One of the most recent figures done by Onell Design comes from their sister company, Rawshark and Jesse Moore over at www.callgrim.com, and as the name implies this figure is known as Callgrim.

Over the past few years, Glyos figures have really become popular, and 2009 really seems to be the watershed year for Onell Design, what with the release of the Buildmen, Phase Arms, Custom Corp figures, and of course, the Armodoc, it's no wonder that these figures are selling out in almost less than a day now.

One of the most recent figures done by Onell Design comes from their sister company, Rawshark and Jesse Moore over at www.callgrim.com, and as the name implies this figure is known as Callgrim.

Callgrim is a much larger figure than any of the Pheyden or Buildman figures, and has whopping 27 pieces. He stands about a Pheyden-head taller than other figures at about 3.5" and is much more proportional to the human body, while the other Glyos figures tend to be have a more deformed and cute aesthetic to them.

Callgrim comes equipped with a backpack and several long pieces. These are Callgrim's guns which he dual-wields in fantastic fashion. Every complaint that Glyos figures don't have enough weapons has been solved with this figure. There are multiple configurations and shapes that enable many different types of guns to be made to your trigger happy heart's content.

On the bottom of his backpack is an extra head, much like the Buildman figures. The sculpt is for the other figure that was released with Callgrim, The Order. This extra head actually caught my eye initially. It very much has a space bounty hunter sort of feel to it. However something that I found was that the front visor piece was actually slightly off center. The right half is much larger than the left and initially bothered me. However it's very small detail and quite frankly I don't even notice it anymore honestly.

In addition to the usual Glyos figure articulation, Callgrim has an additional point of articulation at his legs, arms, and his head. These extra joints really help to increase the poseability of Callgrim, allowing him to strike very dynamic poses with him aiming and firing his guns.

So in terms of a figure, Callgrim is pretty awesome. He had more articulation than the past Glyos figures and has a much darker, more brooding image behind him in comparison. But some people may want Callgrim for other purposes as well. In addition to being a fantastic figure, Callgrim also has many additional pieces to use in customizing. He comes with four different types of standard male-to-male pieces along with two additional tonfa-shaped pieces. There's a lot you can do with the Callgrim's parts, whether it's making a rocket launcher, a machine gun, or just buffing up your regular Glyos figures.

Callgrim is great figure both stand alone and as a building toy as well. I would recommend picking one up if you are a fan of Glyos figures or toys in general. Only problem being... he's sold out now. However this version of Callgrim will be returning soon according to Jesse within a few months, along with additional colors and versions, so be sure to keep an eye out for this guy, because he's fantastic.

Gobon is actually the creation of Matt's wife, Michelle Doughty, who is also an excellent and talented artist in her own right. The character first appeared in issue 2 of Michelle's comic, Sidrick.

When I first met Matt Doughty a few years ago, Pheyden had not yet been launched and he was working hard at Beantown Toys, cutting his teeth at toy production, learning the ins and outs of manufacturing in China. He had a few figures getting ready for production of his own, including Pheyden, Exellis and Crayboth. But there was another. This figure at the time seemed radically different than the aesthetic he was currently pursuing. This figure was called Gobon.

Gobon (Sarvonic Gendrone Gobon if you want to be exact) is actually the creation of Matt's wife, Michelle Doughty, who is also an excellent and talented artist in her own right. The character first appeared in issue 2 of Michelle's comic, Sidrick.

This portly robot is a homage to many classic robots. The arms are a bit like Boss Borot or Robocon, as is the shape of the figure. The big belly and round eyes evoke memories of Tetsujin 28. And then there's the head. There are two sets of eyes on the head. The proper front is your plain round childlike eyes. But the back has an evil glare, directly inspired by Maximillian from "The Black Hole".

Gobon in his default state stands 3 inches tall and 3.5 inches wide and is constructed out of 13 parts. The plastic is a bit softer on this version than on other Glyos releases, and this version also has a slight clear coat on it, making Gobon nice and shiny.

