Power Soldier Store Horsemen / Power-Con Exclusive Power Lords Power-Con Exclusive Item No.: n/a Manufacturer: Four Horsemen Includes: Gun, staff Action Feature: n/a Retail: $10.00 Availability: September 14, 2013 Other: One of Two Debut Power Lords Figures
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The Power Lords was one of those old sci-fi lines with a fascinating backstory and few loyal fans - it was born out of a catch-all sci-fi line based on the works of Wayne Barlowe back in the 1980s, but mutated into a line of more or less totally original designs between Barlowe and Revell, the manufacturer. This line has been in varying stages of development for years, and the Power Soldier was a surprise debut piece - rather than a clear figure like in Outer Space Men, the Four Horsemen took this license and instead opted to generate new, original "troopers" based on the original character Adam Power. There will be more - at least a blue and a red Power Soldier have been revealed in addition to the black Power Soldier and the white Elite Power Soldier.

Cast in black plastic, this figure is - without hyperbole - the ultimate in toy dork action figures. The pair pushes so many buttons, it's disgusting. Based on the Power Lords action figure Adam Power, this black Power Soldier has an all-new helmet which looks sort of like the G.I. Joe Cobra Viper (and subsequent Swamp Vipers), but it's colored to match the black-and-red Glyos figures from earlier this year. The triangle on the chest is reminiscent of the early The Star Wars logos and patches, with a texture that gives ut that 1970s look and feel - this was probably just how the Revell people did it back in the 1980s, as (I think) this was a character in which painter Wayne Barlowe had limited to no involvement.

The outfit is very similar to sci-fi concepts of the mid-1970s, despite being based on a toy of the 1980s. The skin-tight suit has some thigh pouches (not unlike Boba Fett), lots of ribbing and seams (not unlike Darth Vader), and a sort of a collar around the upper-chest which reminded me of some early female Luke Skywalker concepts. To be honest, that's what this figure reminds me of the most - some of those early sketches of the girl Luke at the feet of Han Solo, minus niceties like hair and boobs. It's so screamingly retro it'll make you weep with joy - of course, it's better than retro.

The figure is built with modern articulation needs in mind, sporting 15 points of articulation. The figure can be dismantled at every moving part, meaning you can swap hands and feet between figures and make something customized to fit your needs, whatever those may be. The figure's parts are entirely done with Glyos pegs, while the hands and feet are connected with a mini Glyos peg which, to date, has only been deployed on The Outer Space Men Alpha 7 and Gemini action figures. There are numerous ball joints on the shoulders, knees, ankles, and elbows with a ball-and-socket head. In many respects, this figure is on par with the bulk of better Hasbro Star Wars figures from 2004-2008. The swivel hips and swivel wrists aren't as modern as modern can be, but I don't think they need to be.

Due to the "Glybrid" construction, the figure adds a few benefits of Glyos and a few benefits of modern 3 3/4-inch action figures, but there are problems too. The parts are not fully interchangeable - due to the fact that pegs extend up from the feet, rather than down into the feet, you can't swap feet with other Glyos figures. A cavity in the chest makes it very difficult to insert Outer Space Men, Onell Design, Callgrim, 481 Universe, or Weaponeers of Monkaa parts in the Power Lords torso. With a little fidgeting you can force them to fit, but it's awkward - you have to plug in the wrist part of the arm. The Power Soldier torso does not easily accept other Glyos heads, but you can put the Power Soldier head on other Glyos bodies easily.

The hands are much smaller than the Outer Space Men, so they may be able to hold some G.I. Joe or Star Wars weapons. OSM staffs are far too large, but you can make them fit - it might stretch out the hand over time, though. Another huge benefit is that the Power Solder has a Glyos hole in his back, so you can add wings (Mystron) or a jet pack (Armorvor) to expand the figure. Your young self would have killed for a play feature like this.

The figure includes two accessories cast in a silvery grey plastic. One is a two-handed rifle based on the original Revell Adam Power gun. It looks really nice and can be held in a variety of pleasing ways. The other is a staff, which I assume was included mostly to help balance the figure. In all honesty, it's pretty bland - had they left it out, I wouldn't have missed it. It's OK, it's certainly not great. I wouldn't miss it if they removed it from future releases. What I found to be the most delightful, though, was to give the figures lightsabers from my Star Wars stash. They really do fit well here!

When the concept of Glyos was relayed to me, I was intrigued. I feel that the Power Soldier built on this intrigue to graduate into a more fully-evolved product that succeeds in its own ecosystem. I assume customizers will covet these as the basis of their own creations, but their gradual evolution beyond a typical Glyos-compatible figure may leave some people feeling cold. As a stand-alone product, it's one of my favorites this year. I didn't plan on buying these but now I feel like I must - they don't have the same place in my heart as The Outer Space Men, but as a separate thing they're pretty awesome. Bring on more! Bring on repaints! And Horsemen - if you're reading - do consider reissuing them if the demand picks up. I believe people will want a lot more of these, particularly the white ones, once Star Wars circles get wind of them.

Additional Images

Additional Power Lords 2013 Power-Con Exclusive Images

Click here to see more Four Horsemen figures in Figure of the Day.

See more Power Lords figures in Figure of the Day:
Day 760: Four Horsemen Power Lords Power Soldier Action Figure
Day 784: Four Horsemen Power Lords Power-Con Exclusive Elite Power Soldier Action Figure
Day 807: Four Horsemen Power Lords New York Comic Con Exclusive Ggrapptikk Grunt (Pink) Action Figure
Day 854: Four Horsemen Power Lords Slate Zone Elite Power Soldier Action Figure
Day 888: Four Horsemen Power Lords Barlowe Color Concept Ggripptogg (Grey and Black) Action Figure
Day 927: Four Horsemen Power Lords Ophidian Squad Soldier Action Figure
Day 930: Four Horsemen Power Lords New York Comic Con Exclusive Ggrapptikk Grunt (Purple) Action Figure
Day 947: Four Horsemen Power Lords Ggrapptikk Sergeant Action Figure
Day 959: Four Horsemen Power Lords Ophidian Squad Elite Power Soldier Action Figure
Day 960: Four Horsemen Power Lords Lord Power Action Figure
Day 965: Four Horsemen Power Lords Ggrapptikk Action Figure
Day 989: Four Horsemen Power Lords Ggripptogg Action Figure
Day 1,056: Four Horsemen Power Lords Adam Power Action Figure
Day 1,128: Four Horsemen Power Lords Slate Zone Power Soldier Action Figure
Day 1,254: Four Horsemen Power Lords Ggrabbtargg Action Figure
Day 1,476: Four Horsemen Power Lords Ggrapptikk Grunt Action Figure

Click here to see more Glyos Compatible figures in Figure of the Day.

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