"Man and Machine, Power Xtreme!" A Tribute to The Centurions (1986)
If you grew up rushing to the television screen on Saturday mornings during the mid-1980s, you likely remember a booming, authoritative voice proclaiming: "Becoming man and machine... Power Xtreme!"
Debuting in April 1986 as a five-part miniseries before expanding into a full 60-episode syndicated run, The Centurions was one of the most high-concept, visually distinct, and action-packed science fiction cartoons of its decade. Created by Ruby-Spears Productions and stunningly animated in Japan by Nippon Sunrise’s Studio 7, the series offered a beautifully polished alternative to the standard animation fare of the era.
Physical copies of the initial chapters remain a prized retro collectible, with The Centurions: The Original Miniseries DVD preserving the foundational episodes that started it all.
The Visionary Minds: Jack Kirby and Gil Kane
While many '80s cartoons were simple 30-minute toy commercials, The Centurions boasted an absolute powerhouse of creative pedigree.
The original character concepts and mechanical frame designs were co-developed by comic book royalty: Jack Kirby (the legendary co-creator of Captain America, the X-Men, and the Avengers) and Gil Kane (famed silver-age artist behind Green Lantern and Atom). Alongside them was legendary writer Michael Reaves, who helped infuse the scripts with genuinely sophisticated environmental themes, detailed science trivia, and a mature exploration of human-machine fusion.
The Ultimate One-Man Arsenals
The story centers around Earth's elite defense force operating from Sky Vault, an orbital space station tracking world-ending threats. Whenever the cybernetic mad scientist Doc Terror and his cyborg henchman Hacker threaten civilization, our three core specialists are beamed down to save the day:
- Max Ray (Sea Operations Commander): Dressed in bright green, specializing in underwater stealth and hydro-weaponry.
- Jake Rockwell (Land Operations Specialist): Dressed in high-visibility yellow, bringing heavy artillery, treads, and ground ordnance.
- Ace McCloud (Air Operations Expert): Dressed in sky blue, dominating the airspace with jetpacks and heat-seeking missile pods.
Using their modular exo-frames, the heroes would call out the iconic phrase "Power Xtreme!" to have massive weapon hubs beamed directly down from orbit via Sky Vault, physically locking into their suits mid-combat to form custom combat configurations.
Why Did Such a Great Show End So Quickly?
Despite its phenomenal animation, stellar voice acting, and groundbreaking premise, The Centurions was canceled after just a single, 65-episode block.
The show ran into a brutally oversaturated market dominated by established behemoths like Transformers and G.I. Joe. To make matters worse, Kenner's accompanying toy line featured oversized, highly complex figures. Parents had to buy multiple expensive expansion weapon packs just to replicate the modular configurations shown on TV, making it a tough sell at retail counters. Slow toy sales ultimately led to the line's cancellation, leaving the IP frozen in time.
But independent collectible manufacturer Ramen Toy has stepped up to fill the void with their premium "80s Commanders" retro action figure lineup. This highly praised modern line recreates the beloved animated series characters as beautifully detailed 7-inch articulated action figures.
According to community video reviews from YouTube toy channels, the figures are meticulously engineered to preserve the exact spirit of the original cartoon.
Decades later, The Centurions stands as a highly underrated classic that was fundamentally ahead of its time, predicting the tech-armor craze long before modern sci-fi action blockbusters popularized it.
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