"Lord of War" was a prominent Nicholas Cage film released in 2005, starring Cage as the titular role. In the movie, Cage's character Yuri Orlov drifts between family man and international arms dealer, proving Cage's versatility as an actor. Much as his character is forced to in the film, Cage is able to change his performance at the drop of a hat to go from hardened battlefield badass to loving father and brother to the other characters in the film delivering a sentimental note that a film about guns may have otherwise forgotten.
Why do we mention this particular piece of cinema in an airsoft gun review? Well, the name ties in certainly, but also because the gun we're reviewing today, the Lancer Tactical Warlord rifle, is a surprisingly versatile blaster putting some of the best elements of the Lancer Tactical Generation 2 rifles into a more modern and unique body perfect for transitioning across several different play styles. Let's dive into this rifle and see what makes it tick.
Where there is a will, there is a weapon. Lancer Tactical sought to bring a non-traditional style to the very traditional M4. While many features and functions of this airsoft gun are the same or eerily similar to the M4, the aesthetic language of this gun is very disparate from it's cousin.
A Monolithic upper receiver graces the top of the rifle giving one contiguous piece of picatinny rail on top for the attachment of scopes and optic accessories. Keymod adorns the other five locations on the hand guard so you can place accessories like grips lasers and flashlights in a multitude of locations as you need them. The body terminates in a non-folding stock similar in design to the ARX160, which is easy to get in and out of for battery storage, and doesn't add much weight to the gun. The stock gives the rifle a distinctly European design vibe, more elegant than it is functional, but it still gets the job done.
Ergonomically speaking, this rifle handles much like an M4. The controls are identical, and well made and your manual of arms doesn't change at all. The hand guard lays down in your off hand nicely but definitely benefits from the addition of a grip. The stock grabs your shoulder and doesn't let go, making it easy to hold angles for a long period of time.
What surprised us most, was the light weight of the rifle. It is beyond easy to snap the barrel up onto a target and take shots. It certainly looks much heavier than it actually is, practically speaking. All of the weight sits right above your hand, making it a breeze to transition from one tango to the next.
The internals on this gun are near identical to the Lancer Tactical Gen 2 rifles we reviewed back in 2019. You'll get a high quality well built gearbox with metal gears, a quality torque-y motor and tight bore barrel.
What we found more interesting than what was on the inside of this gun, since we've basically reviewed that before, was how easily this gun can be converted to replicate several other role's weapons systems.
Out of the box, this gun has no trouble hitting 200 feet at it's respectable 400 FPS velocities. It has a very crisp trigger response on an 11.1v battery, and is more than capable of fulfilling the assaulter role many players will use it for.
The story gets better when you look at how easily this gun adapts to torque-up gears, tighter barrels, beefier springs and better buckings. If you wanted to turn this gun into a DMR or even all the way up to Sniper velocities, the gearbox shell and receiver can handle the abuse with no issues. Slap a scope on it, and extend your inner barrel through a suppressor and you have a great light weight DMR or scout rifle platform.
The opposite end of the upgrade spectrum is true as well. Faster ratio gears, faster motors, and a box mag turn this gun into an incredible sub-in for an LMG style platform. If your local field is a little more fast and loose with weapons classifications, this can easily fill any role you want it to.
What we loved about the Warlord was that because of it's non-traditional stylings, it can transition from playing one style to the next at the drop of a hat, the way Nicholas Cage as Yuri Orlov can float between father and arms dealer in "Lord of War".
If you are looking for a unique and modular gun that can handle a few different types of play styles, the warlord may be just what you are after.
At $209 on Airsoft GI, it's hard to find any issues with this gun that could detract from such a great price point. Sure, it could always be a little better, but it's not in the same price bracket as the Avalons and Krytacs of the world. We give this gun a resounding yes, you should add this to your arsenal.