Friday, December 23, 2016

Action Figure Review: Scarif Stormtrooper Squad Leader from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase III by Hasbro

Holy smokes, was Rogue One incredible or what? I haven't reviewed anything since seeing it during the Thursday night early showing but, my gosh, I'm impressed. I really want to go see this one in theaters again and I've been spending the past week looking through the Visual Dictionary to look for all the cool stuff I want to keep an eye out for during the second showing. The battle on Scarif was absolutely fantastic and I imagine the Scarif Stormtroopers (officially called Shoretroopers) will quickly become a troop building favorite. While they didn't have a ton of screen time, they just looked absolutely incredible. I reviewed the standard Shoretrooper a couple of weeks ago, so here's a look at the Squad Leader. More Star Wars goodness after the break...

Warning!!! Minor spoilers after the break!!!



The Facts:

Height: 6 1/8ths 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, a hinged neck, and a ball jointed head.

Accessories: E-22 Blaster rifle

Non-Scalper Price: $17-$20 dollars (Wal-Mart has advertised some sales on these guys, as have a few other retailers)
 The Positives:

 * Largely based on the body of the Hovertank Pilot, (and shared with the standard trooper) the Scarif Stormtrooper Squad Leader has the same excellent articulation that figure had. I absolutely love this guy, too, and I don't think a day has gone by since I received him in the mail that I didn't pick him up and spend a few minutes posing him. He just moves so well and looks incredible in firing positions. The kama doesn't hurt his articulation at all.

*  The helmets are really, really cool on the Scarif Stormtroopers. The heavily armored piece on the brow actually houses some cooling fans since the armor is designed for a tropical environment (plus it looks really cool). The paint is really cool, though, as there's actually a dirty wash on the helmet as well as a unique design on the top right. I wonder if that's supposed to be a representation of the Death Star?

 * Here's a look at the main torso. This is an incredible armor design with some killer paint apps. Hasbro doesn't always use subtle effects like these on their figures so it really stands out here. I'm also digging the red and yellow design on his right bicep as well as the blue stripe on the shoulder pads and across the chest.

* Here's a closer look at the Squad Leader's kama. Along with the paintwork on his chest armor and his rifle, the kama is what really differentiates him from the standard trooper. The sculpt is actually impressive and, thanks to the cut in the plastic, it really doesn't hinder his articulation much at all. Not only does this just work well but it makes me all the more excited to get an ARC Trooper in the line at some point.

 * The Scarif Stormtroopers are wearing some pretty slick boots. I love the details on them (the knee pads are also asymmetrical, just like a standard Stormtrooper's footwear) and the paint weathering continues down here. Hasbro really has done an amazing job with the paintwork here. It's a huge improvement over many other figures in the history of the line.

* Unlike the standard Scarif Stormtrooper, the Squad Leader comes with a unique weapon: The E-22 Blaster Rifle.  An upgrade from the standard E-11, the E-22 features reciprocating double barrels and a more solid stock. It also has a few paint apps including some silver dry brushing and a red tab or switch on the stock. This is just a cool weapon, quickly becoming one of my favorites.
 The Scarif Stormtrooper Squad Leader is another incredible figure in Hasbro's Star Wars: The Black Series line. I really like the design of this guy and, in a number of ways, I like this figure even better than the standard trooper. His blaster is really cool and his paint applications are a bit more varied. This guy is another Epic addition to the line. With this review, I think I've reviewed every Rogue One figure Hasbro has released in the Black Series line thus far except for the two newest, Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus. Let's hope that Hasbro soon announces a few Rogue One figures we desperately need such as Bodhi Rook, Mon Mothma, Saw Gererra, Galen Erso, Admiral Raddus, Jyn in the Ground Controller's disguise, and Grand Moff Tarkin.

I've now reviewed a few Scarif Stormtroopers, including the Wal-Mart exclusive Black Series Scarif Stormtrooper and the Scarif Stormtrooper Captain Micro Machines microfigure. Of course, if you're looking for more Star Wars: The Black Series reviews, check out the following figures from Phase III:

 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
Captain Cassian Andor (Eadu) 
C-3PO (Resistance Base)
Captain Phasma
Chewbacca
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
Guavian Enforcer
Han Solo 
Imperial Death Trooper
Imperial Death Trooper, Captain Cassian Andor, and Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha) 3 pack
Imperial Hovertank Pilot 
Imperial Shock Trooper
Jango Fett
K-2SO
Kanan Jarrus
Kylo Ren 
Kylo Ren (SDCC 2016)
Kylo Ren (Starkiller Base)
Luke Skywalker 
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
Resistance Trooper
Rey (Jakku) & BB-8 
Rey (Starkiller Base) 
Sabine Wren
Sandtrooper Sergeant, Crimson Stormtrooper, Lieutenant OXIXO, and R2-Q5
Scarif Stormtrooper
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Eadu)
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha)
Snowtrooper 
X-Wing Pilot Asty 

9 comments:

  1. I picked up this figure on sale at a Toys R' Us for about US$ 13.00 last Friday. Actually, I had a choice between the Scarif Team Leader and the Praetorian but I remembered what you said about the limited elbow articulation on the Praetorian so I picked this one. I'm having a fine time posing and playing with it.

    One thing though: is there an internal rule in Hasbro that says their six-inch figures can't share articulation mechanics? My Marvel Legends Prowler looks like he's wearing shoes; the Scarif Squad Leader looks like he's wearing slippers. Can't Hasbro just make it one standard foot construction?

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    Replies
    1. I'm guessing the joint placement here was designed to not interfere with the shin guards.

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    2. Prowler doesn't have any shin guards so I suppose that makes sense. Do you think the Star Wars Black line will really have an ARC Trooper in it? I'd like to see Delta Squad if Hasbro can manage that too.

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    3. Considering that Hasbro seems to love making Clone Troopers and the Clone Wars is going to continue, I think it's only a matter of time. I can't wait! I love the ARC troopers. Heck with some of the Clone leaders they've already released they've got most of the parts, too.

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    4. I don't know if my memory is correct but weren't there ARC troopers in black armor? Or were those just clone commandos?

      On a Clone Wars-related note, since there's already a female Mandalorian figure in Sabine Wren, I'd also like to see Hasbro put out the Mandalorian instructors (I recall there was one female in that group) that trained the clone troopers.

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    5. So, I actually had to look on this one. It seems there was a lot of fan art with black armored ARC troopers but I couldn't find any official evidence of one. If someone knows, let me know!

      There are also quite a few female Mandalorian warriors in Rebels, so there is always hope although I'm not sure how deep Hasbro will ever go with that series. Rebels is one of my favorites but Hasbro just now has Ezra and Chopper scheduled for release with no sign of Zeb. They're dawdling!

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    6. It might have been a mission-specific armor that the ARC troopers or commandos wore and not their usual battle gear.

      The only representation of Zeb I recall seeing on a regular basis in the malls here was the Hot Wheels character car that bore his likeness. The only other REBELS toys I've seen are the lightsabers.

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    7. Hasbro has really shortchanged Rebels. The initial offerings were very difficult to really track down.

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    8. If the Black Series does include female Mandalorians in its line, Isabet Rau (or Vau)--one of the clone army's instructors--and Mirta Gev (Boba Fett's granddaughter) would make a good start.

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