{"id":16781,"date":"2012-02-09T22:31:53","date_gmt":"2012-02-10T04:31:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=16781"},"modified":"2012-02-09T22:31:53","modified_gmt":"2012-02-10T04:31:53","slug":"outer-space-men-wave-4-review-toypocalypse-news-20-pics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=16781","title":{"rendered":"Outer Space Men Wave 4 Review
& Toypocalypse News! (20+ Pics)"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>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? I\u2019m getting a little ahead of myself though- I still need to review Wave 4 featuring Electron+ and Alpha 7! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Before I jump into the review, I do want to highlight the new Outer Space Men poster. It features artwork by one of my online buds, Nathan Baertsch<\/a> (check out Nate’s DeviantArt page here<\/a>!). I might have to have to a talk with Nate as it appears that all my favorites are towards the back, but how can you not love seeing them all together like this, particularly in the sculpting style done for the new figures? <\/p>\n

Also pictured at right is the exclusive Outer Space Men Cosmic Creator’s set of Waves One & Two that will be available at Toypocalypse and later at StoreHorsemen.com. (ooh, shiny!) <\/p>\n

Here’s the official Four Horsemen Press Release: <\/p>\n

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The Four Horsemen’s upcoming gallery show, Toypocalypse 2: Futuretro<\/strong> begins this Friday, February 10th at 7pm<\/strong> at the TT Underground Gallery<\/a> in New York City, and the Horsemen are ready to reveal the limited edition Outer Space Men print that will be sold along with the exclusive “Cosmic Creators” Outer Space Men<\/strong> figures set at the show.<\/p>\n

Painted by fan favorite artist and frequent Four Horsemen<\/strong> collaborator, Nathan Baertsch<\/a>, this 11″ X 17″ image on high quality, uncoated, heavy card-stock is Nate’s vision of the Outer Space Men<\/a> originally created by renowned designer Mel Birnkrant<\/a> back in the late 60’s.<\/p>\n

This print will be available exclusively along with the purchase of the extremely limited Outer Space Men Cosmic Creators series – The Birnkrant Edition<\/strong> figures set. The Cosmic Creator’s<\/strong> set consists of alternate versions of four of Mel Birnkrant’s<\/strong> most famous creations. The set featuring Metalmorpho, Deep Blue Ultra-Nautilus, Goldiac,<\/strong> and Blazing Inferno<\/strong> will be signed not only by Mr. Birnkrant<\/strong> himself, but also by each of the Four Horsemen<\/strong>. Each set of figures and OSM<\/strong> print is $125.00<\/strong> at the Futuretro<\/strong> gallery show.<\/p>\n

-FH-<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As I noted last week in my Comet & Mystron<\/a> review, the 4H were kind enough to send a set of the newest Outer Space Men my way for review. I had originally planned to do all four figures together, but best laid plans and all that. I do think this way turned out better, allowing me to spend a little more time on each figure. If you like these reviews in pairs better than a quartet, let me know! <\/p>\n

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Since I\u2019m already expecting big things from this weekend’s Toypocalypse, I\u2019m going to fall back on that old expression and start small. The coolest thing about Alpha 7 is that he represents that the OSM are not all the same size. We live in age of… uh, let\u2019s be nice and call it uniformity, where nearly all of our figures in a given line share the same height. I generally accept it without much complaint (but really Hal Jordan ain\u2019t as big as Superman), but that doesn\u2019t mean I can\u2019t praise it in the obverse. I\u2019m happy to have Alpha at one end of the spectrum, and really looking forward to bigger characters to come. <\/p>\n

Uniformity is an important aspect for Alpha because it also relates to the one thing about this figure that I didn\u2019t initially like. His small stature doesn\u2019t allow for standard size Glyos joints at his elbows and kness. It\u2019s not a dealbreaker, because it doesn\u2019t take away from Alpha 7 as a standard figure, but I did think it knocked some points off because it limits his Glyos compatibility… though like any good Glyos builder, I found a way to use it.<\/p>\n

