RELEASE INFORMATION
28 DECEMBER 2022
339.99 USD
TITANIUM
59 MADE
65.2g WITH ONE DROP BRASS ULTRALIGHT SIDE EFFECTS
Diameter 55.5mm, Width 42mm, Gap 4.4mm
YOYORECREATION NSK PLATINUM DOUBLE STRAIGHT C bearing
CLYW SLIM / G-GRIP SIZE TYPE 50 LANDING PADS RESPONSE
MARTIAN INVASION!
The Martian has been a long time in the making.
Its prototypes were completed in January 2022, followed by the production batch in June. The release was then delayed when the Side Effects bores were found to be outside the required tolerance. The Side Effects could not be fitted reliably, and the entire batch had to be remade.
Six months later, The Martian is finally ready to invade. This is a difficult yo-yo to describe using the usual language of "floaty" or "solid." It sits somewhere between the two and has something less measurable: soul.
Players familiar with the CLYW Canvas will recognize part of its character. The Martian feels slightly heavier and more centre-weighted, with a peculiar bounce as it meets the string. Every so often, an apparently simple RSO design becomes far more memorable than its specifications suggest. The Martian belongs alongside derti, TiRAMiSU and Sushi as one of my most cherished RSO releases.
he Martian is smooth on the string and at its outer rims, but it is not completely vibe-free. A faint vibe may be detected by placing two fingers within the catch zone near the response area. This is attributed to the increased risk of minor warping when machining a relatively large, full-sized titanium body. The same quality-control standard used for Gravity is applied to The Martian. Players satisfied with the finish and smoothness of Gravity should have similar expectations here.
THE BIG BANG
The Martian is born from the fusion of the RSO × Atmos Projects Gravity and the CLYW Canvas. Two familiar objects enter the atmosphere. Something entirely new lands.
Its earliest CAD resembles Gravity more closely and includes grooves intended for the caps developed for Gravity and Sushi. Preserving that compatibility, however, proves impractical. The Martian measures 55.5mm in diameter, compared with 54mm for Gravity and 50.5mm for Sushi. Retaining the smaller cap diameter within the larger Martian body would require excessive material around the outer rims, pushing the overall weight beyond an acceptable range.
Gravity (left) and Martian (right).
The deep Schmoove grooves surround a response system designed for CLYW Slim / G-Grip-sized Type 50 Landing Pads. These pads provide a broad response interface and a firm, positive bind. Their additional thickness requires more structure around the centre of the yo-yo, while the surrounding Schmoove grooves help remove unnecessary mass from the same region. The result is the distinctive centre-weighted character that separates The Martian from the Canvas. It feels substantial without becoming sluggish and rebounds from the string with an unusual energy that is difficult to capture in a list of specifications.
Gravity (left) and Martian (right).
Gravity (left) and Martian (right).
Producing a new set of larger caps is also rejected. Those caps would fit only The Martian, while the Gravity and Sushi system remains compatible with Freehand Zero caps. Once the cap grooves are removed, the design begins moving away from Gravity and towards the Canvas. The production Martian retains Gravity's Side Effects hub and a similar inner-rim curvature. Around it are higher Canvas-like walls, deep Schmoove grooves and a triangular protrusion along the inner rims.Its outer rims are rounder than those of the Canvas, creating a fuller and more organic profile in the hand. The Martian is approximately 1mm larger in both diameter and width than the Canvas. In its final form, it is a wider, plumper titanium Side Effects Canvas built around a Gravity hub.
Gravity (left) and Martian (right).
Canvas (left) and Martian (right).
The production version of the Martian is essentially a slightly wider, slightly larger diameter, plumper titanium SE Canvas with a Gravity hub.
UNPARALLELED IN THE GALAXY
The Martian ships with genuine One Drop Brass Ultralight Side Effects installed, producing a standard weight of 65.2g. A second pair of aluminium Ultralight Side Effects is included. Installing them reduces the weight to approximately 62.7g and gives The Martian a lighter, faster character better suited to rapid combinations.
The brass setup provides a heavier and more deliberate experience. It remains my preferred configuration, but both options are supplied because gravity should never be the only force open to adjustment.
Energy Dome Side Effects were also considered during development. Their shape resembles the ray-gun hardware from Mars Attacks!, but they did not complement the final form of the yo-yo and were left aboard the mothership.
MARS ATTACKS!
The artwork is created by ATILA, a longtime RSO collaborator and fellow admirer of the cult film Mars Attacks!
The film's gleefully exaggerated science-fiction aesthetic provides the basis for The Martian's presentation. On the cover, Hachiko, RSO's resident ambassador, attempts to defend Earth against the approaching invaders.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
A PAIR OF ALUMINIUM ULTRALIGHT SE (IN ADDITION TO THE BRASS ULTRALIGHT SE INSTALLED)
MARTIAN INVADER ENAMEL PIN
Certificate of AUTHENTICITY
A PAIR OF CLYW SLIM / G-GRIP SIZE TYPE 50 RSO LANDING PADS
RED STRING
FEATURING SLIM WHITMAN AND THE CARPENTERS
I shot and edited two videos for The Martian! The first features “Indian Love Call” by Slim Whitman, a throwback to the epic scene when the Martians' weaknesses are finally exposed (no spoilers for those who want to watch the movie). The other features one of the most soothing voices in music, Karen Carpenter, covering the song “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft”.