Four Horsemen Studios dropped another Figura Obscura last weekend. This time around, we received two Gods of Ancient Egypt, Anubis and Bastet. Figura Obscura is always a bit of an impulse buy. They post a teaser and you’re ordering within 24 hours. Fortunately, The Horsemen have impeccable taste and I have yet to be disappointed with one of these releases. Did I plan on buying action figures of Egyptian Gods two weeks ago? Absolutely not. Yet, here we are and I couldn’t be happier!
The Horsemen always exceed in the detail work and this set highlights that perfectly. Even better, you don’t need to be an Egyptian studies major to appreciate what’s included as they’ve once again included a mini book that tells you everything you need to know.
This is the first Figura Obscura release to feature items from actual historical discoveries. That’s taking “It belongs in a museum” to a whole other level. Some of these artifacts can be seen on display at museums around the world, from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to the British Museum in London to The Met in New York. These versions might be small, but the level of detail The Horsemen have packed into such a small accessory is pretty remarkable. Each item is a work of art in and of itself. They’re really beautiful.
The figures themselves are equally exquisite. Every piece of jewelry has been meticulously painted, and we’re not talking about flat surfaces. Everything has texture. The nooks and crannies have nooks and crannies and they’re all cleanly painted with multiple applications. The subtle blues and blacks in Bastet’s cat head really pull you in and allow the gold accents to pop. Even the soft goods have some paint on them to match the weathering on the figure. They went so far as to pierce Bastet’s ears and gave her real metal earrings.
Both figures feature alternate heads, hands, and feet to convert them from animal to human, depending on what the situation calls for. The headdress limits the head articulation quite a bit, but you can still manage some dynamic poses. I’ll probably display them in a more static American Gothic pose on my shelf so I can appreciate them in all their glory.
The Horsemen announced we WILL return to Egypt at some point in the near future. Anubis and Bastet are just the beginning of a sub series of Figura Obscura featuring the Gods of Egypt. That’s some fertile ground for a studio with such big imaginations. I’d love to see their take on the falcon Horus. Seth was the God of chaos, violence, deserts and storms. Scholars can’t agree on what animal he was. That seems like a blank canvas to go crazy. There are a few remaining sets going up for sale TODAY (5/24/24) at 11am EST. If you’re interested in possible future offerings, you may want to grab a set of these for yourself or suffer secondary market prices down the road.
I can’t stress how beautiful these figures are. These are the first figures my wife actually admitted to liking. That’s a compliment. If there’s more of this to come, I’ll need to start working on an Egyptian wing of The Cap Cave.
