The journey into outer space has been a long one, spanning decades and multiple incarnations, but we have finally arrived! The Outer Space Men collection, the brainchild of Mel Birnkrant, is now being fully realized by the incomparable Four Horsemen. In fact, with the latest series of deluxe figures now shipping, the original 1960s lineup is now complete in their modern form. GAMMA-X and the long-awaited COLOSSUS REX have finally landed completing a toy mission generations in the making. We are fortunate enough to have a slightly early set to preview for you, and if you have been on this trip over the past several years, you are about to reach the very satisfying conclusion.
I have made the admission before that I never had any contact with the Outer Space Men prior to the Horsemen making their initial license announcement several years ago. I was not yet on this Earth when the original bendy figures were released in the 1960s, and I must have missed the Colorform revival in the 1980s, even though I do recall having several of those cool re-stickable sets. However, it makes me sad that the OSM were not a part of my childhood because these concepts and characters would have been right up my alley with memories of outer space etched next to the other plastic adventures of my youth. I suppose I will just have to live those out now, I am not at all afraid to do so.
Amazingly, the Four Horsemen have been able to take this somewhat obscure property and make it bigger and better than it has ever been. The original toy line was built on internal wireframe (bendy) bodies, and only one series was ever released. Now, the 4H have taken the fantastic designs and concepts conceived by Mel Birnkrant and have brought modern sculpt, paint, and articulation based on the Glyos system to the game. We now have characters on our shelves that never made it past the prototype stage, and we are on the cusp of getting all-new characters with the now-shipping series 6 and 7.
So, at the end of the day, we have built up a pretty amazing collection of OSM (especially if you have all of the countless colorways), and while I definitely have my favorites in the group, the sum of all of the parts is one of my favorite corners of the toy room. Thus, I am making a promise that while we are definitely going to have First Looks at all of the new series, I see several photo sessions featuring the entire Infinity Edition series in the not-too-distant future.
I decided to feature the two new “deluxe” series first because Colossus Rex has been my most anticipated figure since the line was announced. That is not to say that I have not loved many of those that have come before (like Metamorpho, Cyclops, Xodiac, and Astro-Nautilus), but Colossus Rex just jumped out to me. I can assure you that the wait has been worth it, and, with this release, not only am I getting my most anticipated OSM figure, but Colossus Rex also finishes off the actual released series from the 1960s. So I am certain that this release is a big deal to a lot of OSM fans.
COLOSSUS REX: The Man from Jupiter
From the huge red spot near the equator of the giant planet Jupiter, a great ship travels forth. On board is a mighty warrior, Colossus Rex, strongest of the strong. The colossal strength needed merely to survive the crushing pressure of the atmosphere and the enormous force of gravity on his native Jupiter make him a veritable superman on other worlds. Invulnerable to attack, invincible in battle, brute strength alone is his only weapon. Yet no power in the Galaxy can defeat him. We hope his mission is merely to explore the Universe and not to conquer it.
One of the largest figures in the collection (along with Cyclops), Colossus Rex is featured as a deluxe figure, not only for his size, but also his accessories. Back in the 1960s, he only had one weapon, his mace. However, now we gets not only the aforementioned mace, but also a full spiked-collar harness, trident, and shield. The weapons are all cast in translucent purple plastic and the harness really does a nice job of making the figure character more visually appealing.
Not only is Colossus Rex my favorite character in terms of design, but I think he also has some of the absolute best sculpting in the line. All of his scales are individually sculpted and all of them have unique texture patterns to them. Sure, that is REALLY hard to see with the naked eye, but just knowing they are there is pretty cool. Plus, the metallic green paint used to bring highlights to his skin really makes him stand out from the pack. All things being equal, I find all of the OSM to be unique and interesting in their own right; however, if you are only in the market for one or two figures, I would put my money on Colossus Rex and Cyclops. Their designs are really unique, but at the same time, steeped in archetypal tradition. Plus, they look fantastic together.
GAMMA-X: The Man from the 4th Dimension
Although we cannot see it, the world of the 4th Dimension is all around us. Right here and now, but in a different plane and dimension. GAMMA-X, by activating his Time and Space Materializer, is able to break through into our 3-Dimensional World and make himself visible to us! Like the many 4-Dimensional beings who have visited our World before him, he is able to walk through what we regard as solid walls, appear and disappear at will, and seemingly defy the laws of gravity.
Gamma-X is the other deluxe figure from this recent round of releases, and even though that brings him some commonality with Colossus Rex, the two figures could not be any more different. While Rex is a hulking figure with lots of sculpted detail, Gamma-X is tall, skinny, and has a very interesting cache of accessories. Plus, he glows in the dark and that is always a fun plus, especially for an Outer Space Man. Gamma-X is certainly the most lanky of the OSM line-up and he has a very creepy vibe to him. He is cast is an almost sickly color of yellow-beige plastic, and his expression and face sculpt are kind of unsettling. The latter is not as disturbing as the Gemini heads, but I am going to make sure the toy room door is always shut at night, I don’t want him creeping after me.
He features an “armor” shell that snaps over his upper body with front and back pieces. The front is cast in very clear plastic with some silver details to give the effect for his “4th Dimension” suit. The little circles that fall over the eyes are particularly effective and it kind of gives Gamma-X a “space Frankenstein” feel. I don’t know, maybe the shell is even a type of containment suit that keeps his decaying frame stable in our 3-dimensional world. I suppose the limits to that are only those of your imagination, which is why, much like Masters of the Universe, OSM leave a lot for you to fill in so you can make it your own.
Finally, Gamma-X comes with two blasters. They have handles that match the standard plug-ins of the rest of the accessories in the line and they can both be slotted into the top of the exo-shell, giving Gamma-X a head laser. What an amazing world. Head lasers. Far out.
The original OSM lineup in now complete! Not only that, but all of the original concepts are done, too. Colossus Rex and Gamma-X bring some very cool diversity to an already diverse line. I am particularly impresses with Colossus, but Gamma is pretty creepy cool as well. While these two deluxe series finish the originals, the Horsemen and Mel Birnkrant are delving even deeper into space because the next two series are all-new concepts! Stay tuned, we will have them featured very soon!
*Thanks to the always awesome Four Horsemen for sending out this set for a First Look, we really appreciate it!
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