The silver plastic used here has a swirl in it which adds a nice texture to the color of the figure.

Gobon's big surprise is the second head hidden inside the body. Removing the top part of the body is really difficult - the fit is that tight. I ended up having to use a flat scrwewdriver to pry it off. Maybe I am doing it wrong? But be careful, the plastic is soft enough that if you are not careful you could dent or damage it.

Once released, you can see the angry cyclopean eye.

Putting the halves back together is equally challenging, but the trick is to rotate the pieces when turning.

With only one Gobon, you can make a bunch of different toys. Imagine if you had a bunch? Each Gobon connection point is fully compatible with any Glyos figure as well as any Beanbot. The combinations are endless.

This first batch of Gobon is limited to 100 pieces. In addition to the silver, Matt also had a run of 50 "rust" pieces run. This weathering looks custom, but it is actually done at the factory in china. I love it more than the regular version.

As of June 2009, Gobon is not for sale in the Onell Design store, but he has been showing up as bonuses in customers orders. Keep an eye on the store, and you never know what may pop up!

The hits keep on coming as Onell Design gears up for a big NYCC09! The biggest news: Buildman Ranic is now fully-operational!

All right, last piece of big news from Onell Design before the weekend--I promise!

But ya gotta admit, this is pretty great news!

I (and a lot of other heads) have been waiting a year for the release of the latest all-new Glyos sculpt: Buildman Ranic! The Buildman represents a herculean amount of planning as it was designed, from the start, to be equal parts action figure and building toy.

Pheyden, Buildmen, and their burdens.

You see, Pheyden, Exellis, and the others were designed to be action figures first, then building toys. The Buildman is all construction! First of all, the other humanoid figures consist of thirteen parts, five of which are "dead end" pieces--parts that have only one connection point. With the Buildman, you get nineteen parts, only two of which are dead ends.

And the figure's still only $8. Eight dollars. Sorry, you're not gonna get a better play value than that...anywhere.

Note in the picture above the male-male neck piece! This is the first time we've seen a part like this (two pegs) in the Glyos system. This allows different head parts with all-female connectors to be able to join with the female connector on the torso. Existing "proper" heads can be used as well, of course--just remove the neck piece altogether!

Next up, if you're real sharp, you'll notice something interesting about the figure: the hands, upper arms, lower legs, and feet are actually different pieces! The figure comes asymmetric! As you'll start to see, there's a *lot* of potential for variation with these figures. So, if you got two primarily tan Buildmen, for example, you could swap up the parts and have two distinct, yet perfectly-symmetrical, figures!

Note the similar geometry, but different panel lines on corresponding parts.

Further adding build potential is the backpack. It's designed purely for construction and figure-upgrading. The main backpack piece pegs into the female connector (hole) on the figure's back. This part can double as another chest piece, or even a weird over-sized head variation.

On top of the backpack, there's one dead end piece that vaguely resembles a futuristic printer or some other office appliance! Since it's a dead end, there's not a ton you can do with it, but with the male-male neck piece, it makes for a very cool alternate head (see below)! On the bottom of the backpack is the other dead end piece, another straight-up alternate head. It's a real weird-looking one with a green visor on one side and a Kamen Rider-esque bug face on the other!

Finally, there are two cylindrical pieces on either side of the backpack with male/female (peg/hole) connectors on either side. These can be used for all sorts of things from constructing basic shapes to beefing up existing figures.

Printer-head!

Bug-Face!

Now, I only have two of these guys (one of each colorway: Standard and Reverse), but once you get a bunch of these guys together, you can come up with some ridiculous stuff. I only took a few photos for this quick review, but if I had more time (and more Buildmen!), I'd try to pull off some more daring customs!

Just by browsing Glyos.com, I'm sure you'll get more than a hint of what's possible with these guys. And add the Phase Arm/Gobon Blaster to the mix, and you've got some potent material for building powered up figures, vehicles, or whatever your mind can come up with!

