Number three in my top ten figures reviews is the brand that first caught my attention and got me interested in Glyos. I am mainly a collector of four inch scale action figures. When I discovered how little Hasbro had planned to celebrate G.I.*JOE's fiftieth anniversary my dollars started looking elsewhere. When comic book super heroes could not be found, Power Lords were there to save the day.
This is a toy line from Revell that was originally made in the early nineteen eighties. The designs were created by Wayne Barlowe. Revell had originally contacted him about licensing aliens from his book Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials. Since he didn't own the rights to some of the characters he offered to come up with original concepts for the company. The Extra-Terrestrial Warriors produced many different characters before the line ended but now they have been plucked from relative obscurity by the famous (infamous?) Four Horsemen Studios. This review covers the Power Soldiers, other characters will get their own some time later.
Power Soldiers serve Lord Power to protect the galaxy. Each one is made of sixteen pieces, half of which have hinges built into them. This gives a Power Soldier twenty three individual points of articulation. There are two different heads, one standard, the other Elite. Either one posts onto a ball peg which allows full range of motion. Each joint in the arms and legs are designed for maximum poseability.
The sculpting on these figures is immaculate and I would expect nothing less from a studio with 4H's reputation. The costume is a skin-tight space-suit with a striped texture sculpted throughout. They have a simple belt and large pouches on either thigh. Ribbed hoses run down the outsides of the arm and legs. The hoses converge in the center of the chest under a triangular device.
They come with two weapons and hold them both very well. One is a ray-gun space-rifle that can be held two-handed with its foregrip. The other is a long pike. Unfortunately their grip is rather tiny so they won't be holding many items from other toy lines.
Power Soldiers have been released in six different colors. Black and white were the original release and presumably default. Light gray and dark gray come from the Slate Zone. The Ophidian Squad wear red and blue. There will be a seventh soon with the Power Lords Club members getting an early shot at preordering the new Dark Nebula Power Soldier in army green.
Despite some early quality control issues I've witnessed I would still give Power Lords a solid recommendation to any fans of great sci-fi toys.
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