Assault Weapons Systems

Pretty much self-explanatory, the Assault Weapons Systems are the weapons of choice the Centurions use to combat the cybernetic forces of Doc Terror. All the assault weapons systems are designed for a specific Centurion, although on rare occasions they can be used by another Centurion, often with unexpected and comedic results.

I wrote in an earlier entry that there was no background given as to where and how these weapons systems were developed. That's only PARTIALLY true. The "where" is actually an underwater research station named SEA LAB. Not very original, but it's definitely easy to remember, and pretty much gives an accurate description of the facility. It's a lab found beneath the sea. Fair enough.

These weapons systems gives the Centurions the ability to engage Doc Terror's cybernetic forces, whether it be on land, air or sea. I've often wondered exactly HOW MANY Terror Drones each Centurion can wipe out depending on what type of weapons system he's using. The cool thing about the Centurions is that they actually RUN OUT of ammo! This makes their battles more believable, and makes them employ some STRATEGY in combat. If they can take out multiple targets with one shot, why not? Let's go into more detail on that, shall we?

Let's start with Ace McCloud's SKY KNIGHT.

So, what does he have? He's got two (2) heat -seeking "Stincel" missiles, a chest-mounted laser-guided bomb, and a laser-cannon pod. Not much, if you really think about it. But if anything, the Centurions were very creative in the use of their weapons systems. So, let's do the math: with Ace being the hot-shot pilot that he is, and him being on the top of his game, PLUS having lady-luck in his corner, he could probably take out two (2) Strafers with each missile. One direct hit, and if there's another Strafer in close enough proximity, the debris from that hit would take out the other Strafer. If he used those on the Traumatizers on the ground, he's probably take out one (1) for each missile. That's two (2) to four (4) drones right there.

With the laser-guided bomb, I'll say five (5) to ten (10) Traumatizer drones on the ground (using the chain-reaction/debris factor again) on a well-placed hit, and maybe three (3) to four (4) Strafers in the air.

That's eight (10) to eighteen (18) drones so far. And he still has his laser-cannons!

With the laser-cannons he could probably shoot down another five (5) Strafers, and maybe eight (8) to ten (10) Traumatizers.

Tallying all that up, Sky Knight could POTENTIALLY eliminate fifteen (15) to twenty-eight (28) of Doc Terror's drones all by it's lonesome. Not bad for starters.

So if Ace alone, using Sky Knight, could potentially eliminate that many targets, just imagine what he could do with a more POWERFUL assault weapons system. Like, say, SKY BOLT?

Let the debate begin :)

Until next time...POWER X-TREME!!!

Ace McCloud, Daring Air Operations Expert!!!

If there's one thing that's so common about the way hot shot air combat pilots are portrayed in American film and cartoons, it's that they're so COCKY and ARROGANT, and they've got this devil-may-care attitude that's so APPEALING because they appear to be FEARLESS, with no regard for their own safety, at the same time having a blast while doing what they do.

Let's face it, everyone loves a risk-taker. There's just something about an individual that takes risks other people won't take. What spurs them on is anybody's guess, but a good bet is that it's the ADULATION that comes with it. People CHEER for these daredevils, and in turn these daredevils soak it up. They LIVE for the danger, and having conquered their fear, they believe that nothing will be able to stop them.

THAT, in a nutshell, is Ace McCloud, daring air operations expert for the Centurions.

Although all the members of the Centurions are ready to risk their lives for the good of mankind, Ace is not only ready, but seems to ENJOY what he does.

He's the typical "shoot first, ask questions later" kind of guy. Whatever the mission requires him to do, he'll do without hesitation, and have a great time doing it.

I guess 'arrogant' may not be the correct word to describe Ace McCloud. "Confident" is a better description for him. VERY confident, as a matter of fact. He has complete confidence in himself and his abilities that it tends to rub off on his Centurion team-mates, which is a good thing. Going up against Doc Terror and his seemingly limitless legion of Terror Drones, you'll need all the confidence you can get.

Fortunately, Ace has a limitless supply of that.

Until next time...POWER X-TREME!!!

Jake Rockwell, rugged Land Operations Expert!!!

Jake Rockwell. Just the name gives you enough information that he's got something to do with land operations. It's tough, gritty and fits the character quite nicely.

As with Max and Ace, there wasn't any back-story regarding the origins of the Centurions. Again, like their Exo-Frames, we just accepted that they were there and that the characters used them to fight the cybernetic forces of Doc Terror and that was the end of it.

This was never OFFICIALLY mentioned in any of the shows, but people just assumed that each member of the original Centurions served in a branch of the U.S. Military. I say "original Centurions" because eventually two (2) new Centurions were added to the roster, but more on that later.

It has been stated that Jake Rockwell was an Army Ranger, which fits his specialty of being a land operations specialist. Brute Force is definitely his specialty. Forget the finesse with this guy, he gets in and gets the job done. And as much as I love Max Ray and his weapons systems, I have to admit that Jake has the BEST weapons systems out of all the three original Centurions.

