Outer Space Men

Toys
From Left to Right: Commander Comet, Xodiac, Colossus Rex, Electron+, Astro-Nautilus, Alpha 7, Orbitron
Toyline The Outer Space Men
Manufacturer(s) Colorforms, Four Horsemen Studios
Era 1960s, 2010s
Category Action figures
Web address N/A

The Outer Space Men – also known as the Colorform Aliens – is a group of seven "bendy" action figures (similar to Mattel's Major Matt Mason) produced by the Colorforms Company in 1968, They were designed by toy inventor Mel Birnkrant. The 3.5" to 7" bendable action figures incorporate a pliable metal wire armature encased in painted soft vinyl bodies with "accordion" joints, just like the aforementioned Major Matt Mason line, with whom The Outer Space Men were initially designed to be utilized. Each fictional character represents an extraterrestrial being from the planets in our Solar System, as well as various places in our galaxy.

Figures in the series include:

Each character was armed with some type of weapon, and several also included a helmet or other accessory (the accessories/weapons were constructed of hard-cast polystyrene of various colors). There was also a proposed second series of characters that never made it to market, although a few prototypical examples, both carded and loose, exist.

Figures in the proposed 2nd series include:

Related Products:

The Puzzles are unusual as some also depict the 2nd series figures.

Unlicensed hollow vinyl knock-off figures were produced by Bullmark of Japan for the Asian markets. Some smaller knock-off figures also exist, both as wired-armature, rubber "bendy" figures and hard plastic figures (included in playsets).

Modern Series

In 2008, creator Birnkrant partnered with Wall Street specialist Gary Schaeffer to form a company called The Outer Space Men, LLC, which has revived the 'OSM' brand with release of a graphic novel, and a number of related products, including a new series of action figures.

Four Horsemen Studios was granted the rights to produce new action figures based on the OSM characters, marking the first time the sculptors have acquired a licensed property to develop on their own. Translucent versions of Waves one and two of this series went on sale as a Comic-Con International exclusive in late July 2010. The new figures are rendered in a smaller 3-3/4 inch 'scale', not using wire armatures, but instead utilizing a proprietary Glyos joint system, and were initially packaged in a simple poly. bag with full-color cardboard header, before switching to a standard blister card package. The characters Astro-Nautilus, Inferno, Metamorpho, and Xodiac were chosen for the debut release. Five hundred of each was produced for the event, and availability was split between Internet sale and on-site purchase at the convention. The set of four sold at a retail price of $40;[1] both venues sold through this exclusive offering completely in about 24 hours.

This toyline continued for four more years, releasing the following characters throughout its duration, in a wide variety of colours:

In 2013, a prototype was shown of another Outer Space Woman - Astrodite (The Woman from VENUS).

References

  1. http://www.storehorsemen.com/ouspmealphwa.html

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, February 16, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.