KR|"Echoes of Future" Review #28: Gladorr (Second Evolutionary Stage)

Toy prototype details

Name: Gladorr^TM (Second Evolutionary Stage)

Subtitle: transformed reptilian schemer

Line: KR|Echoes of Future

Item type: action figure - Nº 23 in the line.

Character details

Name: Gladorr

Classification: techno-mutated reptile of uncertain group

Sex: male

Home: North America

Era: Earth's 21^st century (later transported to ancient Idakarr - 570 years before Foundation)

Affiliation: CorpSTar; Bogthropod (temporarily)

Rank: mercenary.

Background

First appearance: KR|Echoes of Future #2 - The dark powers of dominion

Character summary: after developing a statue-like shell during a fierce battle with Masq-Lor, Gladorr emerged as a powerful metallic being, his body forged from a fusion of Cereutian technology and experimental enhancements, possibly linked to Silef’s past body modifications. Coldly pragmatic, he eventually allied himself with the tyrant Krenodos, aiding the Bogthropods in their conquest of Cereutis and the banishment of the Multiversal Balancers. When the Therioms exposed Gladorr as a calculating opportunist, one who had manipulated both enemies and allies across space-time in pursuit of his own hidden agenda, Krenodos agreed to a temporary alliance to eliminate him. Though captured, Gladorr was soon rescued by loyal soldiers in a brutal assault, reigniting his campaign to alter history. Through mind control and merciless tactics, he turned the captured Fai-Rha and Herrion into living weapons, ultimately absorbing the power of their helmets to evolve further. During a subsequent attack on Theriom City, he revealed his new terrifying, nearly unstoppable form, enhanced by the strength of the fallen siblings. Driven by dangerous long-term ambitions, Gladorr’s ensuing theft of the Theriom’s halberds marked not only a shocking and devastating outcome, but the beginning of a far more ominous plan: to conquer the mysterious powers locked behind the multiversal walls.

Articulation
Standard (new scheme).

Description

Head: much like in his standard form, his head resembles a fungal growth, with a domed cap perched on a thick stalk, a single large, mean-looking eye set between them, and a pair of ears shaped like bat wings extending outward. In this version, however, the organic look of this structure has been replaced with a robotic finish, adding a more menacing edge; the metallic "skin" is silver-coloured (with a two-tone sheen) and detailed with ridges and rivets where separate plates seemingly meet, while the eyeball is cast in translucent dark-amber plastic (with a slit-shaped, dark vertical pupil appearing fuzzy within) and the ears are sharp and blade-like

Body: his torso and limbs are slender, resembling an écorché in which the exposed muscle fibres have been transformed into bundles of wires and cables, all sharing the same two-tone silver, metallic finish as the head. Within the chest, glimpses of a hybrid interior are visible, like an organic core (perhaps a heart) encased in a lattice of moving cogs. The arms and legs are further detailed with etched circuitry, and end in webbed, clawed hands and feet. Additionally, 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 steel tentacles, possibly merging into the head's stalk

Wearables: none, this is how he emerges from the hardened shell of his previous form, likely the result of some kind of blood poisoning caused by the metal-coated tail tip present in Silef’s spirit, or perhaps a remnant of his past exoskeleton.

Action feature

In the comics, beyond the basic look described above, this version of Gladorr takes on different appearances depending on the point in the story. All of these variations can be recreated using some cool accessories included with the figure. To replicate his appearance during the time he co-rules Cereutis with Krenodos, the accessories include pearlescent white pairs of armbands (each ornamented with a four-pointed throwing star symbol), narrow bracelets with knuckle guards, and clawed boots, as well as a large pearlescent white tasset belt featuring a round buckle (which bears a blue gemstone carved with three vertical wavy lines) and central midnight-blue Roman-style studded lappets hanging in the front. The most striking pieces, however, are a midnight-blue cape fastened at the front with a pearlescent white emblem shaped like a four-pointed throwing star (featuring what appears to be a trilobite embossed at its centre), and a hooded, masked head. The pearlescent white mask and the midnight-blue hood are actually separate pieces; the mask can be removed, revealing Gladorr's standard "face" beneath, and replaced with an included translucent blueish face shield, mimicking the scene from the comics where the mask is summoned and materialises seemingly out of nowhere. The mask's sculpt itself is well done, featuring a cross-shaped, blueish-grey steel ornament riveted to the faceplate: the horizontal bar serves as a visor, with two menacing, dark-amber glowing eye slits, while the vertical bar bears a silver frontal crest (whose shape is very similar to that of Xonedar's helmet) and ends in a toothed air intake that covers the mouth area. Completing the look are a pair of curved steel horns extending from the temples, along with two similar shorter pairs protruding from the cheeks. This mask has several design elements that remind me of Megatron from the "Bayformers" movies and Ultron from the MCU.

