{"id":5217,"date":"2010-05-03T06:07:24","date_gmt":"2010-05-03T11:07:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=5217"},"modified":"2012-04-18T21:46:20","modified_gmt":"2012-04-19T02:46:20","slug":"who-are-the-outer-space-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=5217","title":{"rendered":"Truetorial:
Who are The Outer Space Men?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This weekend, the Four Horsemen announced the acquisition of their first license, The Outer Space Men. The 4H provided some images of the figures in the line and, as usual, amazed us with their work. While we were looking at all the pretty pictures though, we realized we weren\u2019t quite sure what we were looking at. Who were The Outer Space Men? We didn\u2019t have much more than a passing awareness of them, so we hit the books. And what we found out only made the 4H versions more awesome. <\/p>\n

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How old are The Outer Space Men?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The OSM were conceived by Mel Birnkrant and released by Colorforms Corporation in 1968. Now, we at IAT thrive in a world of toy nostalgia, but The Outer Space Men were largely unknown to most of us. I\u2019m turning thirty this year, and the OSM figures came and went over a decade before I was born. For my part, I didn’t know about them until a member of our forums<\/a> brought them to my attention a few days ago and one of my collaborators was able to expound on this “new to me” toy line. I’d like to think I have a good knowledge of old toys, but these guys are older than Stretch Armstrong & Big Jim, from before Lite Brites & Spirographs. Heck, The Outer Space Men had been around the block before anyone thought of the Pet Rock! That’s serious street cred.<\/p>\n

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What are The Outer Space Men?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The origin seems simple enough. In the sixties, space wasn’t the cold, lifeless place we know it as today. It was red hot. NASA was working its way to the Moon and every one seemed to have space fever. Space exploration was influencing everything: film, music, literature, comics, fashion, food, and yes, toys. Hasbro sent G.I. Joe into space. Mattel made their first attempt to crash into the boy\u2019s market with Major Matt Mason<\/a>. And The Outer Space Men were introduced by\u2026 the Colorforms Corporation?<\/p>\n

Yep, Colorforms. If you\u2019ve never had a set, Colorforms are essentially reusable vinyl stickers that you apply to a backdrop to create your own scenes. Throughout their sixty-year existence they\u2019ve been available in a variety of licenses. I remember a cool Batman set that featured Super Powers art.*. If you\u2019re not sure if you\u2019ve played with one, you probably have.<\/p>\n

* – Must… resist… urge to check eBay…<\/em><\/p>\n

But long before I picked up my first Colorforms set in the late eighties, there were the Colorforms Aliens, a.k.a. The Outer Space Men.<\/p>\n

The first wave of figures featured characters from the different planets in our Solar System. Mercury & Earth representatives were excluded from the first wave, though it could be said that Mattel\u2019s Major Matt Mason was ostensibly the Earth agent. Placing Matt next to the OSM, it\u2019s clear they were intended to be compatible with the space adventurer. In interviews, Birnkrant even states that a Mason figure was used to help promote the OSM line.<\/p>\n

Now, I generally believe that toys have gotten better throughout the years. DC Classics & MOTU Classics are dream toy lines. And just yesterday, I was stoked to hear that a 25th Anniversary Low-Light was shown at JoeCon. I\u2019ll be buying. But looking back on the old toys, I have to pay tribute to one thing they tend to have over their modern counter parts: creativity.<\/p>\n

What I mean is, updated toys, while being overall better in my opinion, generally have to borrow the creativity from their old counterparts. I just picked up a pristine vintage Sy-Klone on Thursday. Looking at him on my desk, I think two things: one, the 4H-sculpted MOTU Classics figure is going to blow him out the water in terms of construction and playability*. But, two, it will be an update of this imaginative design from twenty-five years ago. While the modern figures live up to my expectations, it’s really the creativity of the vintage figures that capture my imagination.<\/p>\n

* – By He, he’ll be the first Sy-Klone figure to have working\/articulated shoulder joints…<\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s what happened to me while researching for this article. I know that the 4H will wonderfully execute the modern versions of these characters, but the life they have, the creativity involved, will go back to their very roots. I saw it while researching this article. I don\u2019t find that many old action figures to swoon over, but looking back at the OSM originals\u2026 well, this is clich\u00e9, but I\u2019ll say it anyway. Mel Birnkrant was ahead of his time.<\/p>\n

