive 2007 which is going on RIGHT NOW!

We just got the test shots in (A “test shot” is a rough production casting of the toy to be used in approvals processes – they usually don’t have any paint yet. These were cast in solid black as you can see in the photos), and we’re really happy with the way things are coming along. Also, check out the paint detail in that first painted sample! It’s amazing! They’ve nailed every minute detail at half the original size!

FANtastic Exclusive! Keeping action figure fans in a constant state of toygasm!

June 06, 2006
FANtastic Exclusive 2007 Round One Vote

Four Horsemen Toy Design's FANtastic Exclusive returns for 2007!

Response from action figure fans over FANtastic Exclusive 2006 has been so tremendous that we have decided to begin anew with the project for 2007!

From the beginning of FANtastic Exclusive 2006, the we¹ve planned to utilize the project to be a launching pad for new properties. Even though the 7th Kingdom and other Four Horsemen owned properties are currently in the early stages of development, we still think it¹s important to continue to involve action figure fans in the creation of action figures for their properties as much as possible.

In less than 2 months our fan inclusive project, FANtastic Exclusive 2006 (http://www.FANtasticExclusive.com) will come to an official close with the sale of The 7th Kingdom¹s " Xetheus: Champion of Mynothecea" action figure and the opportunity to pre-order five different Minotaur exclusives.

Between now and then, we want to get the ball rolling on FANtastic Exclusive 2007, and once again we want you to help out. This time action figure fans will have the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the project by deciding which direction the project will go from the start.

The first official vote for FANtastic Exclusive 2007 will decide whether you think the property "The 7th Kingdom" should continue into the next rounds of voting, or whether we should go in a completely different direction.

This could be the most important time to come to the FANtastic Forums and discuss in detail your thoughts. The questions and your comments on our message boards will help us to sift through a complicated group of issues and address everyone¹s desires. Be sure to cast your vote and get involved on the message boards to let everyone know what you really think.

FANtastic Exclusive 2007! ­ The fans are back in business!

May 20th, 2006
FANtastic Exclusive 2006 expands!

Our fan based project, FANtastic Exclusive 2006 (http:// www.FANtasticExclusive.com) is growing to include five troop-building variants of the fan selected Minotaur character!

It all started with this website where fans could visit and vote on the different aspects of choosing and creating an action figure. Fans eventually chose and helped to design the 7th Kingdom’s hulking Minotaur character “Xetheus: Champion of Mynothecea” to represent FANtastic Exclusive 2006. Xetheus will be available for purchase at both the 2006 San Diego Comic Con at NECA’s booth and through the our own FANtastic Exclusive 2006 website. Now, due to a tremendous amount of fan response, Xetheus is getting some allies.

We are honored to be partnering up with five different toy related websites and magazines to make this happen! Each of the five partners will be selling their own version of a Minotaur Soldier, and each version’s production run will be limited to only 250!

The Minotaur Soldiers exclusives will be sold for $20.00 each - not including taxes, shipping and handling charges. They will be available through each partner’s own website, and will be made available for pre-order on July 19th, 2006 – the first night (Preview Night) of the San Diego Comic Con.

The five partners involved with the project and their individual Minotaur Soldiers are:

PROTECTOR of the ICY TUNDRA (Toyfare Magazine - www.toyfare.com)

SENTINEL of the WOODLAND FOREST (Big Bad Toy Store – www.bigbadtoystore.com)

DEFENDER of the FIERY CRATER (Raving Toy Maniac - www.Toymania.com)

GUARDIAN of the DARK OUTLAND (Action Figure Xpress - www.actionfigurexpress.com)

KEEPER of the BLACK LABYRINTH (Figures.com - www.figures.com)

These aren’t going to be your average, everyday, run-of-the-mill, repainted variants. Each Minotaur Soldier exclusive will have a removable helmet, and different armor details and accessories than Xetheus. Not to mention a newly sculpted head with an articulated jaw!

