Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Action Figure Review: Commander Pyre from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase III by Hasbro

 

   While Hasbro has transitioned their main line to Phase IV, many of the exclusives released later in 2020 have still been part of Phase III and today I'm checking out another one of those exclusives: Commander Pyre. Commander Pyre is part of the Galaxy's Edge subset of Target exclusives and is based on the character from the animated series Star Wars Resistance, which is the only canon Star Wars series I haven't watched. It just didn't interest me that much though at some point I know I'll need to give it a go. I like the look of this guy clad in gold armor (he's one of Captain Phasma's subordinates) and I figured that it's unlikely we'll ever see him again in the Black Series. Couple that with Target's buy two, get one free sale around Cyber Monday and picking Commander Pyre up was a no-brainer. Commander Pyre was originally released in one of the boxed sets at Disney's Galaxy's Edge attraction (along with a Mountain Trooper, Kylo Ren, and a mouse droid) but this is the easiest way to get him outside of the parks. Let's check him out 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: Blaster pistol and rifle

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars








The Positives:



* Commander Pyre is largely a repaint of previous First Order Stormtroopers and the First Order Stormtrooper Officer but the presence of that gold armor really does look pretty slick. Some collectors seem to hate it but I really like the look of Pyre. He definitely stands out on the shelf. The mixture of black and grey for his bicep armor, belt, and pauldron also give him him a bit more color diversity, so he's more than just a gold First Order Stormtrooper. The paint has a great metallic sheen to it. 








* I've always found the standard First Order Stormtrooper helmets a bit bland but Commander Pyre looks pretty nice in gold. Mix that with the shoulder pad and I think you've got a pretty solid looking figure.







 
* The original First Order Stormtrooper was pretty well articulated at the time and while Commander Pyre retains much of that original figure his articulation feels much smoother. He definitely has new elbows with a much better range of motion. I wonder where these came from? Maybe some re-release of the FO Stormtrooper that I skipped?
 
 
* Commander Pyre includes the two blasters that most of the First Order troopers carry, the most stunning of which is his gold plated F-11D. This thing is slick! Does it kill with just one shot?
 
 
 
* Pyre also comes with an all black version of the SE-44C blaster pistol. The sculpt is really sharp and even though there's no paint it really goes well with the figure.
 
 
* Like the rest of the First Order Stormtroopers Commander Pyre has a port on his right thigh which can store either of the included blasters. It's a cool feature and it works really well. He looks really cool toting around his blaster like this, too.







   I almost passed on Commander Pyre when I first learned of his release but, having him in hand, I'm really glad I did. Despite being another First Order Trooper the eye-catching gold color of Commander Pyre's armor, the solid blasters, and the smoothness of the articulation definitely make for a nice figure. Star Wars Resistance isn't terribly popular so this guy isn't in the highest demand but he's a cool figure and I'm sure creative collectors can find somewhere to fit Pyre in their collections. He's a surprisingly Great figure and well worth a purchase.

 
This is the first figure of Commander Pyre I've reviewed on the site. For more reviews from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase III check out the following:
0-0-0 (Triple Zero)
442nd Siege Battalion Clone Trooper, 212th Attack Battalion Utapau Trooper, Coruscant Guard ---(Phase II), and 501st Legion Clone Trooper 4 pack
4-LOM
Admiral Ackbar and First Order Officer
Admiral Piett
Ahsoka Tano 
Anakin Skywalker (Padawan)
Elite Praetorian Guard
Elite Praetorian Guard (with Heavy Blade)
Emperor Papatine and Throne
Enfys Nest's Swoop Bike/ Enfys Nest
Ezra Bridger
Finn (First Order Disguise)
Finn (FN-2187)
Finn (Jakku)
First Order Flametrooper
First Order General Hux
First Order Jet Trooper
First Order Snowtrooper
First Order Snowtrooper Officer
First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter
First Order Stormtrooper
First Order Stormtrooper Executioner 
First Order Stormtrooper (with Gear)
First Order TIE Fighter Pilot
Gamorrean Guard
General Grievous
General Leia Organa
General Veers
Grand Admiral Thrawn (SDCC Exclusive)
Grand Moff Tarkin 
Guardians of Evil 4-Pack
Guavian Enforcer
Han Solo (Exogorth Escape)
Han Solo (Mimban)
Han Solo (Solo)
Han Solo (The Force Awakens)
Heavy Battle Droid
Heavy Infantry Mandalorian
Hera Syndulla
IG-11
Imperial AT-ACT Driver
Imperial Death Trooper
Imperial Death Trooper, Captain Cassian Andor, and Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha) 3 pack
Imperial Hovertank Pilot 
Imperial Jumptrooper
Imperial Patrol Trooper
Imperial Probe Droid
Imperial Shock Trooper 
Imperial Royal Guard 
Inferno Squad Agent
Jaina Solo (Legends)
Jango Fett
Second Sister Inquisitor
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Eadu)
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha)
Shadow Stormtrooper
Sith Trooper
Snowtrooper 
Stormtrooper (Mimban)
Stormtrooper (With Blast Accessories)
Supreme Leader Snoke (Throne Room)
Tobias Beckett
Tusken Raider 
Val (Vandor)
Vice Admiral Holdo
Wedge Antilles
X-34 Landspeeder & Luke Skywalker (SDCC Exclusive) 
X-Wing Pilot Asty 
Yoda (Force Spirit)
Zorii Bliss
Zuckuss





Posted by at

3 comments:

  1. GIJigsawDecember 23, 2020 at 10:36 AM

    Awesome looking figure. Still need to get through the Resistance cartoon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17December 23, 2020 at 11:16 AM

      Yeah, me too. I just...have little interest in it, I guess. It seems kind of dull and inconsequential which is what I've heard from a few other folks as well.

      Delete
  2. DexDecember 23, 2020 at 11:29 AM

    Resistance is worth sitting through. I made myself get through most of the first season because it's Star Wars and I have a need to take it all in whether or not I enjoy it. That said, it actually gets much better in the second season.

    ReplyDelete

What'chu talkin' 'bout?

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)