Review – Glyos System Figures

Onell Design, an independent toy company that’s been around for a very short time, has created an awesome toy series with their series of micro-figures. With a variety of designs available, all of which have interchangeable parts which makes customizing easy and fun, Onell has created the first designer toy I’ve encountered that is an actual play with it now! action figure. Most of the designer toys I own are more like tiny, poseable statues than toys. Every single Glyos figure I’ve bought from Onell has been a toy first and a work of art second. And, as you can see in the photos, the figures are definitely art.

In this review I’m going to look at three different figures in the line, one Pheyden, one Exellis, and one Sarvos. The packaged Exellis — at right — shows the minimal packaging that all three figures came in: a ziplock bag with a stapled header card and a simple insert. It’s not beautiful, but it’s functional and I’m happy with the packaging since it tells me that most of the toy’s cost is in the plastic and not the packaging (that goes in the trash).

Rothan Pheyden

“Pheyden is 2.75 inches tall, has 12 points of articulation and is made of super durable, full color injection molded PVC plastic. Parts are completely interchangeable with all Glyos System Series figures. One Pheyden is included per package.”
— from the Onell Design Store

First up is Onell’s Rothan Pheyden figure, which I chose solely because of his green-on-green color scheme; I really like the color green. The figure is made of a very durable — yet still slightly soft — plastic and has held up to being thrown, dropped, and snapped apart over and over; every single segment of the figure can be snapped off which allows you to basically redesign the figure to suit your own needs (and once you have four of five different figures you can start to make some crazy stuff).

Over at www.collectiondx.com reviewer JoshB nails what makes the toy so awesome when he says:

“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.”

At $8/figure — or $10 for three figures from Onell’s Junk Shop — the Pheyden (and, in fact, every figure in the line) is quite inexpensive for a limited run, designer toy. Part of the reason for the toy’s low cost is the source of my only complaint with the series; many of the parts are identical across figures, including the hands. If Onell can get out some new hands, even something as simple as a closed fist left hand and an open right hand, the customization options will expand considerably.

Redlaw Exellis

“Exellis is 2.75 inches tall, has 12 points of articulation and is made of super durable, full color injection molded PVC plastic. Parts are completely interchangeable with all Glyos System Series figures. One Exellis included per package.”
— from the Onell Design Store

The Redlaw Exellis ended up in my order when Gina looked over my shoulder and basically said, “Buy him!” She’s got a thing for translucent purple so, obviously, she had to have him in our toy collection. Unfortunately, no matter how many shots I take I just can’t get a good picture of the Redlaw Exellis; maybe he has some sort of advanced tech that screws up my camera.

The Exellis has the exact same arm and leg pieces as the Pheyden; the only new parts are the torso, abdomen, and head. Of the two figures I prefer the Pheyden’s abdomen, because of the pouches on his belt, while the Exellis’ head is the neater of the two. The Exellis’ chest has more detail but, again, I’ll take the Pheyden’s chest design over the Exellis. A lot of this may have to do with color preferences, but I’m 100% confident that the more detailed — complete with utility belt! — Pheyden abdomen is the better of the two designs.

Standard Sarvos

“Sarvos is 2.75 inches tall, has 12 points of articulation and is made of super durable, full color injection molded PVC plastic. Parts are completely interchangeable with all Glyos System Series figures. One Sarvos is included per package.”
— from the Onell Design Store

And now we get to the Sarvos design, again with the same arms and legs as the previous two designs. This time, the only completely new pieces are the abdomen and the head; the Sarvos has the same chest piece as the Exellis. Of the three head designs, this may very well be my favorite one; the sci-fi helmet — and the huge eyes — gives the Sarvos a creepy look that the other two figures can’t match. Unfortunately, it looks like the Onell Design store is completely out of Sarvos.

Bits and Pieces

In the image below you can see the Exellis in bits; it looks like Pheyden had enough and tore the other guy apart. Pheyden had better not get too cocky, though, because I’ll likely tear him apart next and then merge the two figures into one. If you want to see some examples of what can be done with the parts take a look at the Onell Design blog (especially this post.)

Closing Thoughts

I have to agree with the review at Plastic and Plush which says:

“Who doesn’t love the retro look of the Glyos System Series? Maybe blend up a little M.U.S.C.L.E. with some M.A.S.K. and add a dash of Tron. Each character is available in a number of different colorways, including clear plastic and glow in the dark. Plus, you can just pop them apart and create all sorts of new figures. It’s really no wonder they are one of our favorite mini figure lines available.”

I’ll take it one step further and say that, at this exact moment, the Glyos System series is easily my favorite mini-figure line. Even with G.I. Joe and Star Wars action figures considered mini-figures, the Glyos System comes out on top. These days, and for a few weeks now, I’ve always got one of the Glyos System figures in my pocket. They make an excellent diversion when I’m stressed and they’re so durable that I don’t worry about breaking them. That’s definitely not true of most of the designer toys that I own.

And, boiling it down to the basics, these toys are just damned fun! Between the low cost and interchangeable parts the Glyos System is the toy I’m going to recommend to everyone. And if you just want lots and lots of pieces don’t miss the Onell Design Junk Shop.

Philip Reed doesn’t want to admit that he has placed three orders with Onell Design over the last month. Between how much fun the toys are, new releases, and hidden pages he keeps finding something new and exciting to add to his fast-growing Glyos System collection.