Be sure to keep stopping by the website to check out more information and photos of Xetheus and to be the first to get an eyeful in a few weeks when the Minotaur Soldier exclusives are all revealed!

FANtastic Exclusive 2006. Geekin’ out’s a good thing!

May 16, 2006
Xetheus: Champion of Minothecea Bust

So, although the voting for the FANtastic Exclusive 2006 action figure is finished, a new round of voting is opening up, and once again we want your input.

The production run, cost, and paint detail on the Xetheus bust would depend on the overall interest in the piece. Therefore in order to gauge just how many of these items we would possibly make, we ask that you vote in the latest poll and be as definitive as possible in your answers and your responses on the message boards. Short of actually setting up a pre-order for the bust, this will be the most accurate way for us to judge the final outcome.

The bust would be produced at it's original 2-up scale making it about 9.5" tall - including the base, and would fit in quite well with our previous Masters of the Universe bust releases. Depending on response and interest in the piece, the Xetheus bust would either be produced in a "faux bronze" finish or in full color. In either case, the base of the bust would sport a nice, gloss-black finish. The images shown are examples of how the finished busts might appear.

It¹s not too late to get involved. This is a great opportunity to commemorate your behind the scenes involvement in what could be a small slice of action figure history.

FANtastic Exclusive 2006. Where your opinion still matters. Vote Today!

May 2nd, 2006
FANtastic Exclusive no longer quite as “exclusive”!

As voting in Round 6 of FANtastic Exclusive (http://www.FANtasticExclusive.com) draws to a close, it’s clear that opinions in this round of voting are pretty heavily one-sided.

This round of voting focused on the availability and exclusivity of the 7 th Kingdom: Minotaur figure being created as the exclusive item for FANtastic Exclusive 2006.

The winning answers beat out the losing answers by nearly 200 votes in each poll! Below are the poll questions and the results:

The resounding vote was “YES”. So, we’re going to make the Minotaur figure available through the FANtastic Exclusive website for a limited time only. The cost will be the same as it will be at Comic Con, with a nominal shipping & handling fee added. Now you don’t have to wait in huge convention lines to get a piece of the action! We’ll be posting more information about how you can order your 7 th Kingdom: Minotaur figure through the FANtastic Exclusive website soon.

Being the generous toy fanatics that you are, you voted “NO” - that registered FANtastic Exclusive board members should not be the only ones who should have the opportunity to order the Minotaur. Again, the vote was heavily skewed in this direction.

Once again, it was a landslide win in the direction of “YES”. Even though it wasn’t part of the our original plan, because of the results of this vote, we’re seeking out all possible alternative solutions to make this happen and to ensure that the Minotaur figure sees wider release. Big news on this coming soon.

The sad thing is that this round brings the voting for FANtastic Exclusive 2006 to a close. This is a little earlier than we had originally anticipated closing out the rounds of voting, but due to cost and time restraints, package design and things of that nature will have to be handled by us in order for production of the product to move along quickly and smoothly.

We would like to thank everyone who voted in this and previous polls. You really have made our job easier by making these decisions for us.

But there is also a happy side to all of this. Within the next couple of weeks, you’re going to be hammered with lots of images and information about the 7 th Kingdom: Minotaur – the figure YOU helped to design and create!

Not only that, but since voting for FANtastic Exclusive 2006 is finished, it’s time for us to begin preliminary rounds of FANtastic Exclusive 2007! What will this be? Well, once again YOU’LL be making those decisions! Be sure to keep checking back at FANtastic Exclusive.com to get in on the ground level!

FANtastic Exclusive – Where fans really do make the difference!

We¹ve been getting a lot of requests to make the FANtastic Exclusive 2006:
7th Kingdom Minotaur figure available at other possible outlets besides just
the 2006 San Diego Comic Con.

Well, just like most of the other aspects of FANtastic Exclusive, we¹re
going to put this up to a vote. You tell us.