For now, I'll just leave you with a couple quick mash-ups I did:

Note the use of the green visor head above, and the added Phase Arm and Gobon Blaster bits!

As with the Phase Arm/Gobon Blaster, just imagine the possibilities when these get released in different colorways! Glow? Translucent? This is gonna be a very hot toy!

All right, now go order some Buildmen and start creating! Better yet, head to the Rocket North booth in the independent press section at the New York Comic-Con 2009 this weekend, meet Matt Doughty of Onell Design, and pick yourself up a handful of Buildmen, Phanosts, and other Glyos figures!

A quick review of a much-anticipated head sculpt from the Glyos series!

Y'know, looking back at our coverage of Glyos toys, we have next to nothing on Sarvos! Poor guy! Even the Crayboth got a cool News article. Sorry, Sarvos.

Sarvos gets no props.

If it makes ya feel better, folks, go here, and pick yourself up a Standard Sarvos! Better yet, head to the Rocket North booth at the New York Comic-Con 2009 this weekend, meet Matt Doughty of Onell Design, and pick yourself up a handful of Sarvos', Phanosts, and other Glyos figures!

At least Sarvos was featured in the Phase Arm/Gobon Blaster review!

Anyway, enough with Sarvos. We're already set for the next big thing: Phanost!

These three hot new offerings from Onell are excellent additions to your Glyos army! First, on the left, we have Hybrid Phanost. He's shot in Standard Pheyden colors/panel lining, with additional intricate black panel lining on his head. He uses the Exellis pelvis, but he sports the hot, new-style chest that has an added panel line down the front and a female connector (hole) on the back to accommodate a backpack, weapon mount, or any other type of weirdness ya wanna stick there!

Next, in the middle of the group shot is Standard Phanost. From the neck down, he's shot in black PVC, but with translucent grey upper arms and upper legs. Again, he sports the new chest and Exellis pelvis (Exellis pelvis...just rolls off the tongue, huh?). Ah, but from the neck up, that's all glow PVC! Only his eyes are painted green.

Finally, on the right in the group shot is Core Phanost. Obviously, we've got a black head, upper arms, and upper legs, while everything else is translucent orange. His eyes are painted white. Very nice!

Now, if you notice, these guys aren't in the Onell store yet. ...Or are they?

By all means, if you have the opportunity, head over to NYCC09 this weekend. Not only will Phanost be there, but there'll be a few other surprises from our friends at Rocket North and Rawshark Studios!

Believe me! You will not regret it!

Okay, okay...I'd be amiss if I didn't leave you with at least one glow shot! Here's an all-glow Phanost, consisting of a Standard Phanost head and a glow version of the new-style Pheyden chest:

At Matt Doughty's house last Friday night, a few of us had the pleasure to meet kaiju painting extraordinaire, Matt Walker, also known as Dead Presidents. Seriously nice guy, amazingly talented, and humble to a fault! Along with him, he brought a few surprises: custom painted Pheydens!

As most folks around here know, we like toys. Not that big of a stretch, huh? ;)

We also like talented people, and--as Bostonians--we love local stuff. Local food. Local people. Local sports teams. Even local weather. Well...

Matt Walker, also known as Dead Presidents, is both of these things: talented and local.

I first became aware of "Dead Presidents" a year or two ago as one of many board members on Skullbrain, but it wasn't until I met Connell "plastichunter" Little at SDCC08 that I came to realize how incredible a kaiju painter he was. Connell--a super friendly dude and a helluva guy, himself--showed me some Secret Base piece or something like that that Matt Walker had painted for him. In the mad rush that is Comic-Con, I couldn't really take the proper time to appreciate it, but it honestly looked like a jewel. It had a hard, glossy shine to it, and the color was a deep burgandy with metal flake throughout. It almost looked like the surface of a new car in a showroom!

