Sunday, September 9, 2018

Action Figure Review: Rebel Trooper from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase III by Hasbro

    Back in the summer of 1997 my family took a brief trip back to the suburbs of Chicago, IL where we had lived from the very late 80s until the mid 90s. I remember lots of things about the brief trip but one of the memories that stands out to me the most was that it was during that trip when I found the Power of the Force 2 version of the Rebel Fleet Trooper. The Rebel Fleet Trooper was one of the most anticipated figures the POTF2 line, probably alongside of Slave Leia and Grand Moff Tarkin, and he was the first of those new figures released. He was overly tall and looked a bit stiff but, man, was it cool to have one of those guys finally. I've always loved the costume and, let's be honest, the Imperials have greatly outnumbered the Rebels thus far in the line! I'm super excited to finally have Hasbro Black Series version of the Rebel Fleet Trooper who, oddly enough, is just called the Rebel Trooper here. Of course, this isn't just any old Rebel Fleet Trooper. This is actually Lt. Pello Scrambas, one of the ill-fated troopers aboard the Tantive IV who fights the initial wave of Imperial Stormtroopers. I don't hide my love of this line very much but I don't think I'm overreacting when I say that this is easily one of the best figures Hasbro has released in the Black Series so far. Let's check out everything right about Lt. Pello Scrambas/ the Rebel Fleet Trooper after the break...



 The Facts:

Height: 6 inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, ball jointed hips, ball jointed abdomen, swivel/hinge shoulders with lateral "butterfly" hinges, swivel/ hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, hinged neck, and a double ball jointed head.

Accessories: Helmet, vest, Death Star plans, and a DH-17 blaster pistol.

Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars
 The Facts:



* This figure looks incredible, partially due to the strength of the original costume design from A New Hope and partially due to Hasbro's excellent sculpting and paintwork. Decked out in a fully removable black vest, gray pants, and a blue collared shirt, these guys have a very non-traditional military look that just works. There's still uniformity, but there's color, design, and functionality here too.
 * The headsculpt is awesome. Hasbro has been knocking it out of the park with these faceprinted sculpts. The late actor and stuntman, Eddie Eddon is brilliantly captured here. The hair, eyes, mouth, and even skin look just fantastic. While you can argue that Hasbro should have went with a "more generic" headsculpt to create a less recognizable army builder, you can't argue that this isn't a perfect rendition of the first guy that comes into your mind when you think of the Rebel Fleet Troopers.

* Hasbro has really nailed the articulation on these figures. Besides just having a great articulation model they also give each figure a terrific range of motion. That's more of a feat when you consider that each figure generally uses a unique sculpt. This guy looks incredible in any number of combat poses!
 * Pello Scrambas also introduces a new point of articulation into the Black Series: Butterfly jointed shoulders or lateral pectoral hinges. These laterally hinged shoulder joints have been seen on action figures for a number of years but only in the past couple of years has Hasbro been adding them in the Marvel Legends.
These joints allow for better arm movement, particularly holding rifles and blasters with two hands. Heck, look at our Rebel Fleet Trooper here: He can do the Wonder Woman bracer pose better than most Wonder Woman figures can! 


* The Rebel Fleet Trooper helmet is great. It's such an iconic element of Star Wars costuming (but what isn't, right?) and Hasbro did a pretty good job with it. The helmet fits the figure well, the chin strap fits snugly on the chin, and the appropriate details are all in place.




* The outfit here is really nicely sculpted with all of the appropriate folds and wrinkles. The pants, shirt, and vest are all excellently rendered.


* To help fend off Imperial Stormtroopers, Pello Scrambas comes armed with a DH-17 blaster pistol. This has been included with a few other figures but here it features more paint applications than any of the other releases. It looks great!

* Even cooler than a blaster as an accessory is the datacard with the stolen Death Star plans. Oh my gosh, is this a cool accessory or what? The sculpt and paint are perfect here. This is such a cool accessory that can really fit in well to some great scenes. I've always loved action figures with non-weapon accessories that represented key story items and this one is one of the coolest around.




 * The DH-17 fits perfectly into the holster on the Rebel Fleet Trooper's right hip. The belt and holster also have some nice detailing.
 The Negatives:


* The only negative I can find here is a bit of paint mess on the bottom of Pello Scrambas' shirt. It's not terribly noticeable but a very close look makes it visible.
   The Rebel Trooper/ Rebel Fleet Trooper/ Pello Scrambas is definitely one of the best figures in the Black Series. The sculpt, likeness, accessories, and improved articulation really make this figure stand out. While I know the line has some major problems with case assortments and Hasbro has definitely cut down on the number of accessories included with the releases since the first series or two, they definitely seem intent on improving the figures on a regular basis. The Rebel Trooper is an Epic figure that showcases all of these improvements. Definitely worth tracking down!



This is the first action figure of Pello Scrambas and the first Rebel Fleet Trooper action figure I've reviewed on the site. For more Black Series figures check out the following:

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
Ahsoka Tano 
AT-AT Pilot 
Baze Malbus
C-3PO
C-3PO (Resistance Base) 
Captain Cassian Andor (Eadu) 
Captain Phasma
Captain Phasma (Quicksilver Baton)
Captain Poe Dameron
Chewbacca (Target Exclusive)
Chewbacca (The Force Awakens)
Chirrut Imwe 
Clone Captain Rex (HasCon Exclusive)
Clone Commander Gree
Clone Commander Wolffe 
Constable Zuvio
Darth Revan 
Darth Vader (Emperor's Wrath)
Death Star Trooper
Dewback/ Sandtrooper
Director Krennic 
DJ (Canto Bight)
Elite Praetorian Guard
Elite Praetorian Guard (with Heavy Blade)
Enfys Nest's Swoop Bike/ Enfys Nest
Finn (First Order Disguise)
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 Stormtrooper Executioner 
First Order Stormtrooper (with Gear)
First Order TIE Fighter Pilot
Gamorrean Guard
General Leia Organa
Grand Admiral Thrawn (SDCC Exclusive)
Grand Moff Tarkin 
Guardians of Evil 4-Pack
Guavian Enforcer
Han Solo (Exogorth Escape)
Han Solo (Solo)
Han Solo (The Force Awakens)
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 
Inferno Squad Agent
Jaina Solo (Legends)
Jango Fett
K-2SO
Kanan Jarrus
Kylo Ren 
Kylo Ren (SDCC 2016)
Kylo Ren (The Last Jedi) 
Kylo Ren (Starkiller Base)
Kylo Ren (Throne Room) 
Lando Calrissian (Solo)
Lando Calrissian (The Empire Strikes Back)
Luke Skywalker 
Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master) 
Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master)- Ahch-To Island
Maz Kanata 
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Force Spirit)
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
Porgs
Princess Leia Organa 
Qi'ra (Corellia)
Qui-Gon Jinn
R2-A3, R5-K6, and R2-F2
Range Trooper
Resistance Tech Rose
Resistance Trooper
Rey (Island Journey)
Rey (Jakku) & BB-8 
Rey (Jedi Training)
Rey (Jedi Training)- Crait
Rey (Starkiller Base) 
Rey's Speeder (Jakku)
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 
Stormtrooper (With Blast Accessories)
Supreme Leader Snoke (Throne Room)
Tusken Raider 
X-34 Landspeeder & Luke Skywalker (SDCC Exclusive) 
X-Wing Pilot Asty

2 comments:

  1. Have only one of these guys so far, vs. the five or six of their black-garbed Imperial counterparts. But I'm really digging him and definitely want more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope we get one or two more down the line with different headsculpts. Captain Antilles would be nice, too.

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