Sydot The Supreme

Review by The Enthusiast

As the Four Horsemen kick the renewed Power Lords into production in the coming months, I will be revisiting the classic figures.

Power Lords

The Power Lords is a strange property. In 1983, Revell, the ubiquitous model company, threw its hat into the action figure ring with the Power Lords, a fantasy-themed series roughly in the vein of Masters of the Universe. Revell enlisted the talents of science fiction illustrator Wayne Barlowe to develop the designs. Barlowe’s designs are some of the strangest ever realized in a mass market product. The Power lords were creepy, sinewy, organic space aliens, more like nightmares than the muscle-men of the He-Man roster. I remember being disturbed and intrigued by the toys as a child. I was too fixated on the Transformers and G.I. Joe to pay much attention, and the Power Lords were on shelves for about a half an hour, but they were some of the first figures I picked up off of ebay as an adult.

Sydot The Supreme

The back of Sydot's card informs us that:

Sydot was a wise, scientific genius on the planet Rana, when he was captured by Arkus and transported to another worldly dimension. He was freed by Adam and Shaya to join them in the battle to save the galaxy.

Whereas the MOTU toys were mostly variations on the same anonymous muscular figure sculpt, the Power Lords character designs were all over the place. Sydot's is absolutely unique, looking vaguely like a scaled-down Tyrannosaurus Rex. And he's wearing a slick blue body stocking and an armored harness. Look at the green ribbed neck on his outfit!

The Power Lords all communicate a strong clarity of character. Where Shaya is regal and creepily disturbing in her alien form, and where GGripptogg is a thuggish brute with sympathetic shadings, Sydot is a brightly colored goofball. His wide grin is so personable and fun. You can't help but like this guy. How many action figures telegraph a fully realized personality so effectively?

A variant release with chrome armor was also produced in limited numbers.

Accessories include a gun and binoculars, which both fit smartly in his chest armor.

He can't really hold those binoculars, though.

Articulation is fun and engaging, but nothing dramatic.

That head, though, is a work of art. This may be the first action figure with an articulated tongue, manipulated with that little lever at the back of his neck. So much expression is generated by the wide mouth and waggling tongue.

A really beautiful, unique figure. A stand out winner in an exceptional line. There's a real joy to this piece.