Power Lords Power Soldiers Are A Great Taste Of Things To Come

The Four Horsemen’s first new Power Lords figures are filled with promise for what may be the best toy line of 2014.

The Power Lords are back!  The Four Horsemen used Power-Con as the venue to launch their reboot of the sci-fi fantasy cult classic toy line, and the two exclusive Power Soldiers offer our first glimpse at the probably expansive and definitely cool property.

The first thing to note– and the only real drawback of the new Power Lords, really– is their size.  Unlike the original 5-6″ figures, the new toys by the Horsemen stand about 4″ tall, which makes sense considering they employ the Glyos system, not unlike the Horsemen’s previous Outer Space Men figures.  That’s where the similarities end between the Horsemen’s two in house properties, because the sculpting, articulation pattern and general vibe of the Power Lords figures is very much its own thing.

The Power Soldier and Elite Power Soldier share the same base body, which will probably serve as the uniform of Adam Power as well.  The two soldiers share matching gear– a staff and a rifle, both cast in semi-soft plastic not unlike GI Joe weapons.  Both figures end up looking very unique, thanks to their drastically different color schemes and helmet designs.

The Elite wears a white uniform, with a more traditional space helmet kind of head.  I like the pure white of the figure, with no washed to dirty it up, and his few details in black make for a striking looking figure.  Not to be outdone, the Power Soldier wears all black with an eye catching red finish on his belt, insignia and visor.  His helmet features a larger dome/ visor, reminiscent of the EVA helmet from Halo.

Each figure’s design is wonderfully on point to the design of the vintage toys, created by fantasy legend Wayne Barlowe.  While both these soldiers are very humanoid (not nearly as out there as some of the creatures to come), their design has exactly the right feel for this universe, with the semi-Egyptian pattern of the chest armor and the piping and ridges that texturize their outfits.

On top of looking great, these Power Soldiers are also a wonder when it comes to articulation.  I had feared some limitations, not unlike the Outer Space Men, but these guys are very poseable.  Each figure features a ball neck with a wide range of motion, hinged shoulders, half-ball elbows and knees, swivel waist and hips, swivel wrists and hinged ankles.  It’s a very generous setup, and offers lots of great posing options, which is always a plus when it comes to army builders, especially.

By the time we see some of the wilder creatures in this line, I’m sure the articulation pattern will be tweaked based on those designs.  But in the meantime, the Power Soldiers have set a very promising standard precedent.

I have been stoked for the return of the Power Lords since the Horsemen announced their new series, but having these figures in hand just gets me even more excited to jump back in to this weird, wondrous universe.  The Horsemen have delivered two amazing figures– characters not even from the original toy line– and as we witness more and more all new, amazingly well rendered figures based on Barlowe’s awesome designs, it’s obvious Power Lords will be a toy line to watch in 2014.