We might be going out of order a bit on these recent Outer Space Men First Looks, but that has only allowed us to save the “strangest” for last.
Sure, human characters are being introduced in series seven, something that the line has never seen before, but series 6 also offers some firsts and does so in fairly odd fashion. So while we showed you Terra Firma in the previous feature, technically she is not the first female in the line. That distinction goes the stunning alien gals of our Solar System: Horrorscope and Ohpromatem. Have you had a look at these ladies? If you thought the likes of Astro Nautilus and Gamma-X were strange, they have nothing on these girls, and if you were wondering what nightmares in space look like, you have arrived in the right place.
So while series 6 introduces female characters to the OSM universe for the first time, it is also the first time that wholly new characters have been brought in since the original figures and concepts of the 1960s. Yes, several of those never got action figures until the Four Horsemen started working their magic, but these women are a real watershed moment for OSM, and in order to make it all happen, the property’s creator, Mel Birnkrant, handled the new designs. This is where the line gets things so perfectly “right”: the Horsemen are giving all of the love and modern design while the original creator is supplying new ideas and concepts to further the property. Horroscope and Ohpromatem bring new ideas while keeping with the traditions that OSM has had since the Space Race Era.
HORRORSCOPE: The Woman from Saturn
As the daughter of Xodiac, the Man from Saturn, Horroscope is revealed to be one of the most revered “seers” on all of Saturn. That has a lot to do with the fact that she has a giant third eye in the middle of her tentacle-laden head. So three eyes and face arms begin an interesting conversation about the design of this figure. Both Horroscope and Ohpromatem are tied to previous OSM characters, and, for the first time, they actually are made up of a reused base body. Now, I know that there has certainly been part sharing across the line before, but I don’t think it has ever been at this scale. Both borrow from the previously reviewed Terra Firma, so while it seems as though the curvaceous and buxom female form is standard across the galaxy, that is where the similarities abruptly end.
Horroscope is monstrous and certainly the thing of space nightmares. While the view from the neck down might be nice, that massive cephalopod sitting on top or her neck would make even the wiliest space traveler squirm. Her costume design and accessories certainly resemble those of her father, and her Saturn Staff is exactly the same, save for being cast in translucent pink plastic. At first I thought that I would dislike the helmet since it is designed to just sit on top of her face tendrils, but it does help bring the entire figure together, even if it does complete a rather garish color scheme.
The head itself is highly detailed and no ridge on the face arms is left unadorned. While it might be easy to think that her “shtick” is the octopus head at first glance, reading her biography you quickly learn that her status as a seer with three eyes is really her claim to fame. So if you bust out the direct lighting on this space wench, you will see that the power is highlighted well beyond that she just has an extra eye. Her head is cast in clear orange plastic, which allows the unpainted areas allow for light to pass through, so the unpainted section on the back of the head allows light to pass through to illuminate Horroscope’s three orange eyes. The effect is nothing earth-shattering, but it is quite effective bringing the separate details of the figure together into one gruesome package.
OHPROMATEM: The Woman from Alpha Centauri
Even without the extra handle that reveals her point of origin, I bet you would be able to guess what previous OSM character Ohpromatem is tied to. See, Ohpromatem is just Metamorpho spelled backwards! Yep, sibling rivalry is alive and well on Alpha Centauri, and while Horrorscope brings a daughter into the fold, Ohpromatem is the terrifying sister to Metamorpho. As far as designs go, it is much easier to see the similarities between these two than Horrorscope and Xodiac, but it helps that their “powers” are also more similar.
Ohpromatem takes her brother’s concept of a “face changer” and brings it to the next level. She shares the common “spinner” helmet that allows you to display three different faces, just like Metamorpho. Now, none of the faces are the same, and while two of them show off monster-like features, the final face is something that is different than anything we have seen before, more like deep sea rather than deep space. The reddish face certainly resembles Metamorpho the most out of the three, but she also has a classic skull look, if that is more your fancy. The last face looks like a many-eyed deep sea creature but it also kind of looks like a “star field.” It is made up of small dots that allow light to pass through as the face change concept is combined with the translucent plastic design of Horrorscope. This makes for a very striking effect, and while Metamorpho is one of my favorite of the original OSM concepts, his sister pulls off the effect even better.
The see-through effect does not stop there, though, and her body shares some of the effect as well. Sure, once again, she is a basic reuse of the Terra Firma base, but the colors and effects make it almost unnoticeable. The all-black costume almost has a cat suit or bondage essence about it, but that effect is really driven home the moment you put a light behind her. See, the torso is cast in clear purple plastic and then painted, so there are a few choice spots that are left to allow the plastic to shine. One is in the belt “buckle” which is pretty benign, but her, uh, nipples(?) are also left to let the light shine in. This makes for a strange effect, to be sure, but you cannot say that it isn’t unique, and even though the head is the most interesting part of the figure, I imagine the lavender lady lumps (I cannot believe I just typed that) will monopolize much of the conversation.
I am not sure if this is the last hurrah for the Four Horsemen’s take on the Outer Space Men but if it is, the line is going out on a very high note. The final four series (two standard and two deluxe) are some of the best offerings so far in terms of execution, and the new scope and variety they bring are just fantastic. We have humans! We have females! We have connections to previous characters! We have abominations! Frankly, the latter is the meant in the best way possible and the horrific Ohpromatem and Horrorscope are two gruesomely great figures. They are available for order now, so check the links at the bottom of the page to complete your Outer Space Men collection!
*Thanks once again to the awesome Four Horsemen for sending these space ladies along for a preview!
Additional Links
Discuss this article
Order your OSM Series 6