Outer Space Men
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| style="font-size: larger; color: white" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Toys'''
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| align="center" colspan="2" | [[Image:outerspacemen.jpg|center|thumb|250px|From Left to Right: Commander Comet, Xodiac, Colossus Rex, Electron+, Astro-Nautilus, Alpha 7, Orbitron]]
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| align="right" | '''Toyline'''
| The Outer Space Men
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| align="right" | '''Manufacturer(s)'''
| [[Colorforms]], [[Four Horsemen Studios]]
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| align="right" | '''Era'''
| 1960s, 2010s
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| align="right" | '''Category'''
| [[:Category:Action figures|Action figures]]
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| align="right" | '''Web address'''
| N/A
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'''The Outer Space Men''' – also known as the '''Colorform Aliens''' – is a group of seven "bendy" [[action figure]]s (similar to Mattel's [[Major Matt Mason]]) produced by the [[Colorforms|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 (sculpture)|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 life#Extraterrestrial life in the Solar System|extraterrestrial]] being from the planets in our [[Solar System]], as well as various places in our [[Galaxy groups and clusters|galaxy]].
'''Figures in the series include:'''
*Alpha 7, the Man from Mars: A diminutive alien molded in lime green with green skin, a bald, green head with antennae and a metallic blue space suit with a green-tinted (removable) helmet.
*Astro-Nautilus, the Man from Neptune: alien molded in purple with a large, octopoid head, four poseable tentacles and a metallic gold space suit.
*Commander Comet, the Man from Venus: The most human-looking alien, molded in pink with large, (removable) angelic wings, a pink-tinted, (removable) helmet, and a metallic gold space suit.
*Colossus Rex, the Man from Jupiter: The largest and fiercest-looking alien, molded in lime green and resembling [[Creature from the Black Lagoon|The Creature From The Black Lagoon]], wearing only dark purple shorts over a huge, muscular body.
*Electron+, the Man from Pluto: A bald, robotic-looking alien molded in gray, entirely painted silver with a clear, (removable) space helmet. Resembled the alien from the 1951 movie ''[[The Man from Planet X|The Man From Planet X]]''.
*Orbitron, the Man from Uranus: The tallest alien, molded in pink with the least amount of paint, was an alien with a large, exposed brain, a beak-like mouth, long, gangly limbs and pincers in place of hands.
*Xodiac, the Man from Saturn: molded in deep red, with a red bald head, pointed ears and chin, a blue metallic space suit with a (removable) pink-tinted helmet and "[[Saturn]]" emblem on chest.
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:'''
*Cyclops the Giant from Beyond the Milky Way
*Gamma X the Man from the 4th Dimension
*Gemini the Man from Twin Star Algol
*Inferno the Flame Man of Mercury
*Metamorpho the Man from Alpha Centauri
*Mystron the Man from Hollow Earth
'''Related Products:'''
*Space Warriors Colorforms Playset
*Space Warriors Alpha 7 Puzzle
*Space Warriors Electron+ Puzzle
*Space Warriors Orbitron Puzzle
*Space Warriors Colossus Rex Puzzle
The Puzzles are unusual as some also depict the 2nd series figures.
Unlicenced 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;<ref>http://www.storehorsemen.com/ouspmealphwa.html</ref> 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:
*Astro-Nautilus (The Man from NEPTUNE)
*Xodiac (The Man from SATURN)
*Metamorpho (The Man from ALPHA CENTAURI)
*Inferno (The Flame Man from MERCURY)
*Alpha 7 (The Man from MARS)
*Commander Comet (The Man from VENUS)
*Mystron (The Man from HOLLOW EARTH)
*Electron+ (The Man from PLUTO)
*Orbitron (The Man from URANUS)
*Gemini (The Man from the Twin Star ALGOL)
*Cyclops (Giant from Beyond the MILKY WAY)
*Colossus Rex (The Man from JUPITER)
*Gamma-X (The Man from the 4th DIMENSION)
*Terra Firma (The Woman from PLANET EARTH)
*Jack Asteroid (The Man from PLANET EARTH)
*Horroscope (The Woman from SATURN)
*Ohpromatem (The Woman from ALPHA CENTAURI)
In 2013, a prototype was shown of another Outer Space Woman - Astrodite (The Woman from VENUS).
==References==
<references/>
==External links==
*[http://melbirnkrant.com/outerspacemen/ Mel Birnkrant's Outer Space Men online archive] - original concept sketches, prototypes, etc.
*[http://www.theouterspacemen.com/ The Official Site of The Outer Space Men]
*[http://outerspacemen.angelfire.com/ The Outer Space Men collector's page- new in 2013]
*[http://melbirnkrant.com/return/index.html The Outer Space Men Return] - OSM creator, Mel Birnkrant shares the complete story of the OSM’s recreation
[[Category:Toy brands]]
[[Category:Action figures]]
[[Category:1960s toys]]