The Nacelle Co. continues its quest to build up an intellectual property (IP) catalog with the acquisition of the Power Lords brand.
The company behind Netflix’s The Toys That Made Us, the multiplatform A Toy Store Near You, and Behind The Attraction for Disney+ followed the recent news that it’s acquired Ideal Toys’ Robo Force brand with word that the Power Lords — produced by Revell in the 1980s — will join the Nacelle portfolio. The company plans to develop the property into an animated series, a comic book, and a line of toys.
“With all of our shows, books, films, and eventually toys, we’re trying to keep consistency in our mission to celebrate nostalgic brands and introduce them to a new generation of pop culture fans worldwide,” says Brian Volk-Weiss, founder and CEO of The Nacelle Co. “Our deal to acquire Power Lords is a huge step forward to achieving those goals.”
In recent months, The Nacelle Co. has launched a publishing division that will serve to complement the company’s efforts in TV alongside the forthcoming Nacelle Toys division.
Power Lords: The Extra-Terrestrial Warriors was launched in 1983 by Revell, the company known for scale model kits. Eager to follow the success of Mattel’s He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and the popularity of Star Wars, the company entered the action figure aisle with Power Lords, a new brand with a name suspiciously close to the original name for Masters of the Universe — Lords of Power — dashed with a tagline that was still on everyone’s mind following Steven Spielberg’s 1982 hit, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Power Lords was created for Revell by Ned Strongin and Len Mayem who brought sci-fi/fantasy author Wayne Douglas Barlowe on board to help with characters and designs. The line led by the heroic Adam Power featured 10 action figures, four vehicles, one creature, and the Volcan Rock playset. Revell also worked with licensing partners, including Philips, Magnavox, and Coleco to create Power Lords video games for the ColecoVision and Odyssey2 gaming systems while Warren Games produced a traditional board game. Additionally, DC Comics published a Power Lords limited series.
In recent years, The Four Horsemen, who previously worked on Masters of the Universe for Mattel, took a shot at relaunching Power Lords to modest success. A series of exclusives offered between 2013-2015 did well on the convention circuit while a license extension in 2017 led to a Kickstarter campaign that fell short of its goal.
Now, with the brand in the hands of the growing Nacelle Co., the Power Lords may truly rise again.