Should we make the Minotaur figure available for purchase through the
FANtastic Exclusive website as well as Comic Con? Should registered members
of the FANtastic Exclusive message boards be the only people allowed to
order the Minotaur through the website? Should we seek out other venues in
which to release the Minotaur action figure?

It¹s three simple 'yes or no' questions. Simple enough, right? Just go over
to the Round 6 voting section to let us know what you think.

Although voting in Four Horsemen Toy Design's (http://www.FourHorsemen.biz) round 5 of FANtastic Exclusive (http://www.FANtasticExclusive.com) is moving along briskly, the round is coming to an earlier close than was originally planned. There are 2 reasons for this really.

First, the winning secondary weapon in this round of voting is SO far ahead of the other contenders in this round that there¹s just no real chance of any of the others taking over the lead.

Second, the easy decision for a winner in this round allows the Four Horsemen to move forward a little more quickly and get the fabrication for this weapon started a little sooner. That way production starts a little sooner, and things usually end up going more smoothly all around.

So, without further delay, the winner of FANtastic Exclusive round 5 voting is.(insert drumroll here).the infamous H-Blade!

It¹s an unusual weapon to say the least, but the Four Horsemen were really were surprised that the H-Blade garnered so commanding a lead over all of the other possible secondary weapons! The H-Blade beat out its¹ next closest competitor by nearly double the votes!

The next step for FANtastic Exclusive 2006 will be announced soon, but in the meantime, be sure to stop over at the FANtastic Features section (http://www.fantasticexclusive.com/intro.html) to check out the progress of the Minotaur figure!

The daily progress photos are now up to Day 10 and will be updated regularly from here on out. If you ever wanted an insiders' look at just how an action figure is produced from start to finish, here¹s your chance!

FANtastic Exclusive 2006. Your boss may crack the whip at your job, but at our job YOU wield the H-Blade!

January 21 , 2006

FANtastic Exclusive 2006 round 5 voting is here!

In round 4 of voting, you had the chance to pick your favorite styles of articulation for the 7 th Kingdom: Minotaur figure. As voting for round 4 winds down and we continue to tabulate those votes, it’s time to get voting for round 5 rolling!

Don’t worry, the Minotaur figure will come with the same double-headed axe accessory that he wields in the original design drawing, a secondary, hand-based weapon accessory will also be included. And YOU get the chance to choose which weapon it’s going to be.

Just pop inside and cast your vote to pick one of six unique weapons on display. While there, be sure to drop in on the FANtastic Forums message boards to join the discussions, and don’t forget to check out the newest section of the website – FANtastic Features!

In the FANtastic Features section you get an insider’s view on how action figures are produced from start to finish – including photos and lots of informative text!

This time YOU’RE running the show - FANtastic Exclusive 2006!

December 18, 2005

FANtastic Exclusive round three voting has been decided! In a landslide decision over two thirds of the voters chose to have the winning figure produced in a six inch scale. That will put the Minotaur figure at around seven inches to be in correct scale with a six inch line.

Of course the end of round three can only mean the beginning of round four. On December 18, 2005 Round 4 voting will officially be opened. This round will give voters the chance to choose the type of articulation that they want to see on their figure. Things will be a little different in this round because the way things are set up this vote will decide a few things at once. Not only will you be deciding the number of points of articulation, but also what type of joint that each of these points consists of.

As if round four voting wasn¹t enough this week will also be the premiere of our first online feature, FANtastic Feature: Volume 1! We will be giving a behind the scenes look at some of the early designs and sketches that helped the shape the Seventh Kingdom characters shown on the site. This will be the first of many features including sculpture progress shots that will be appearing in the very near future.

As always we encourage you to stop by and share your in opinions in more specific detail in the forums. We will be checking it on a regular basis, so please come and share your ideas and opinions. In some respects what we read in the forums is as important as the vote itself when we are trying to get a feel for what you guys are looking for in the end. Once again this is a project designed to let you guys, the hardcore fans, make the big decisions, so please spread the word and make your opinion count!

