I was hoping this Christmas would see another release of OSM with vac-metal accessories. I loved the 2010 set and was excited at the prospect of Waves 3 and 4, with their much cooler weapons cache, getting the same treatment. The Horsemen didn’t disappoint, but… lavender & turquoise? Who knew?!

Like all previous special releases, these four are individually bagged and packaged with one of two character-specific header cards. The cards feature images of the figures on the front and some spiffy Mel Birnkrant concept art on the back. These are coming in handy as I’ve yet to pick up a a little organizer for the accessories and extra arms that I’m not currently using in my display.

I don’t think any OSM collectors were expecting turquoise and lavender as the two vac-metal colors for 2011. Originally, I was hoping for more gold parts to replicate that sweet astronaut feel from last year’s Galactic Holiday Xodiac release, but the colors the Four Horsemen did choose quickly won me over. The colors matched up great, but the green Mystron with purple gear and the clear Electron+ with metallic turquoise looked particularly amazing. Over at Store Horsemen you can order these fellas in a set with vac-metal accessories in turquoise, lavander, or a random mix.

I want to go into detail about all the little things I love about Waves 3 & 4 but we’re so close to the Infinity Edition review and, like last year, I want to save the full blown write-up for the fully painted set. I know that as much as I enjoy these jelly bean versions, the painted ones will be where the sculpts on these figures really shine. They look great now, but they’ll look fantastic then.

That said, there’s plenty to enjoy here and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention some of it. I love the extra accessories – the staffs for Comet & Electron might be my two favorite pieces of gear in the whole line. I’m calling these extra because they’re new additions to the figures that the original figures didn’t have. I’m so glad Mel Birnkrant and the Four Horsemen are open to expanding on the originals (I just hope that will someday extend to new characters!)

Another source of enjoyment with this wave is the additional Glyos ports. Namely, the chest emblems and the “bolts” on the sides of Electron+’s head (I’m still embarrassed I missed the Glyos plugs on his head in my Alpha review. Oops.). These figures can’t have enough Glyos connections and I think Waves 3 & 4 do a much better job in utilizing that compatibility with one exception.
I’m still not the biggest fan of Alpha-7. I love his look, but the 4H had to sacrifice his Glyos-compatibility to keep his limbs proportioned to his body. I understand it, but I just wish there’d been a workaround. Still, he’s a great little sculpt and he’s come in some cool colorways so far.

Speaking of colorways, the palette for this wave might seem familiar; it repeats that of last’s year Galactic Holiday editions. While I love the crazy outliers like hot pink Metamorpho or the smoky Mystron, it’s also cool to get these guys in the tradition reds and blues. I take some playful flak for it, but I love to Glyos-build in like colors so getting more pieces in the same colors is a major plus to me. Hopefully, we’ll see this trend continue with the Waves 5-7.

Alright, I’m going to wrap this up and get to the gallery. I didn’t have as much time to build and swap parts as I did for the Beta Phase review, but I’ve got 18 shots of these guys with the various OSM to show off the sculpts, color differences, and accessories! Enjoy! Continue to Page Two…