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The smaller pegs actually do have an alternate use; they fit into the hands of the Outer Space Men, allowing for all manner of crazy weapon builds that the larger figures can now hold thanks to this particular piece. I\u2019m not sure if those crazy guys in NJ cooked that up or it was a happy accident, but it turned what I once thought was a drawback into a cool feature. It may not help attach bits to Alpha, but his sacrifice helps the other OSM. Thanks, little guy. <\/p>\n

Thanks to the accordion joints on the original, Alpha has the same basic design as his less height challenged brethren and he looks sharp in his blue metallic & yellow suit. I\u2019m still not too keen on how the legs attach, but since it\u2019s unique to Alpha, I\u2019m not going to make hay about it. <\/p>\n

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Alpha includes the two extra bent arms, his helmet, detachable air tanks (jet pack?), and his trusty pistol. The pistol is particularly sweet because it was run in clear blue, but features a painted handle. The result is a pretty cool effect, as if the gun were charging up. <\/p>\n

Alpha may not be my favorite Outer Space Men, but he\u2019s a cool addition and his height will awlays guarantee him a spot in the front of the display! Continue to Page Two…<\/a><\/p>\n

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You might not have given it any thought, but Electron+ hasn\u2019t been having the best time of it these last couple years. He spent all those years hanging with the original crew, y\u2019know those guys that hail from planets, only to find it he was really more of a Series 2 guy all along; poor guy. Lucky for him, Pluto is still a planet in the hearts of many, myself included. <\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve been trying not to use the word ‘favorite’ when talking about the OSM because I\u2019ll be tempted to use it on just about every character, but Electron+ here is once again vying for the honors. The sleek silver and powder blue look fantastic together \u2013 I know I\u2019m a sucker for silver, go check out what color nearly all the original Glyos reviews were in<\/a>, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s just me that enjoys the color. Electron+ also features a great head sculpt, and more importantly Glyos plugs for ears! I think that\u2019s been my favorite thing about watching the OSM come together as a new line, the 4H keep upping their game by finding new places to add Glyos-compatibility, for Electron+, it\u2019s his head. <\/p>\n

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Electron+ includes the standard two arms and helmet, his classic pistol, and a new staff designed by Mel Birnkrant. Both accessories where done similar to Alpha\u2019s, the pistol molded in orange and the staff in purple and then painted to silver to match the figure. I love the new staff in particular, the design allows for so many interpretations. Is Electron simply displaying his power. If so, is it benevolent? Malevolent? Or does he actually intend to use the thing like a six-foot long cattle prod? It could just look pretty, it could be deadly. (I know I\u2019m way too fascinated, who talks that long about a single accessory\u2026)<\/p>\n

Both figures feature the same resealable packaging as Comet & Mystron, and the previous Infinity waves. I don\u2019t display stuff in its package, but these retro cards make it really tempting. The figures look sharp on their own, but there\u2019s a really great retro feel when they\u2019re left on card. <\/p>\n

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The paint on both figures is superb, which is particularly cool given their size. The articulation for Electron+ is the same basic twelve points that all of the OSM have featured up to this point. Alpha clocks in with a little less, just nine, but the hip articulation called for to keep the aesthetic leaves a little to be desired. Hopefully, no more OSM need to use the \u201csplayed v-crotch\u201d (man that sounds dirty) employed by Alpha. <\/p>\n

I know that this is yet another gushy OSM article, which is always suspect when toys are provided for review, but I do really enjoy these toys. To go from not knowing who the OSM were a few short years to ago to how much I appreciate and enjoy them is no small feat and that credit goes to all the folks involved \u2013from Matt Doughty from Onell<\/A> for the simple, but ingeniously employed Glyos system, to Mel Birnkrant for his timeless designs (and Mel\u2019s still got it, check out his online sketchbook<\/a>), and especially to the 4H<\/A> for sculpting, engineering, and getting these great figures to market. These guys all have a lot of love for this project and I can see it right there on my shelf. <\/p>\n

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