And he had the MOST weapons systems, too. If you really think about it it makes sense. There's just so much you can do on, under and above land. And Jake's weapons systems are some of the most imaginative you'll ever see. I'm resisting the urge to write about Jake's weapons systems in this entry, but I guess I can give some information about his primary one, FIRE FORCE.

Fire Force is Jake's "basic" weapons system, and is almost always the first one he calls for, next to the WILD WEASEL. It's light-weight, but is more than capable for getting the job done. Fireforce includes a Power Back Pack which includes a chest piece, Twin Laser Cannons which can be mounted on either his arm or shoulder, a Radar Sensor on his back pack, a huge Plasma Accelerator Cannon on his back (pretty much like a rocket launcher), and a Plasma Repulsar (a gatling gun) which is mounted on his chest piece. This weapon system was LOADED and he could hold off an entire ARMY with this thing!

So there you have it. Just a brief (?) introduction to who Jake Rockwell is and his role on the Centurions team. Definitely a great guy to have on your team. Tough and dependable, just like a 4x4 pick-up :)

Until next time...POWER X-TREME!!!

Go get 'im SHADOW!!!

Shadow was Jake Rockwell's loyal canine sidekick. Although he wasn't always accompanying the Centurions on their missions, he always seemed to be eager to be at his master's side. He looks like a Husky, at least that's how he looked like to me.

Cool thing about Shadow was that he also had an Exo-Frame of some sorts. He had a harness that could fire twin rockets. Although rarely used, Shadow sure made those two rockets count when he did use them.

Shadow also seemed to be very intelligent for a dog. He seemed to understand what Jake was trying to convey, but hey, this was a cartoon so anything was possible.

Unfortunately, like Crystal Kane, no toy was made of good ol' Shadow. And again I have to scratch my head as to why this was never done. I almost always compare the never-made Centurions toys to the G.I. Joe toys because if G.I. Joe could make toys out of their characters, why not the Centurions?

Anyway, G.I. Joe's resident ninja master/commando Snake-Eyes had a wolf named Timber. And although Timber was a wolf and Shadow was a dog, what I'm trying to explain is that they were both canines.

Well, there you go. All I'm saying is that it would have been GREAT if Kenner had made a Shadow toy, complete with his twin-rocket firing exo-frame.

Anyways, here's a fun fact for you:

In the game Dead To Rights: Retribution, the main protagonist's name is Jake Slate, and his dog is named, you guessed it, SHADOW! Now, I'm sure a LOT of research went into the names of the main characters, but this is just TOO much of a coincidence. It could be that "Jake" and "Shadow" blend well together, or maybe some of the people who worked on developing this game are huge Centurion fans, and either did this as a tribute to Jake and Shadow from The Centurions, or made this an inside joke.
Whatever the reason was, it's good to see that Jake and Shadow live on, albeit in different form.

Until next time...POWER X-TREME!!!

The lovely Ms. Crystal Kane

If there was one reason why the Centurions were able to function efficiently as a team, you didn't have to look any further than the lovely Ms. Crystal Kane.

Crystal's position in the Centurions was like a police dispatcher. Almost all calls for Centurions assistance went through her, and she in turn would relay that information to Max, Jake and Ace. She was one of only two entities (the other one is the Sky Vault computer) that could beam or transport the Centurions and their weapon systems to anywhere they were needed.

Crystal rarely left the Sky Vault space station, but when she did she was more than capable of fending for herself. Her character came across as very level-headed like Max. Cool, calm and collected would be the best description for her.

Actually, she was SO calm under pressure she appeared almost STOIC, showing little to no emotion at all. Even thougn she was the token female in the show, she was never the "damsel in distress". Although she did not have an exo-frame like the rest of her male counterparts, she more than made up for this with quick thinking and adaptability.

If you really think about it, the entire Sky Vault orbital space station was her weapon, which made her a force to be reckoned with! She seemed to know every nook and cranny of that place, as shown in the episode "Micro Terror" where the Sky Vault computer was infected with an alien microbial life form or "virus". Trapped on Sky Vault with Jake Rockwell, it was her extensive knowledge of the entire station that bought them enough time to come up with a plan to thwart the alien menace.

Sadly, there was never a Crystal Kane toy made by Kenner. This never made any sense to me since Scarlett from G.I. Joe has been around ever since the G.I. Joe toyline was introduced. As a matter of fact, she was one of the FIRST action figures to come out along with Snake-Eyes, Flash, Stalker, etc...But I'm drifting away from the main topic. If ever I have enough time I'll probably write a blog about G.I. Joe as well, but as of now, it's all about the Centurions!

So, Crystal Kane was a very integral part of the Centurions team. She brought poise and charisma to the team, as well as strategy and quick assessment of a situation. She'll forever be etched in the minds of every kid who grew up watching that show. Well, all of those kids are grown-ups now, but we all remember her. That just goes to show you how memorable her character is.

Until next time...Power-Treme!!!

Exo-Frames

Probably one of the coolest names for a suit of armor, the Exo-Frames were high-tech suits the Centurions wore and were the lifeline between them and their weapons systems. These suits also enabled the Centurions to be teleported anywhere, thus making these exo-frames their main mode of transport to global "hotspots", or wherever their assistance is needed. As the opening narration goes "...they can be transported anywhere...".