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Who are The Outer Space Men?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The first wave consisted of seven figures: Alpha 7 (Mars), Astro-Nautilus (Neptune), Commander Comet (Venus), Colossus Rex (Jupiter), Electron+ (Pluto), Orbitron (Uranus), Xodiac (Saturn). Each figure had a unique look and size, included a character specific accessory, and had an official bio. <\/p>\n

I’ll post some links at the end of the article so you can see the old toys up close, but strange as it sounds, I most enjoyed their mixture of uniformity and uniqueness. The overall look, with the accordion like joints, is out of necessity for the bendy figures to work and matches in style to the Matt Mason figures. But after that overall design is in place, the seven figures go in wildly different directions. Being familiar with the Glyos system*, it will be interesting to see how the unique looks are incorporated into the final product.<\/p>\n

* – More on that in a minute…<\/em><\/p>\n

Another aspect that really struck me was the hope and open-endedness conveyed in each of the bios. Maybe it\u2019s just because I’m still rationalizing the complicatedness of Keldor\u2019s struggle against oppression or that the 6\u201d War Machine\u2019s card back had a small movie spoiler on it, but I find myself really enjoying the possibilities for these guys. The OSM could have easily been conceived as villains for Matt Mason and maybe they were by some kids, but they didn\u2019t have to be. They could be just about anyone you wanted them to be.<\/p>\n

The bios range from telling us that Xodiac \u201ccan tune his Staff to play upon the great rings\u201d of Saturn, to letting us know that the very Greco Commander Comet visited the Grecian Isles millennia ago.* Colossus Rex’s bio is hopeful that’s he a good guy because he’s rather large and menacing, not to mention invincible. Birnkrant says that these bios were written as a quick afterthought, but they\u2019re impressive nonetheless. I wonder if the modern takes, if they receive updated bios, will be similarly free. <\/p>\n

* – Leaving us to wonder what impact he might have had on the ancient humans he met in the OSM universe.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sadly, the second wave of OSM was never to be. The moon was conquered in 1969 and apparently found lacking. For a time, space became less and less interesting and its influence over pop culture waned. Even a name change from The Outer Space Men to World of the Future was not enough to drive interest in a second assortment. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

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It’s sad, because the second set seems to have been even better than the first. In addition to giving Mercury a representative, it would have included counterparts to many of the previous figures and expanded the places the figures called home like the Hollow Earth or the 4th Dimension. Again, the figures were to receive character specific accessories and individual bios.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The second wave was scheduled to include: Cyclops the Giant from Beyond the Milky Way, Gamma X the Man from the 4th Dimension, Gemini the Man from the Twin Star Algol, Inferno the Flame Man of Mercury, Metamorpho the Man from Alpha Centauri, and Mystron the Man from Hollow Earth.<\/p>\n

One of the standouts from wave two is already slated to get a 4H figure right off the bat: Metamorpho. As a DC fan, I’m familiar with their slightly older character, but this toy doesn’t have much in common with him. Really, he’s best described as a pre-MOTU, pre-Big Jim, Man-E-Faces. A few of the figures in the second wave had a gimmick like glowing in the dark or light-up action. Metamorpho had three faces that could be changed by spinning a dial on top of his head, a feature that was incorporated into a handful of other figures in the ensuing years. In Metamorpho’s bio, it’s revealed that he travels to different planets and assimilates their culture by changing his appearance to that of a local. Even more interesting, he’s been doing this for so long, he’s forgotten what his real face looks like. Yeah, expect to see a Metamorpho review here at IAT.<\/p>\n

After the second wave went unproduced, OSM went into hibernation until Star Wars revitalized interest in the genre. Colorforms had been one of the many companies to pass on Star Wars and was looking to try and get something out of the missed opportunity. Birnkrant, still with the company, proposed the return of his Outer Space Men. They sort of made a comeback, now branded as Space Warriors, but only as a Colorforms set and a few jigsaw puzzles. Reading the comments around the web, this brief resurgence seems to have stoked the fires for a second generation of OSM fans. Many seem to remember the Colorforms set if not the toys that were depicted. <\/p>\n

After that brief reintroduction, the franchise again fell into obscurity, existing only as pricey collectibles traded among the fans who were in the know. Until now. <\/p>\n