Finally, to replicate his appearance during the assault on Theriom City and the multiversal walls, several additional pieces of pearlescent white armour (all accented with angular, metallic midnight-blue trimmings and embellished with small exposed tech-mech elements) are included, such as two rerebraces (each worn via an armband, and fitted with an oversized studded pauldron bearing a translucent CorpSTar symbol—a crescent arc-shaped rising sun with a seven-pointed star beneath it, symbolising the dawn of a new reptile-lead civilisation—and various battle dents) and laminar forearm guards that connect to the rerebraces via swivel joints at the elbow, allowing for movement while maintaining full arm articulation. The arm armour is complemented by matching laminar, strap-fastened shin guards equipped with large studded knee guards. Finally, the set is completed with a cuirass and a new helmeted head. The cuirass is not a completely new item, as it is partly reused from Combat Deptilion. It's a two-piece (back and front) armour that features a new back plate with a hemispherical, bright central structure that may serve as a sort of power generator, a newly added turning control hub in the abdomen, where Gladorr can tap into different abilities (more on this later), and a resonance display on the chest plate, which shows glowing waveform visuals when he speaks and functions like the above-mentioned Deptilion figure, where the armoured chest panels swap out. Gladorr has three newly made lenticular panels, each depicting a different rippling waveform style (i.e., bars, lines and areas). The head is an enhanced version of the previously described masked design. Now helmeted instead of hooded, it features riveted blueish-grey steel ornaments made up of three bars: the horizontal bar still functions as a visor, but with four eye slits (two on each side); the vertical bar includes two silver frontal crests inspired by Herrion's helmet, and ends in a more streamlined mouth plate; a new crossbar spans the sides of the head, with attached silver side and top crests reminiscent of Fai-Rha's helmet. Completing the look are the two short pairs of curved steel horns extending from the cheeks. The overall aesthetic of this head gives me some Infinity Ultron vibes, but I wish the face plate could be flipped up. It’s important to note that in the comics, this final armoured form originates from the suits of armour worn by older, brainwashed versions of Herrion and Fai-Rha; these suits were created by Gladorr's body after it absorbed the power of the siblings' helmets, and are later shown transforming into liquid metal, one becoming Gladorr's endoskeleton, and the other immediately after forming his outer shell.

Gladorr's stylised cuirass.

Weapons and accessories

In addition to all the parts needed to recreate Gladorr's various appearances during the events featuring his second evolutionary stage, the figure includes an extra set of accessories tied to the abilities granted by the turning control hub housed in his cuirass. Notably, the six coloured markings that characterise this dial suggest it operates using the power of the SpawnCrystals. When the pointer aligns with the red or yellow markings, Gladorr gains the ability to attract machine parts and convert them into wrist-mounted weapons, such as the included metallic midnight-blue flamethrower (accompanied by a translucent red-orange blast effect) and rotary multiple-barrel ray gun, both of which can be attached to his wrist bracers. The light-blue and dark-blue markings allow Gladorr to transform his hands into weapons; the package includes two interchangeable metallic midnight-blue pieces that can replace his hands, namely a cannon with a canister-style magazine (very reminiscent of his signature bazooka, with the canister resembling the tank and connected to the barrel via a white tube) and a crossbow-shaped weapon (whose limbs are joined at both ends by, instead of a string, what looks like a stream of water, which is converted into sharp, bladed ice-bolts by the central barrel). The mauve marking enables Gladorr to generate electromagnetic pulses from his hands, which he uses to steal the four halberds from the Key defenders; this ability is recreated thanks to a pair of wispy, tendril-like effects cast in translucent lavender plastic that attach to his wrists, seemingly tracing the movement of his attraction powers. The four halberds are also included, but while the shapes of their heads remain identical to the original versions that we all know, each blade now features circuitry-like accents in yellow, red, green and blue, respectively; additionally, the handles are significantly shorter, allowing them to plug into four slots arranged in a double-V formation on Gladorr’s back, making him the Key himself. Finally, the green marking allows Gladorr to transform his fingers into slender, flexible mechanical appendages that interface with the slot atop the pillar used to open the portals of the multiversal walls; to reproduce this, the figure includes two alternate hands featuring trailing tentacle-like extensions.

Final thoughts

Overall: like many figures in the KR|EoF line, this new version of Gladorr might not grab attention at first, but the more you engage with him, the more you appreciate his subtle complexity. From his sturdy build and solid articulation to the impressive sculpt and array of accessories, Gladorr is a great figure that does more than just look good... he invites play! There's something satisfying about holding a figure that’s both detailed and highly playable. Here’s hoping future releases follow this path, where form and function meet, and every figure feels as thoughtfully crafted as this one

Rating: ☺☺☺☺☺ / 5