Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Beta Phase Jack Asteroid Action Figure

It's funny to write this column, because I get to watch how my excitement can turn into indifference or scorn with time. The well-priced White Star Jack Asteroid seems like great custom fodder, but as to the figure itself, a year later, I couldn't remember if I reviewed it or not. The White Star "set" remains incomplete with 3 aliens never being produced (or announced, as far as I know) and it wouldn't surprise me if the license was done. I'm a little surprised we didn't see a figure or two pop up as an exclusive somewhere, but here we are. After a year, I still haven't opened the White Star set and I don't know that I care to do so.
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Off-Topic: Jumbo Galaxy Laser Team on Amazon Now

If you like retro space toys, you might be familiar with the Galaxy Laser Team reissues from Tim Mee Toys. They're 60mm "army men" figures.  What you may not know is that there's a Jumbo set for sale on Amazon right now, and they're pretty big - check out these comparisons with the recent Glyos Outer Space Men, and click here to buy a set.

Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men White Star Alpha 7 Action Figure

I like White Star Alpha 7, despite it being part of an incomplete "White Star" master set (so far anyway). And the fact that it's overpriced. And that I really have no good way to display it. It's just a fun little figure - sometimes these things are interesting for no good reason, particularly since I have an aversion to white figures due to yellowing over time. (Glyos have been good so far, though.) This Martian is decidedly not of the red planet, which I find mildly disappointing - I was always hoping for a red one - but the white one ain't bad. The solid opaque color adds a little to the figure in terms of making it feel old, particularly as space toys of old were largely unadorned with such extravagances as "paint..." or articulation, but who's counting.
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Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Alpha Phase Ohpromatem Action Figure

Of all the figures in the line, Ohpromatem may well be the toughest to spell. Three versions of this figure exist, and this clear, smoke one was the first release. It would be followed by an all-white figure plus a fully-painted figure, all of which look pretty awesome for different reasons. As the only translucent version of the mold this figure will probably be of more interest to fans down the road, particularly since most figures received 3 transparent precolors.
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Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Beta Phase Gamma X Action Figure

I had some problems with another version of this character, but White Star Gamma X works slightly better for me than the clear colorless $31 version and the fully-painted $26 version for one reason: met expectations. The clear one costs twice as much as this one - why? I have no idea. But this one has about the same amount of paint applications, and at half the price actually looks pretty great. The parts more or less all fit in place and while there aren't any options for customization like alternate elbows or fists, it was also $16.00.
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Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Alpha Phase Jack Asteroid

This ability for a classic figure line to grow is both exciting and terrifying. So many action figure lines are revived without the original cast seeing plastic, new entrants are sometimes seen as unwelcome pests - but not Jack Asteroid. Not only did he debut after we saw evidence of the original 13 Outer Space Men were hitting plastic, but the design was a clever twist on existing figures - the body is Metamorpho, from 2010. The helmet, backpack, and weapons are recycled from the Terra Firma design, which debuted in early 2012. The only completely new element is his human head, one of very few mass-produced people noggins in the Glyos-compatible toy world (so far.)
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Review: Four Horsemen Outer Space Men Infinity Edition Jack Asteroid Action Figure

While Terra Firma was revealed to the world first, Jack Asteroid worked out well as a variation on the theme. For all intents and purposes, Mr. Asteroid is the 21st Century Major Matt Mason stand-on. The original Outer Space Men were made by Colorforms to be compatible with Mattel's line, and since Mattel isn't doing anything with Major Matt Mason (and indeed may never) it's reasonable that this Space Race toy line needed its token human white male astronaut. The orange-suited figure is an insanely clever reuse of Terra Firma's helmet and accessories with Metamorpho's body and a new head. One of the big selling points of figures (like this one) that use the Glyos system is that you can swap around parts, but it seems this is mostly used for customization purposes or color-swaps. With Jack Asteroid, they're giving us what amounts to a completely new figure just by using paint and existing accessories - kudos.
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