And that analogy makes perfect sense, as Matt's day job is pin-striping automobiles and motorcycles. This talent shows in his work.

Fast forward to last Friday night. The plan was to gather up some vinyl collectors in the Boston area, chew the rag, and talk toys. One guy I discovered through a sale who lived in the area was Matt Walker--Dead Presidents, himself. When we suggested the plan to meet at Matt Doughty's place, Matt W was all for it!

As it turns out, the Matts had met at Comic-Con this past summer (dunno how I missed Matt W while there). Matt Doughty had given him a couple Pheydens to mess around with, and as you can probably guess from all the pics in this article, he did a magnificent job!

Luckily for me, I had my camera on me when Matt W presented Matt D with a cool pin-striped mini lunchbox (which I failed to photograph). Inside the lunchbox were the two Pheydens--almost completely unrecognizable with their new paint jobs.

Well, technically, these weren't painted, as Matt explained--they were actually dyed, sprayed with glitter (yeah, that sure isn't dust in these pics!), pin-striped, and clear-coated several times. The result is a super-hard surface that's almost like glass. The colors were incredible and almost seemed to shift in the light as you moved the toys around.

The effect on these tiny 2.75" figures was amazing! Just the dye job is incredible. The colors blend beautifully with the natural translucent PVC of the figures. The glitter's effect is stunning as each fleck catches and reflects light differently. And the hard gloss clear coat makes every surface look like...candy!

Now, you add the fine pin-striping, and you really have a unique work of art in your hands! One Pheyden was detailed with lime green; the other with orange. The patterns are classic and I'm afraid that these haphazard pics don't do these toys justice. Holding these toys in-hand is a whole new experience for Glyos collectors. The hard finish combined with the fine detailing puts these in a new class of "action figure".

The best part of all is that these figures are fully functional as Glyos toys! That's right: not only are they just as poseable as their stock counterparts, but they can be disassembled and put back together in crazy configurations as much as you like. The joints' fit functions operate fine as no dye or glosscoat had seeped in. We spent a bunch of time pulling them apart and popping them back together. Not only were the joints flawless, but the normal toy "abuse" we put them through didn't mar the custom work one bit...

Granted, we weren't about to whip these against a wall or anything. Doughty probably woulda murdered us! ;)

And since there was no way I was removing these from that house without taking on Doughty, my only hope to enjoy these guys was to take pics...and plenty of 'em! ...And, of course, share 'em with you guys!

By all means, if you get a chance, hop on over to Glyos.com to see what's shaking with Matt Doughty's world of figures. If you're interested in seeing more of Matt Walker's work, definitely give his blog some face-time. He currently has a jaw-dropping custom Eyezon available that he and his good friend (and ours!), Mark Nagata, collaborated on.

We're happy to add Matt "Dead Presidents" Walker to our list of local buddies, and we see nothing but good stuff on the horizon for this beastly customizer! And who knows...maybe someday the rest of us will be able to get our hands on some Dead Presidents-custom Glyos figs...!

Most of us are probably already familiar with Onell Design's Glyos System Series of retro sci-fi action figures. They're definitely a local favorite of ours--especially the CDX-exclusive Wraith Pheyden, who keeps seeming to pop up in review pics!

Well, coming soon to reinforce your troops is the Phase Arm and Gobon Blaster!

We're fans of Onell Design around here. We first learned about these local (Massachusetts, USA) toymakers a couple years ago when we met creators, Matt and Jesse, and learned about their retro styled injection-molded PVC "Glyos" figures.

The toys are unique, but those with a trained eye can see that they incorporate design elements harkening back to classic toy lines like Takara's Microman/Henshin Cyborg and Mego's Micronauts. Sure, these figures are meant to be played with, but they're still designer toys that appeal to adult collectors due to their nostalgic styling.

Get your CDX-exclusive Wraith Pheyden here!

