Then the project went into a period of suspended animation while the Horsemen tended their other obligations and searched for an affordable solution. Finally, they presented me with the Glyos concept and I said OK. There were also many original ideas in their approach to the OSM that took me by surprise. One was the 3 ¾” size. I didn’t want to knock off the original series by replicating it exactly, so that was more than fine. I also liked their brilliant idea of introducing the figures in groups of two, one from the Original Series and one from Series Two. But I had never seen the Glyos joint system, which was described to me verbally not visually. Conceptually, I began to anticipate problems with it. I was afraid the universal parts would dominate. To me the accordion joints were the feature that unified the original OSM to each other and Matt Mason as well. And all the rest was, by design, “diversity”. Eric began to send me photos that represented what the 4 Horsemen were doing, and in particular, their sculpting of a universal body. Meanwhile, I sent back persnickety overlays asking couldn’t this or that be thinner etc. etc. And I was taken aback, somewhat, when I discovered that all the joints had to be a certain universal size. On the other hand, learning that there were more joints there than meets the eye was a trade off worth the sacrifice. As time went on, I was relieved and pleased to see that each body was being adapted in some way to appear unique from, yet still be interchangeable with all the others. Nonetheless, I still had lingering doubts about the interchangeability concept altogether. Did I want to see Colossus Rex’s massive head on Alpha 7’s tiny body?
Then one day, Eric sent me a photo that made me a Glyos convert, Astro-Nautilus’s head on the universal body. My God, It worked! I beheld a combination so convincing that I suddenly began to worry that when I finally saw Astro-Nautilus with tentacles, [which at that point were not made yet] instead of arms, I might not like them quite as well. I hope and trust the 4H will not mind my sharing that early photo with you. At this point I stepped back in awe and admiration, put my tracing paper pad away, and gave the 4 Horsemen free rein do their thing. Now that I understand what they are doing, and better still, where they are going, I absolutely Love it. There are Surprises up their sleeves. You’re going to be Amazed! IAT: Finally, what are your thoughts on the new line? Are you excited to see some of the fabled World of the Future characters finally making it into production? What are your hopes for the future of the Outer Space Men? My thoughts on the new line? How many ways can one say Thrilled… and Honored … humbled even, to see the OSM In hands as talented as the 4 Horsemen’s? I also love the endless possibilities and variations made possible by Onell Designs: jewel-like clarity, pristine frosted transparency, armies built and customized to fulfill the owner’s own design. The future plans I’ve heard discussed boggle my mind. What are my hopes for the future of the Outer Space men?: Simply, that they survive me, and are still around when I am gone. Yours sincerely, |
Everyone at IAT would like to extend a huge thank you to Mel Birnkrant and to the Four Horsemen who consulted for this interview. Mel is a treasure trove of toy history. If you like what you’ve read here, head over to MelBirnkrant.Com for more on the Outer Space Men and many of the other lines that Mel worked on over the years. Thanks again, Mel!
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This was wonderful to read. It’s great to read things from someone else’s perspective and its particularly enjoyable when it written so eloquently. I’d love to hear more from Mel. ^^
it’s… yeah… “it’s written so eloquently.”
As long as Mel lets his designs talk as much as he does My wallet and I will be there!
Can we not mention wallets? The 4H are going to force me to ramen noodles and no broadcast TV!
Yeah! Wallets are a no-no subject around here.
Where is mine anyway…
Once we got the e-mail back from him, we knew we should just print it as is. Many of the photos are even where he included them in the e-mail. He wasn’t kidding about his intuition.
This is a GREAT read. I have to say I am looking forward to this line almost more than the idea of a new take on Micronauts from Hasbro. So many places for the line to go. So many places for a child’s mind to go with the play value.
Small brave independent toy companies like Onell and the 4Horsemen, along with their ever growing legion of appreciative and dedicated fans, are the toy industry’s salvation.
I Love this statement and truly hope is a portent of the future
I liked that too. All the innovation is coming from the smaller companies if you ask me. Mattel might be getting somewhere, but it’s on the backs of the 4H. ToyGuru is just the dork in charge for this week. The Four Horsemen will still be making cool toys after his tenure as brand manager is over.
Thanks, Tek! More than Micronauts? Have you checked your temperature today?
Great interview! I’ve been to Birnkrant’s website and I didn’t get the Mickey Mouse thing, but I understand better now. I’m pretty sure he has more Mickey Mouse figurines than I do action figures.
We almost asked a Mickey Mouse question outright, but we wanted to focus on OSM. Mickey still found his way in though!
Great stuff Noisy. Very good read….Mel is an interesting guy.
Thanks, dwal!
Fantastic. I love having his thoughts on the whole thing from the past to the present.
Me too. I really enjoyed the transition of the article from before the OSM to the future of the 4H line.
Wow. Great interview! The man wrote his answers like poetry. Thanks, for the interview guys!
His e-mails have been a real joy, even if he’s just talking about what’s going on that day. 😀
Great interview! He’s an interesting guy!
Definitely.
It was a small part of the interview, but I was surprised to hear about Wonder Woman. Her book sells decent now and she was a big part of the SA, it’s weird to think she had a rocky start.