Exo-Frames seemed to be specifically designed for each member. Max Ray wore a green exo-frame combined with black colors, plus really cool green lines and tubes scattered along the black parts. Jake Rockwell wore a yellow one combined with a dull, olive-green color. It looked great when the scenery was a desert. He could blend right in. Ace McCloud had a cool blue colored exo-frame complimented with white or silver.

They also had helmets which would appear whenever they requested a weapon system to be beamed to them. Although, not all the weapons systems required a helmet. Good examples of that would be Max's DEPTH CHARGER and Jake's HORNET or WILD WEASEL. These had CANOPIES that covered Max's and Jake's heads, thus providing them the protection they needed.

You would think these exo-frames were big and bulky, but they seemed very light-weight, and could possibly even be folded and carried in a suitcase. Unlike a suit of armor that has a lot of interlinking parts and probably has to be put on one piece at a time, these exo-frames were just one-piece suits that the Centurions would "zip" up whenever they donned them. The intro to the cartoon shows this being done with Ace McCloud zipping up his exo-frame.

These exo-frames also seem to boost the wearer's strength to SUPERHUMAN levels. A good example of this is in the very first episode where Max Ray (equipped with his Tidal Blast weapons system) lifts a helicopter/plane OUT OF THE WATER, with three people (Ace, Jake and a pilot) on board, and proceeds to hold it aloft while transporting it to New York. Although the maximum limit of how much each Centurion can lift was never shown, a good approximation would be in the 10-15 ton range.

Who knows? If the show wasn't canceled we would probably have seen more of these exo-frames' capabilities.

So there you have it. The Exo-Frames were a huge part of what made the Centurions great. It was never revealed HOW these suits were created, but at that point in time I don't think people gave it much thought. We were all just happy that they were there for our favorite heroes to don and fight the forces of Doc Terror.

Until next time. Power X-Treme!!!

Max Ray, Brilliant Sea Operations Commander!!!

Out of all the Centurions, Max Ray is probably my favorite. I don't know exactly why, but he definitely appealed to me the most. Maybe my father being in the U.S. Navy contributed to that (my father has his own blog, too. unsungheroesofvietnam.blogspot.com, check it out).

It was never really made clear WHO was the LEADER of the Centurions. Some people say Jake, some say Ace, but for me it was definitely Max Ray that led this group of specially trained individuals.

If you've seen the cartoons, Max seemed to be the most level-headed of the group. And even in a tight situation, he always found a way out.

In the first episode, "The Sky is on Fire", there was a part where the Centurions were trapped in a cell with no way to contact Crystal Kane (more on her later) on Sky Vault (their orbiting weapons base. That, too, will be discussed later). Anyway, there was a lightning storm raging outside, and Max disassembles a bunk bed in the cell and uses the springs as a LIGHTNING ROD to blow the door of the cell off it's hinges. VOILA! They escape and manage to save the day.

Another great example of Max's ingeniuity was in the episode titled "The Sand Worm". The Centurions were up against this GIANT sand-worm. Their weapons had no effect. Max takes off his exo-frame and throws it into the sand-worms's mouth, then instructs Crystal Kane on Sky Vault to beam his exo-frame (which is now INSIDE the sand-worm) to a set of coordinates, which turns out be Doc Terror's (the main bad guy) base.

Yep, Max was definitely DA MAN. He also had a MUSTACHE a'la Tom Selleck. Can't beat that. Cool-headed AND suave. What more can you ask for in a hero?

I could go on and on about Max Ray but I'll take it slow and get into all the details as best I can, rather than rush in just to post something. I'll churn out new stuff regularly so keep checking back.

Until then, Power X-treme!!!

After all these years, the cry still rings out: "POWER X-TREME!!!"

If you were a kid that loved cartoons and had access to a television in the 1980's, chances are you would be familiar with this phrase: "Power X-Ttreme!!!"

In case you didn't know, this was the battle cry of "...a handful of brave men, equipped with specially created EXO-FRAMES..."

These were...THE CENTURIONS.

Max Ray, brilliant sea operations commander!

Jake Rockwell, rugged land operations specialist!

Ace McCloud, daring air operations expert!

Whatever the challenge, they are ready! THE CENTURIONS!!!

I guess you get the point by now. Needless to say, I loved this show, and the toyline that spawned it. I STILL love it, as a matter of fact. Even after all these years, whenever I see old re-runs of the show, it takes me back years and always makes me feel good.

This whole concept of the Centurions was WAY ahead of it's time. It had innovations and designs which eclipse even sci-fi stuff TODAY. Just imagine wearing a high-tech suit of armor that allows you to "merge" with incredible weapons systems, and on top of that, allows you to be beamed ANYWHERE on the planet. And in some cases, OFF-PLANET as well.

That's just a small description of what made, and continues to make, the Centurions one of the all-time classics, both cartoon-wise and toy-wise. This blog is dedicated to everything related to the CENTURIONS. I'll do my best to share everything I know about them, from the show, to the toys, and beyond. Hopefully, it will bring back good ol' childhood memories for everyone that visits this blog.

Let the cry ring out...POWER X-TREME!!!