With the Four Horsemen resurrecting this property, we have a ton of questions that we hope the 4H will be answering before too long. How soon will we see all thirteen characters? Will the 4H get to stretch their own talents with the possibility for new characters? Metamorpho displays three alien heads, none of which are copies of another figure in the line. That’s the beginnings of three figures right there. Will the figures continue to be in pairs (one from series one, one from the unproduced series two)? Personally, we think that’s cool. Fans are going to get their shot at Inferno and Metamorpho after a forty-year wait. I don’t know how many folks are out there, but can you imagine seeing an unmade toy as a kid and learning that someone, somewhere is finally going to make it decades<\/em> later? It blows the mind.<\/p>\n


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What is the Glyos System?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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We\u2019ve seen a couple people asking about Glyos, so we thought we\u2019d talk for a minute about the great work that Matt Doughty is doing over at Onell Designs. If you\u2019re not familiar, Glyos is a line of (generally) 3\u201d figures constructed out of interchangeable parts. Think Stikfas or Xevoz, but with even more opportunities to combine pieces. Some fans choose to buy them and keep them as is, others like to swap parts and make new color schemes, while some fans go all out and use the pieces to make these elaborate… sculptures, really… out of the Glyos pieces. This can be accomplished because the joints are uniform in size and can be recombined in nearly any way. It sounds simple, but when you look at some of the things Onell fans build, you can get an idea of just how innovative Matt\u2019s designs are.<\/p>\n

In addition to looking great, the Glyos are incredibly functional and, most importantly, sturdy. I don’t know if the same grade of plastic will be used on The Outer Space Men as is used on the Glyos, but it wouldn’t hurt if that were the case. They’re rugged little toys and hold up well to the constant re-arranging of parts.<\/p>\n

Simply put, the Glyos System is an inspiration to anyone out there who wants to make their own toy line.<\/p>\n

To find out more about Glyos, check out the Onell Design<\/a> blog.

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We\u2019ll know more about The Outer Space Men as we get closer to their release, but two things are certain already. One, the original toys were a bastion of creativity. Mel Birnkrant put together a great line of action figures before action figures even existed. If you look through his designs, you\u2019ll see ideas and elements that were incorporated into other lines for years after.<\/p>\n

And two, those designs are now in the hands of the Four Horsemen. Birnkrant couldn\u2019t ask for a better group of sculptors to give his creations new life. From what we\u2019ve seen, they\u2019re staying true to his originals while bringing them into the new century.<\/p>\n

If you’d like to learn more about the original Outer Space Men, this site<\/a>, part of MelBirnkrant.com, features as complete a resource as you will ever find with huge images, tons of trivia, interviews, and the history behind the line. When you go, be sure to check out the individual<\/a> bios. They might be our favorite part.<\/p>\n

All said, I’ve gained a new appreciation for a toy line that I didn’t even know existed a week ago. I’ve also gained a new appreciation for the work of Mel Birnkrant. Browsing through his site, I’m impressed not only by the toys he had a hand in creating, but also in the designs that never made it to the shelves. His website is full of little treasures and I’m the better for having been introduced to his work. If you’re an action figure collector, you owe it yourself to spend some time at MelBirnkrant.com<\/a> and explore his creations.<\/p>\n


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This weekend, the Four Horsemen announced the acquisition of their first license, The Outer Space Men. The 4H provided some images of the figures in the line and, as usual, amazed us with their work. While we were looking at all the pretty pictures though, we realized we weren\u2019t quite sure what we were looking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":5651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[115,47,10,201],"tags":[2572,510,2560],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/OSMTN.jpg?fit=50%2C50","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-1m9","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10537,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=10537","url_meta":{"origin":5217,"position":0},"title":"OSM: Galactic Holiday Editions Available Now!","date":"December 14, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week, the 4H announced a special Galactic Holiday Edition of their Outer Space Men figures. 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We've finally corralled him and are happy to bring you his thoughts on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7th Market"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18409,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=18409","url_meta":{"origin":5217,"position":4},"title":"Outer Space Men Wave 5 & Cyclops Test Shots","date":"April 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday was a big day for SDCC Exclusives! Some of the coolest debuted at FourHorsemen.Biz. The 4H debuted some test shots of three upcoming Outer Space Men: Gemini, Orbitron, and Cyclops! The Alpha versions of these three are set to debut at SDCC, but the 4H have provided a sneak\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "7th Market"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16781,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=16781","url_meta":{"origin":5217,"position":5},"title":"Outer Space Men Wave 4 Review & Toypocalypse News! (20+ Pics)","date":"February 9, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"With Toypocalypse just a few days away, the 4H have announced an OSM poster featuring all thirteen characters... could it be that the final three will be unveiled at the show? 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