Friday, September 15, 2017

Road to the Last Jedi: First Order Stormtrooper Executioner from Star Wars: The Black Series by Hasbro

   Today I'm excited to be reviewing a new First Order trooper type from The Last Jedi: The First Order Stormtrooper Executioner. Apparently these are the guys who get called in to "dispense final justice" against traitors in the First Order, or so says the small blurb on the back of the package. I'm assuming they mean executions and not handing out copies of the Joe Don Baker classic "Final Justice," which just so happens to be one of my favorite MST3K episodes. The First Order Stormtrooper Executioner is a Target exclusive and I managed to order him from Target.com. His package did have some sort of green serial number sticker on it but it peeled off easily. Ready for a closer look at this cool new Black Series figure? Then join me after the break...



 The Facts:

Height: 6 inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, ball jointed hips, ball jointed mid torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, hinged neck, and a ball jointed head.

Accessories: Energy axe, two energy effects.

Non-Scalper Price: $20
 Comparison:

*  Overall, the Stormtrooper Executioner (left) uses the same body design as the standard First Order Stormtrooper from 2015 (right). The only two sculpting differences I can see are that the helmet has been changed a bit (this one seems to be a bit larger and more angular) and the shoulders have been redesigned to allow for a greater degree of motion. Check out the review of the original figure for my thoughts on the general overall body and armor.
 The Positives:

* The articulation on the regular First Order Stormtrooper was good but this one has an even better range of movement thanks to the improved shoulder joints. Rather than the shoulder armor impeding the articulation, it now slides underneath the torso armor, allowing for the arms to be raised higher.


* The First Order Executioner Stormtrooper does largely look like the standard troops, which have a very cool armor set that is updated just a bit from the Original Trilogy Stormtrooper. The differences here are the black shoulder pads and the black helmet. We'll get to that in a moment but, to make a long story short, if you like the original armor you should definitely like this.


* The black stripe on the helmet is kind of cool. Combined with the symbol on the shoulder pads, this guy does manage to have a somewhat appearance. It's not crazy unique but it does differentiate him from your standard First Order Trooper. I've heard some reports that some collectors have found these troopers in Target stores without the black paint stripe. Not sure if this is some kind of odd quality control error or your standard toy aisle trolling, but keep an eye out.

* Let's talk about the Executioner's energy axe since it's the piece that definitely sets this figure apart from the rest. It's a long pole type weapon with four hinged "claws" that actually can pivot out from the shaft. There's a lot of detail here and plenty of small paint operations.

 * When you pull out the "claws" you can add on these energy effects. This reminds me quite a bit of the energy and Force effects that were included in the Episode II/ Saga line, except I'm pretty sure these effects will actually be in the movie. The axe comes in the package as you see it on the left, so you do have to remove the effects to get the basic inactivated weapon.
 The Negatives:

* One thing I noticed on this figure were a variety of black scuff marks on the white armor and some paint chipping on the black pouch on the trooper's left belt pouch.


* The energy axe is very, very cool, but the main shaft is a little too rubbery and tends to wilt  when held aloft unless you have the Executioner supporting it with both hands.


 * While the Stormtrooper Executioner has a holder for his blaster pistol, he doesn't come with any pistol. I become very irritated when an action figure includes a holster or sheathe with no accompanying weapon, so this little oversight definitely has me a bit perturbed.


   The First Order Stormtrooper Executioner is a cool exclusive trooper. It's definitely a unique figure but, at the same time, it certainly has a lot of reuse too. I love the articulated energy axe (that's my name for it; I'm sure when the visual guide comes out we'll get an official name) and the paint work on the helmet. Unfortunately, little issues like the random paint flecks, the floppy shaft on the energy axe, and the presence of a blaster holster with no blaster do detract from things a bit. This is a Good figure; not one of the highlights of the new releases but still a solid release for collectors of troopers or for those of us that gotta have them all.



Thus far, this is the only First Order Stormtrooper Executioner I've reviewed. If you want to see more Star Wars: The Black Series figures, though, check out the following:

Star Wars: The Black Series Phase III (6 inch) by Hasbro (2015)
442nd Siege Battalion Clone Trooper, 212th Attack Battalion Utapau Trooper, Coruscant Guard ---(Phase II), and 501st Legion Clone Trooper 4 pack
Ahsoka Tano 
AT-AT Pilot 
Baze Malbus
Captain Cassian Andor (Eadu) 
C-3PO
C-3PO (Resistance Base)
Captain Phasma
Chewbacca
Chirrut Imwe 
Clone Commander Gree
Constable Zuvio
Darth Revan 
Darth Vader (Emperor's Wrath)
Director Krennic
Finn (FN-2187)
Finn (Jakku)
First Order Flametrooper
First Order General Hux
First Order Snowtrooper
First Order Snowtrooper Officer
First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter
First Order Stormtrooper
First Order TIE Fighter Pilot
Grand Admiral Thrawn (SDCC Exclusive)
Guavian Enforcer
Han Solo 
Hera Syndulla
Imperial AT-ACT Driver
Imperial Death Trooper
Imperial Death Trooper, Captain Cassian Andor, and Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha) 3 pack
Imperial Hovertank Pilot 
Imperial Shock Trooper 
Imperial Royal Guard
Jango Fett
K-2SO
Kanan Jarrus
Kylo Ren 
Kylo Ren (SDCC 2016)
Kylo Ren (The Last Jedi) 
Kylo Ren (Starkiller Base)
Lando Calrissian
Luke Skywalker 
Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (SDCC 2016)
Phase 1 Clone Trooper Commander, Phase II Clone Trooper, Imperial Stormtrooper, and First Order ---Stormtrooper Officer four pack
Poe Dameron
Poe Dameron and First Order Riot Control Stormtrooper
Princess Leia Organa 
Qui-Gon Jinn
R2-A3, R5-K6, and R2-F2
Resistance Trooper
Rey (Jakku) & BB-8 
Rey (Jedi Training)
Rey (Starkiller Base) 
Sabine Wren
Sandtrooper Sergeant, Crimson Stormtrooper, Lieutenant OXIXO, and R2-Q5
Scarif Stormtrooper
Scarif Stormtrooper Squad Leader 
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Eadu)
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha)
Snowtrooper 
Tusken Raider 
X-34 Landspeeder & Luke Skywalker (SDCC Exclusive) 
X-Wing Pilot Asty 


2 comments:

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    1. Thank you so much! I really appreciate the compliment! As someone who does this blog for fun and as a way to express my hobby, having collectors tel me how much they enjoy it or that it was helpful to them absolutely makes my day! The layout is just one of the standard Blogger layouts that I have tweaked a little.

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