These figures are tough. "Injection-molded" PVC means that they can take a pounding...as evidenced by our lunacy here, here, and here (please note that we at CollectionDX do not recommend smashing your toys to prove a stupid point)! To learn more about the two flagship characters of the Glyos series, check out JoshB's review of Wave 1 Pheyden and Exellis.

Well, in the grand tradition of boys' toys, it's about time these guys got an upgrade!

First, let's talk about the Warp Zone. Term sound familiar? Those cool "Easter eggs" in 80's video games like Super Mario Bros, where you got to "warp" to a bonus level? Well, if you check out Glyos.com regularly enough, you'll see the "warp zone" image near the top, right-hand side. At the moment, it's locked...but about a week or so ago, it was "active". This link (and other Easter egg links that occasionally pop up on the site) lead to special store pages where folks can score extra-special goodies not found on the regular Onell shopping page.

Anyway, entering the warp zone a couple weeks ago would take you to a page where you could order special editions of Standard Pheyden Mk II and the Standard colorway of the new head sculpt, Sarvos, complete with bonus Exellis head!

Welcome, Standard Sarvos!

Well, what made these editions "special" was the inclusion of two new beta-version accessories: Pheyden's Phase Arm and the Gobon Blaster! Now, what makes these accessories "beta" is that they were shot in PVC that was way too hard and, as such, needed their connectors modified by Matt before shipping. The final versions of these will be softer, like the regular figures, and easy to disassemble in order to create any weird combinations your mind can come up with!

Along with Standard Pheyden Mk II and Standard Sarvos, I also scored Reverse Pheyden and Metran Pheyden below:

(Like the "8-bit" header? Check out the back!)

Please note that I got a little home-cooking with these guys! If you'll notice, my Sarvos and Metran Pheyden above came with two Phase Arms and Gobon Blasters! Those who've ordered from Onell before should find this as no surprise--Matt's infamous for throwing in extras...especially to friends and repeat customers.

So what's the big deal about a couple extra pieces?

Well, it's all about what you can do with those extra bits! The Phase Arm actually comprises three separate parts; the Gobon Blaster, two. Each part has different male-female connectors (pegs/holes). Typically, you can just replace a Glyos dude's hand with the tool of choice just to spice up your battles or shelf display.

But once you get a couple Phase Arms & Gobon Blasters together, start pulling the bits apart, and begin swapping, things start to get very interesting very quickly!

Cyborg cannon-arm Pheyden? Why not?

Those well-versed in the art of Glyos construction will find these combo's amateurish, at best. Please forgive me: I'm an abject beginner at kit-bashing Glyos stuff! But still, after cracking open the bagged figures last night, I immediately threw together some great-looking combos:

Granted, these combinations were featured on Glyos.com before, but I just couldn't help myself! The added bulk from the extra bits replace the almost-cute proportions of the figures with the noble stature of powerful heroes!

But the possibilities are endless with these parts! Once they get a wide release in softer material and matching colors/translucent/glow colorways, these things are going to be amazing...especially when combined with the also-upcoming Buildman.

After shooting the combinations above, I started messing around with the bits and quickly came up with these guys below:

Not bad for a rookie!

Lastly, I wouldn't feel right leaving y'all without a little glow:

The companion piece to Onell Design's Pheyden action figure,

When these first came out I was so caught up in the commotion that I reviewed Pheyden and completely forgot about Exellis. Now that these have been out for a while I can now talk a bit more about these awesome figures.

Prototype Sincroid Exellis is the companion piece to Onell Design's Pheyden action figure. They are the brainchild of Matt Doughty who just happens to live minutes from my house. I suppose that it was inevitable that we should meet, and we've managed to develop a great friendship. I try not to let that friendship cloud my impression of his figures, but i have to say that seeing this whole process come to fruition is pretty amazing.

Exellis is an articulated action figure that is meant to be played with. He's 2.75 inches tall, has 12 points of articulation, and comes in three different color variations.