I’m not sure, makes me want to read up on the character’s non-fictional history though!
Excellent interview. Mr. Birnkrant is a fascinating and eloquent man, and I’m looking forward to seeing his work interpreted by the Horsemen.
Thanks, Poe!
dude, for real… it’s hard to read that and not convert. i’ve been stalwart, thusfar, in my stance that the old is best left to the past, and that dinosaurism was more at work here than real creativity… bet i confess, this interview… mel thinks about toys the way i think about toys, and him “putting down the tracing paper pad” and wanting to just sit back and see what the boys do… that’s extraordinarily cool. and his thoughts on art and life really got me into his head, which in turn echoes my own headspace… the universal oneness of being indeed. if i wasn’t a fan before, i certainly am now.
great interview noisy… you know you kids… i remember what the toy world was like before this interview, and it may shock you to hear this, but there were a lot of jaded pricks buying toys that didn’t really make them happier or express their thoughts/feelings/desires… true story. but i was here when this interview kidney punched that attitude and left it quivering and crying uncontrollably in an alley and took its money, watch, and shoes to pawn for OSM money.
Told ya so.
It seems that the most successful toys are always the one’s spelled out for us twenty or thirty years ago. Rare is the toy line you walk in and find with no clue what the backstory is anymore.
What do you think was the “last” great toy line?
I love hearing about this line. I’m on pins and needles waiting for pricing and release dates!
I imagine we’ll know more soon. SDCC looms.
Great Interview! I usually shy away from anything that doesn’t fit my basic collections these days — super-heroes, sports — but if the price is right on these, I may splurge, especially at the 3-3/4 scale.
I feel the same way. Everything has gotten so expensive that it’s better for me if I stick to just one or two toy lines that I really love.
But these look cool enough to pick up despite my not having a connection to them. If the price is right, I’ll have to have these.
Mattel’s got their hooks in so deep, I’m mostly just buying Classics to stay on budget!
I feel the same way.
Great interview. I’m still not sold on these though. I keep worrying that the low runs will simply make them cost too much.
Price is always in the eye of the beholder, but I don’t think they’ll be priced too high.
That was a fun interview. He really has a way with words.
Thanks, Steel!
It’s nice to read someone being truly passionate about what they do. I agree with Mankeo- his wording is so eloquent! It was nice of him, too, to take the time to give such lengthy responses to your questions. 🙂 I am intrigued to see what the OSM line has to offer and to hear more from Mr. Birnkrant about it!
I think I’m sold 🙂
Yay! That saves me money! 😀
Okay, okay. Where do I sign up? Great interview, guys, you’re becoming a major player!
We’re trying anyway! Hopefully, the 4H will announce more solid plans closer to or at SDCC.
I’m really impressed by out of the boxing thinking that went into the old toys. I only hope the 4H are putting that much thought into their new line. Great interview!
Mel doesn’t just think outside of the box, he contemplates the hopes and dreams of the tree that was used to make the box. 😀
Wow. That was very “stream of consciousness”. I almost missed the multiple pages (when did you start doing that?), but I’m glad I didn’t! I loved the shot of Astro-Nautilus at the end. The big hands and feet on the figure make me happy! When will these come out?
The big hands and feet are really appealing to me as well. I can’t put my finger on it, but the WIP picture looks really cool by itself, unpainted and all.
I loved hearing about the old line. Thanks, guys!
Thanks for reading, Kilo!
Great interview. Love the enthusiasm and passion going into the line. I think it showed in the designs now and I know the 4H will make it speak now, even loud enough to get through the buck system.
I’m really looking forward to the 5th and 6th figures in the line. I don’t know who they are, but the 4H conquered the more traditionally suited characters in this first announcement, I can’t wait to see them flex their muscles on Colossus and Cyclops.
Wow. This was a really great read. You guys should do more interviews!
Thanks! We do have a few more in the works.
Fantastic interview… Must’ve been an honor to correspond with such a great guy.
I love Mel’s views on toys. Which to me confirms the great and hopefully long lasting relationship he’ll have with Onell and the 4H. Thanks for the great read!
It really was. When he contacted me over my “Who Are The Spacemen” article, I was a little starstruck. It’s been a pleasure e-mailing back and forth with him.
Thanks for the interview. I was looking for more about the OSM when I found your site! It’s great that they’re coming back!
Glad to have ya!
Great interview. I love his personal site too. He has an interesting viewpoint on the toy industry.
I could spend hours on his site reading everything. Ton of history there.
Thanks for this interview!
Your welcome!
Have we heard when these will be coming out yet? And how much? I’m hoping they’ll be cheap enough to fit in my budget.
Not yet. When we hear, we’ll let you know!
I plan on buying two sets.
Just two? You can mix and match these guys! 😉
Mel sounds like a very interesting man. Has he done anything else that a grumpy old toy collector would know?
Check out http://www.melbirnkrant.com
Odds are, you’ll find something you remember.
Nice article!
Thanks, Harris. It was a ton of fun for us.
I just found out the Outer Space Men were coming back out again! That’s fantastic! I’ve been waiting years to for these guys to get updated. I still can’t quite believe it!
VS, if you see this, drop me a line!
Great interview, guys! Fascinating stuff.
Thanks, AM!