{"id":20425,"date":"2012-08-21T22:06:01","date_gmt":"2012-08-22T03:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=20425"},"modified":"2012-08-22T10:43:19","modified_gmt":"2012-08-22T15:43:19","slug":"outer-space-men-sdcc-alpha-phase-wave-5-cyclops-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=20425","title":{"rendered":"Outer Space Men: SDCC Alpha
Phase Wave 5 & Cyclops Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>I\u2019ve gotten behind on indy, \u201cSeventh Market\u201d stuff of late. To counteract that, we\u2019ve got a Week of Glyos-Related reviews scheduled, but I still wanted to get to one for Reviewapalooza. The Four Horsemen must\u2019ve read my mind, as they sent over some review samples of the newest Outer Space Men! <\/p>\n

One of the fun things about falling a little behind on the latest news for a particular line is that it can turn back the clock and make you not know what to expect when you open up a particular toy. That is totally the case here. Usually, I know what I\u2019m going to be looking at before taking pictures, I have some things in mind. That wasn\u2019t the case here. The SDCC exclusive Alpha Phase editions of Wave 5 and the Deluxe Cyclops basically came straight out of the shipping container and were plucked down into the \u201cstudio\u201d for pictures. The red backdrop from the Reviewapalooza banner even makes a brief appearance in the photos here. <\/p>\n

Normally, when it comes to the Alpha, Beta, or Galactic Holiday editions, I tend to keep things brief and hold the real review for the Infinity Editions. I still want to do that, but there is so much here to talk about. In a way, these three are executed so differently from what\u2019s come before that they don\u2019t even seem like the same toy line. I\u2019ll elaborate on that in a minute. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve repeated over and over the last few years, the Outer Space Men is one of my favorite \u201cnew\u201d things. They represent an era of \u201ctoydom\u201d that I had been unaware of and am now fascinated by. We\u2019re at a point in collecting where so many of us are obsessed with \u201cwasted\u201d slots in toy lines or buying for every other reason other than \u201cthat\u2019s a cool toy\u201d, that it\u2019s refreshing to get a little toy line like this. There are surely collectors getting their nostalgic kick from these. And should the new figure, Terra Firma, have been released before the original thirteen, I’m sure someone, somewhere would\u2019ve thrown a temper tantrum. Nothing\u2019s perfect after all. In any case, this line appeals to me on its own merits and I’m having a good time seeing where it goes rather than worrying about what I want from it. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

While I love the first eight figures, particularly the likes of Commander Comet, Metamorpho, orElectron+, these three kinda blow what’s come before out of the water. The previous figures featured excellent sculpts and these three are no different (I still can\u2019t believe they\u2019re sculpted 1:1!). This assortment has two completely new figures, Orbitron & Cyclops, and Gemini who, looks to share a few parts with Alpha-7, but it otherwise all-new as well. So visually the new sculpts really move the line forward. The top-notch sculpts are still there and the new pieces and heights really make the growing collection pop off the shelf. Orbitron\u2019s lithe from looks fantastic. Cyclops is so massive that he\u2019s the line\u2019s first 5\u201d figure. Other than some wonky paint on Cyclops\u2019 eye, these three look sharp and this is just the Alpha Wave! I can\u2019t wait to get these guys in full color. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

While the sculpts are what we\u2019ve come to expect, this trio makes clear that the Four Horsemen and Mel Birnkrant have gotten a lot more comfortable, shrewder in how to include the Glyos compatibility. We saw some humble beginnings in Waves 3 & 4, but there was still a lot of shared tooling from Waves 1 & 2 present in those figures. These three, as all-new sculpts could go all out. And they do. Continue to the Page 2 Gallery<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In some cases, it\u2019s simply about getting some great new parts to play with. Orbitron\u2019s \u201cinsect-like\u201d arms and legs. The giant fists and claws of Cyclops. The clever tribute to Pheyden that was made by adding two small lines to Cyclops classic symbol. Gemini\u2019s helmets can make a cool set of \u201ctanks\u201d on your favorite Glyos build. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

But what really got me this time around was the smart use of the Glyos ports beyond what was obvious. For Orbitron, there is his removable brain. I love it! It harkens back to those crazy \u201cout there\u201d pieces that were often included with Xevoz. And Gemini? While he does share some of those unfortunate smaller-pegged Alpha-7 pieces that I\u2019m not a fan of, the rest of him blew me away. His torso features sixteen ports. All those green dots? Removable. Both heads? Removable. And what\u2019s more, there\u2019s a third port between those two heads for when Gemini\u2019s not of two minds about something. And that’s without even getting into his staff – it breaks down into four pieces! I can\u2019t wait to see what the folks at October Toys and Fantastic Exclusive come up with using these pieces. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

I know I sound like I\u2019m gushing. And I know that might sound differently than normal since these are product samples instead of something I paid good money for, but these figures have a special appeal. My desire for the \u201cjelly bean\u201d versions of the OSM has waned a bit in the last few years, but these three have that roaring back. I would\u2019ve snagged these guys even if they hadn\u2019t been provided for review and, even though they haven\u2019t been announced, I find myself hoping the 4H haven\u2019t deviated from the plan for this year. If nothing else, I\u2019m curious to see what other color brains I can get…<\/p>\n

The SDCC Exclusive Alpha Phase Wave 5 & Deluxe Cyclops are available as a set from StoreHorsemen.Com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n \t

\n [Show as slideshow]<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t