Standard

Hyper

Aves

The toys come in a cool little window box that has a small sticker denoting what figure is inside. The boxes aren't even taped shut, as Matt just wants people to play with them. They are sturdy and meant to survive in a kids pocket. I have a few on my desk and I fiddle with them all the time.

One of the great things about these toys is that they are all interchangeable. You can mix and match parts form each one to create unique color schemes. You can even create new massive toys if you have many of them at your disposal.

There's even a whole crazy backstory behind these guys that they chronicle over at the Glyos Transmission Blog. You can get a good idea of what kind of creations you can come up with from some of the things they post.

They're just getting ready to release some new figures, and some new colorways of the existing figures, so go grab them while you can.

They have what a lot of the “collector” toys are missing these days, and that is FUN. You can actually play with them.

I have to be up front with you here – this is going to be a biased review. I’ve become good friends with Matt and his crew and I’ve watched these toys come alive through them. It has been an amazing experience, to see someone’s dreams come true.

Pheyden is from a small company in Acton Massachusetts called Onell Design. He is the creation of local artist / toymaker Matt Doughty. Matt has been drawing Pheyden and other characters since he was a kid. He created a comic called Gears Edge, and Pheyden is one of the characters from it.

I won’t admit to knowing a lot about the character. The back of the package describes Pheyden as:

Space Traveler Pheyden – Hailing from the fabled edge of space in the mysterious Glyos System, Space Traveler Pheyden journeys through endless dimensions securing the order of the infinite universe and patching holes in the fabric of time.

What that means, I have no idea.

Each Pheydon comes in a nice window box that is unique to this character. Pheydon comes in three colors – Standard (Blue), Gears Edge (Sepia) and Phase (Green). You can see each figure through the window on front so there is no surprise as to what you are getting. There is also a small sticker on the bottom of the box denoting which figure is inside. The sticker is a nod to the small stickers affixed to vintage Japanese toy boxes to show that the toys were officially licensed. Pheyden rests in a form-fit clear plastic tray, and incuded in the box is a trading card and a small fold out booklet (another nod to vintage Japanese toys, this time the fold out catalogs that came with old Takara toys).

The figure itself is really cool, but I can understand how the aesthetics aren’t for everyone. This is very much an action figure, not some high-end collectable to be locked behind glass. In this age of super-expensive limited run designer vinyls that don’t actually do anything, it is refreshing to handle an artist-created toy that I can fiddle with that wont break the bank. There are no egos or names here – just a cool little figure.

Pheyden is 2.75” tall and has 12 points of articulation. Each joint is a swivel joint that you can actually pop out with a little effort. The idea here was to make it so that any part of any figure in the line can be exchanged with any other figure in the line. Right now there are only two figures out, but in the future this will become a great asset. Other toys designed by Onell share similar connection points (Saucernauts, for example).

What I like about these toys

I like the fact that these are just fun to hold and play around with. I keep a few next to the desk and find myself fiddling with them all the time. The joints are tight and they stay tight. I like the designs a lot, and I specifically love the translucent green one. I like that I don’t have to be afraid to hand these to my kids and worry about them breaking them. I can’t stress it enough – these things are STURDY.

What I don’t like.

I really like the end result of the toy, but there are a few things I would have done differently. For one – I would have liked to have seen 2 closed fists, or an extra one included with the set. I would have also liked for them to have included some sort of weapon. Matt has told me that the hand was designed to hold any standard Star Wars weapon, but still, I’ve seen the weapons these guys make, and they are pretty awesome. Finally, the only other thing that is missing is holes in the feet. All your great action figures have holes in the feet to attach to action figure stands. Why not Phaedon?

You’ve spent $10 on stupider things.

Like I said, I am a little biased, but I think you should check these out. They have what a lot of the “collector” toys are missing these days, and that is FUN. You can actually play with them.

Pheyden (and the other Onell Design figures) are available at http://www.onelldesign.com