It’s not to late to change the ways toys are made. Come by www.fantasticexclusive.com and get things done your way.

Four Horsemen announce winning character in FANtastic Exclusive 2006 Round 2 voting!

First of all, our apologies go out to all of the FANtastic Exclusive fans who've been waiting patiently for the 2nd round to end and the 3rd round to begin. Both our webmaster, Jan, and us have been severely bogged down with other deadlines the past couple of weeks, so the timeframe of FANtastic Exclusive suffered slightly. We're getting things back on track now though. Read on....

Round 2 voting for FANtastic Exclusive 2006 is closed (well, you can still place votes until this Friday on the website, but they won¹t be counted)!

The first round of fan voting revealed the winning choice from the 6 new possible properties to be the property known as '7th Kingdom'. To take a look at the synopsis and images from '7th Kingdom', as well as the other 5 FANtastic Exclusive properties, please come inside.

The 2nd round of voting centered around six of the denizens of the '7th Kingdom' universe. One of the characters would be chosen, again by fan voting, to go on to be represented in 3-D as the FANtastic Exclusive 2006 Action Figure.

You spoke up. You gave us your votes. Your opinions matter. The winning '7th Kingdom' character from the second round of voting is the ANIMAL WARRIOR: THE MINOTAUR!!

Here¹s the way that voting went from most popular to least popular: The Animal Warrior, The Elemental Warlord, The Human General, The Alien Shaman, The Machine Overlord, and last but not least ­ The Mutant Thug.

The voting really amazed us! Some of our favorite characters didn¹t do as well as we¹d expected, but this time you guys are the bosses.

The Elemental Warlord ran a VERY close race with the Animal Warrior, staying within a dozen votes for most of the voting period. But in the last couple of weeks voting spiked and the Animal Warrior pulled ahead by nearly 30 votes. Still very close, but clearly we had a winner. We¹ll definitely keep this in mind for future possibilities.

As for the next round of voting? Round 3 voting will be crossed over with Round 4.

In round 3, which should start this Friday - October 28th, you¹ll be asked to vote for your preference in scales. Do you prefer the 6' scale of Mattel¹s MotU action figure line? How about the 3 3/4' scale of a Microman or Star Wars figure? Or are you an 'old-schooler' who¹d rather see things done in a classic 8' Mego scale or even a 12' G.I. Joe scale? Now¹s your chance to let us know. We¹ll have multiple choices for you. You just pick one.

Our plan is to have Round 4 voting start the following week, and continue alongside round 3 voting. Round 4 will be your chance to let us know what type of articulation is your favorite, and how many points of articulation you¹d prefer. This round of voting will be a little different than previous rounds, but we¹ll get more into that aspect of it as voting time gets nearer.

Also, within the timeframe of voting rounds 4 & 5, we¹re going to begin to build our FANtastic Features section! This will show how each stage of the process was done. From the initial design elements, all the way up to the finished product. Not only will there be images, but we¹ll also include text explaining the process as thoroughly as possible, step by step.

If you haven¹t voted yet, what¹s stopping you? Get in here, and let your voice be heard!

FANtastic Exclusive 2006. Emphasis on the FAN!

FOUR HORSEMEN TOY DESIGN

http://www.FANtasticExclusive.com
http://www.FourHorsemen.biz
http://www.MagmaCORPS.com

September 16, 2005

VOTE NOW! The next phase of FANtastic Exclusive 2006 voting is up and running!

The winning property, 'The 7th Kingdom' won by a landslide! The 7th Kingdom received nearly double the number of votes as it's nearest competitor, and almost half of the total votes placed!

Being clearly the favorite property amongst voters, 6 characters were chosen from The 7th Kingdom's storyline to represent each of the six factions warring for control over the seventh remaining realm, and are now ready to be seen and voted on.

While you're here, feel free to join in on the various discussions on the forums.

One of these characters will continue on to become the FANtastic Exclusive. It's up to you to tell us who that character will be. You're on the clock. Get to work!

FOUR HORSEMEN