Review – Power Lords: Green Ggrapptikks Grunt

Last month I posted quick pics of the Power Lords Barlowe Color Concept Ggripptogg, one of the new figures in the Four Horsemen’s Power Lords action figure series (official site). That post, though, didn’t actually take a close look at the toy or offer a review of any sort, so today I’m diving in to review the Power Lords: Green Ggrapptikks Grunt. The toy was given to me by the Four Horsemen and is available now at their store.

Sculpt

As with most work by the Four Horsemen, the absolute best way to describe the Green Ggrapptikks Grunt (at the Four Horsemen store) is with one very short word: Wow. The crew at the Four Horsemen Studios are considered to be some of the best toy sculptors working today, and a careful study of the Green Ggrapptikks Grunt action figure clearly demonstrates why their skills are in demand.

The Green Ggrapptikks Grunt — a modern take on the early eighties Ggripptogg action figure by Revell — makes for a fantastic design since the Horsemen took the original toy, Barlowe’s concept art, and their own skills and executed a refined and incredible version (see the original early eighties catalog page). Click any of these pics for a much larger version of the shot; and notice the detail in the creature’s flesh sculpt and the way that alien face comes to life in terrifying ways.

Articulation

The Green Ggrapptikks Grunt (at the Four Horsemen store) blends traditional action figure articulation with the interchangeable design of the Glyos System (Onell Design), bringing us 3.75-inch scale toys that are infinitely playable on their own . . . and shockingly versatile and customizable once you start swapping parts between the various toys in the Glyos series.

With 14 points of articulation, the action figure has enough range of movement for even the hardcore articulation junkies out there. But what is articulated? Well, let’s take a quick peek:

• Head – Ball-jointed neck.
  
• Torso – Swivel waist.
  
• Arms – Swivel/hinge shoulders and elbows, swivel wrists. The forearms are a single piece, though, and cannot move independently.
  
• Legs – T-hip swivel hips and swivel/hinge knees.

That adds up to 14 points, which doesn’t quite compare to the 15 points mentioned in this 16bit.com review, so maybe I’m completely missing a joint as I manipulate and pose the Green Ggrapptikks Grunt (at the Four Horsemen store).

Paint

As with many Glyos System action figures, the Green Ggrapptikks Grunt (at the Four Horsemen store) gets most of its color from the plastics used in the toy’s construction. The green, gray, and black plastics are all perfect at giving the toy an overall color scheme, and the few actual paint apps — on the chest armor, belt, eyes, weapon, and spikes/fingernails on the body — add just enough to keep the toy from looking monochromatic. A dark wash over the creature’s skin really would have pulled out the sculpt, but generally the toy-like qualities of the colorwork come together well and make the figure look good with the others in the Power Lords series.

Closing Thoughts

As with everything touched by the Four Horsemen, the Green Ggrapptikks Grunt (at the Four Horsemen store) is both a work of art and a highly-playable action figure that’s got a satisfying heft and looks like a fantastic update to the original toy from Revell. The addition of the Glyos compatibility helps extend the playability of the toy — just trade parts around to make something new — and also makes many of the joints far more durable than joints on traditional action figures.

A fun toy, recommended to anyone who is a fan of the original Power Lords series and wants to support independent artists as they build their own catalog of professionally-created actio figures.