[Joe Moore]

The Outer Space Men were originally a toy line from 1968. They were created by Colorforms. There were a total of seven figures, based on campy alien designs from the sci-fi films of the 1960's. Today, the Outer Space Men is licensed by Four Horsemen Studios (the same team who worked on Masters of the Universe 2002 and DC Universe). In July 2010, the first new Outer Space Men figures were released.

This review will cover the Series 1 and 2 figures; Astro-Nautilus, Metamorpho, Xodiac and Inferno.

Packaging
The figures are packaged on a blister card with a removable card back. The card back is not glued to the blister packing, so you can easily remove the backing, take out the figures and then replace the card back to look brand new again. Perfect for those that like to open their figures, but like to keep and/or re-use the packaging.

The cards are sturdy and feature vibrant printing. The packaging is meant to mimic the designs present in retro sc-fi toys, and does a great job of doing so. The back of the card tells a brief history of the Outer Space Men, as well as showing all four figures I am reviewing today. The figures sit on plastic trays, held by one to two twist ties, which are easily removable. The trays allow for the figures to easily be placed back in for display.

Figures
Each figure is in the 3.75" scale and is made of a softer (but sturdy) plastic. They feature articulation at the neck, shoulders, forearms, hips, knees and feet. Arms and hips can be moved front to back, and knees, forearms and feet can be rotated, but do not bend. Articulation is best compared to the classic Kenner Star Wars figures. but with added waist rotation. Inferno, Metamorpho and Xodiac feature and extra set of arms. Astro-Nautilus features two sets of tentacle arms that come pre-attached to the figure. The arms available allow for straight arm, or bent elbow display. Each figure also comes with their own set of accessories that include weapons, helmet or back attachments.

Sculpting is where the figures really shine. Details are pretty nice for retro styled figures of this size. Each figure features similar base design, with extra details added to differentiate themselves from each other. The paint applications are, for the most part, very clean. Xodiac, Inferno and Astro-Nautilus feature shiny metallic paint applications that give an armor-like appearance to their suits, and really bring the designs together nicely. Metamorpho is a more matte finish, meant to mimic a cloth styled suit. Thankfully, the matte finish doesn't stand out against the metallic paints of the other figure, and displayed together, they still look great.

Fans of Onell Design, the publishers of Glyos figures, are likely more than familiar with their Glyos figures. And fans of that figure system will be happy to know that the Outer Space Men utilize the same concept. The Glyos system is built around the idea of fully interchangeable pieces. Pieces are solidly in place, but don't require any excessive force to disassemble. Within a few seconds you can have a figure disassembled and a new one built almost as quickly. Pieces snap together with little force required, which is a major plus for those who don't like to waste time fidgeting with pieces when you're trying to create a figure.

They allow you to mix and match arms, legs, torsos, heads and more from any figure, allowing you to create your own Outer Space Men figures. Below are just a few samples of figures I came up with for this review. But the more figures you own, the more diverse your own creations can becomes.

Bottom Line
I had been slightly familiar with the Glyos system before, so I knew what the basic concepts of the figures were. However, these were the first figures I had personally had spent time toying with. I really wasn't sure what to expect in terms of quality, ease of assembly. I was, ultimately, pleasantly surprised at how much fun I had messing around with these. I'm not much into the customizing scene, but those that are have an excellent base figure to start with. I recommend them to anyone into 3.75" sci-fi figures, fans of the Glyos figures or for those that want to create their own figures, without needing to know their way around paint, clay or exacto knives.

For more info, check out the official Outer Space Men website.