Review – RealXHead/Onell Design Mini-Pheyden

Line: Glyos * Manufacturer: Onell Design and Real X Head * Year: 2010

Real X Head and Onell Design are back for another round of fun. After the mini vinyl toy, Pheyaos (review here and second review here), and the towering Pheyaos Man (review here), we now get the Mini-Pheyden, a vinyl version of the Glyos System’s central character. If you’re a RXH fan then chances are you’ve already grabbed one of these — or you’re searching for one — but if you’ve never owned a RXH mini figure then you might be wondering what the fuss is all about.

Packaging

The Mini-Pheyden shown here was a labor of love, with not only RXH and Onell Design involved in the production but also — as the header card indicates — Dead Presidents and Callgrim’s home, Rawshark taking part in the action. So the illustrated header card (I almost forgot what I was supposed to be writing about) shows four company logos; good thing there wasn’t anyone else involved or it would have been a booklet attached to the bag. Damn, I appear to be out of it today because I have nothing interesting or exciting to say about the header card. Look up, guys, because with two pictures I must have approximately 2,000 words right there for you to enjoy.

The toy also came with an extra head (shown above) as well as an original piece of art by Jesse Moore (shown below). Each individual piece arrived in its own ziplock bag and everything was well wrapped and protected in shipping. So will the MIB collectors demand that all three bags remain sealed, or will they only care about the main bag that includes the header card? Doesn’t matter to me; I opened all three bags.

And the art cards connect together; see this thread at the October Toys forum to enjoy the pre-launch, launch, and post-launch discussion. As well as photos of the art cards as they reached people. I hope all of the art cards are posted at the Glyos Transmission Web Log because I want to see them all.

The Mini-Pheyden Toy

Wow, I’m totally out of it today because I had to remind myself that we were looking at a toy and not merely a launch event. If this review makes no sense at all blame my feeble mind . . . but at least the photos look to be clear and can tell the story where my incompetent mind cannot. Anyway, Mini-Pheyden . . .

Standing roughly 3.5-inches tall, Mini-Pheyden fits in better with Pheyaos (review here and second review here) than he does Pheyaos Man (review here). And even then he’s not a perfect fit; Pheyaos has some of the RXH Chaos design blended in while Mini-Pheyden is pure Pheyden, just distorted. Smooth surfaces and sharp lines define Mini-Pheyden where a rougher, more organic look define Pheyaos.

Mini-Pheyden’s sculpt is spot-on, with every line crisp and even and the surface as smooth as glass. Part of the glass-like nature of the appearance is the gorgeous Dead Presidents paint job, but after looking at the unpainted version of the toy I can safely say that the sculpt itself is wonderfully smooth. The squat, deformed design is cute and the sculpt does a remarkable job of keeping the Pheyden design but adapting it to the RXH aesthetic. A winning piece for collectors of either line.

And the toy has considerably more articulation than we typically see in RXH mini-figs. The mushroom-headed joints that are typical on Japanese vinyl toys are present at the head, waist, and each arm, and the head pops right off so that you can snap on the (included) alternate head; Sarvos! So if you can get your hands on two of these you can have both a Mini-Pheyden and a Mini-Sarvos in your collection. Or, as shown in the pic above, two Sarvos-headed minis. I’m not sure what it is about the Sarvos design but I love that look. I’m betting it’s because the helmet makes me think of stormtroopers.

Closing Thoughts

Despite my amateurish and rambling words you should still want a Mini-Pheyden if you’re a RXH or a Glyos fan. The toy has currently seen only a single release (and that sold out fast), but there are more versions on the way so everyone should get a chance to score one of these. It’s a neat design, feels great in hand, and the paint job on this version is as great as anything we’ve seen come out of Matt Walker’s skilled hands.

If you’re not a fan of Japanese vinyl toys then you should stop reading reviews like this. There’s not enough articulation here for the hardcore mass-market action figure fans, and reading reviews like this will only lead you to buying one Japanese vinyl toy. And trust me, once you get your hands on one then you’ll want a second. And that’s a dangerous path to take, because two will not satisfy you.

Mini-Pheyden is small and fun and looks great with the other RXH toys in my collection. The extra articulation makes him just a little more playable, and the bonus head is perfect since I can change the look with a simple head swap. This is a toy you should keep an eye on.

Philip Reed will not go try and clear his mind. It’s a work day and there’s no time for Phil to be this stupid.