Toy prototype details
Name: GladorrTM
Subtitle: scheming reptilian time-traveller
Line: KR|Echoes of Future
Item type: action figure - Nº 4 in the line.
Character details
Name: Gladorr
Classification: reptile of uncertain group
Sex: male
Home: North America
Era: Earth's 21st century (later transported to ancient Idakarr - 570 years before Foundation)
Affiliation: CorpSTar
Rank: mercenary.
Background
First appearance: KR|Echoes of Future #1 - The secret origin of chaos
Character summary: a grotesque 21st-century reptilian inmate with psychic powers, native to the Great Lakes region of North America. After a supermajor energy company had stripped his homeland of its resources to fuel the world's largest hydroelectric dam, Gladorr joined a revolutionary movement against the construction of the facility. As a creature dependent on the native waters of the lakes, he could only survive in dry environments with the help of a containment/powered suit designed by the movement's leader. Eventually, Gladorr became one of the leader's most trusted warriors in their fight against the energy company. However, when the company's CEO began to manipulate the leader, he was forced out of the movement's inner circle. Feeling disillusioned, Gladorr turned to a life of crime to survive and spent a considerable time in prison. Facing a death sentence, he was given the chance to regain his freedom by working for the tech giant CorpSTar. Despite their questionable intentions, the company's promise to clear his name swayed Gladorr to join their cause and help them alter history. Sent to the past, he initially clashed with Silef, but later formed a tentative alliance with him, using his telepathic abilities to manipulate him towards his own goals. Despite Silef's demise, Gladorr continued to operate, using the former envoy's legacy to further CorpSTar's plans.
Body: scaly, bumpy/warty greenish skin, webbed clawed hands and feet. His slender limbs are supported by blocky midnight-blue components of a powered exoskeleton, which are adorned with white cables connecting the upper and lower parts of the limbs and transparent piston chambers seemingly containing a reddish liquid. These actuators run from the shoulders down to the forearms and from the thighs down to the calves. He carries an extra neck piece that fits right on top of the body (it is glued on, but it might be possible to pry it off if one had will to do so) and looks like a tangle of scaly tentacles, possibly merging into the head's stalk
Wearables: an off-white (i.e., a white colour with a slight greyish tinge resembling tarnished silver) armour with midnight-blue details, two off-white bracers (each made up of three metal bands), two off-white shin/knee/instep guards featuring fins at the sides, an off-white belt and midnight-blue trunks. All these elements combine to create a cohesive, cyber/armoured look. The armour, which is really detailed and has some great paint applications, appears to function as a type of containment/powered suit, with the actuators fastening to various points on Gladorr's body, such as the shoulder, wrist, thigh and shin guards. On the back, the armour bears a backpack adorned with tubes (two of which seemingly connect to the armour near the flanks, while two others look like exhaust pipes), four white wires running to the actuators (they can be unplugged from the shoulders and thighs), and an offset tank, indicating that there is quite a lot of technology behind this creature's health maintenance. One thing I really like are the various thermionic valves here and there on the backpack, which are different sizes and filled with different little electrodes - they look great and really add a further dose of detail and coolness to the figure.
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| Gladorr's stylised armour. |
Action feature
In the comics, Gladorr possesses limited psychic powers typical of his species, which include the ability to move objects with his mind as well as the ability to read the thoughts of others and communicate with them mentally, or even influence their thoughts and emotions to some extent. He can also temporarily weaken his enemies during combat by targeting their nervous system, causing dizziness, disorientation, or even paralysis for a short time. Additionally, his powered suit grants him superhuman strength, enabling him to lift heavy objects and hold his own against even the most powerful foes. The suit also provides Gladorr with enhanced durability, protecting him from physical harm.
However, his head is permanently encased in a glass dome full of the lakes' waters on which he depends to survive. The figure has a unique feature that allows you to fill its dome with water. The dome, which is securely attached to the armour with a screw cap mechanism to prevent any leakage, covers the head of the figure, which is connected to the armour by a ball joint. You can even add a few drops of an included colourant to the water, to achieve a comic-accurate pinkish hue. Of course, when the dome is fixed in place, it makes it impossible for the figure's head to move in any direction. Fortunately, the dome can always be easily unscrewed without affecting the figure's ability to hold water. It's worth noting that while the water feature adds to the figure's fun factor, it has the potential to damage the head's paint or leave limescale marks.
Weapons and accessories
Gladorr comes with an impressive cannon that fits snugly into his hands. This heavy, massive metallic midnight-blue firearm (with some white accents) features a fairly long rectangular barrel (which is taller than it is wide) ending in a squircular muzzle (complete with two fin-shaped axe blades on either side), which in the comics has the ability to shoot deadly blasts of plasma. The bulky, hi-tech main body of the weapon is equipped with a rear grip extending from the butt, an L-shaped fore grip (i.e., with a handle sticking off the side for two-handed firing), and a longitudinal drum magazine embedded in the rear part. Additionally, the cannon includes an attached tank, similar to the one on the backpack, that is connected to the barrel via a white tube. The barrel and the butt of the weapon are connected by a black pliable baldric that doubles as an ammo belt, retaining and feeding special yellow cartridges into the drum magazine (the plasma blasts are apparently created through the interaction between the content of the cartridges and the gas supplied by the tank). It is definitely an oddly shaped weapon, but it does add a cool extra element to Gladorr's hi-tech equipment. The ability to hold it in both hands also adds to its practicality, making it easier for the figure to carry it... it's clear that functionality was a top priority in its design, and that's something I can definitely dig.
The figure also includes an alternative portrait that shows a slightly different, angrier "expression" (in the comics, Gladorr speaks by moving his eye in a manner similar to that of a mouth).
Final thoughts
Overall: this figure is an impressive addition to the KR|Echoes of Future line, featuring a unique and detailed design that captures the essence of the character in the comics. Gladorr is a well-crafted figure that fans of the KR universe will appreciate for sure. However, the potential risks of damaging the figure when filling the dome with water may dissuade some collectors to use this feature altogether
Rating: ☺☺☺☺ / 5
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