Friday, November 16, 2018

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

    The first time I saw Solo I immediately pointed out the Patrol Trooper in the film and leaned over to my wife to tell her "I hope Hasbro makes that guy." Guess what? They did! Now, I cannot began to reason why Hasbro didn't release the Patrol Trooper with his C-PH patrol speeder bike, but they didn't. That would have been like getting a Scout Trooper without a speeder bike. Still, at least we got the troop and he makes for another nice addition to the ever growing Imperial legions that Hasbro has been cranking out. This guy is part of the newest series of Black Series figures, so he comes shipped along with some really amazing figures. Is he up to par? Let's check him out after the break...



 The Facts:

Height: 6 inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, boot swivels, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck, and a balljointed head.

Accessories: EC-17 hold-out pistol and taser staff

Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars
 The Positives:

* The Patrol Trooper has a cool suit that certainly hits all of the classic Stormtrooper beats while also borrowing from the Scout Troopers, who have always had one of my favorite designs. The Patrol Troopers seem to be the Empire's version of a patrol officer. They have some armor but they're really designed to get around quickly and travel light in urban environments. The black bodysuit is much more prominently on display here than on most armored troops but there definitely seems to be lots of equipment built into the suit.


* The helmet has the larger forehead, like many of the troopers from the newer films, but also uses more black and grey than your standard Stormtrooper helmet. It's an interesting look that reminds me just a little bit more of a Clone Trooper helmet.


* The greaves are cool. They're sculpted to look like pieces of armor over the trooper's legs and they seem nice and protective while still being light and mobile.

 * Overall, the Patrol Trooper is another well articulated and highly durable Black Series figure. Hasbro continues to do a great job with this line and has made for some very fun, very poseable toys.

* The Patrol Trooper comes equipped with an EC-17 hold out blaster, which is the same blaster the Scout Troopers use. It's definitely a lighter weapon and further contributes to the idea that these Patrol Troopers are less designed for warfare and more designed for general law enforcement. It's a cool blaster and it's nicely painted. The Patrol Trooper also holds it well in his grip, which is specially designed for use with the EC-17.


* The Patrol Trooper also comes with what looks like a stun baton of some kind. It kind of looks like the weapon that the Luke Skywalker  in Imperial Guard Disguise figure from Shadows of the Empire wielded, only miniaturized.


 * Both weapons fit into holsters on the Patrol Troopers belt (the taser on his left and the pistol on his right) and look pretty cool when in place. The trooper's utility belt has lots of pouches and useful looking stuff on it, which I just really dig.
 The Negatives:

* The helmet looks great overall but mine has too paint mishaps. First, the black line across the front of the helmet isn't even. Second, there is a missing chip of paint on the left side. Oops!


* The elbows on this guy are kind of tough to manipulate. They are really, really tight when they're posed straight and it can be really difficult to get them back into a "bent" position. I'm not sure what happened, but this seems like a design/ engineering flaw rather than a quality control issue.
      I do like the Patrol Trooper quite a bit, although I wish he had come packed with his distinctive speeder bike. He's not bad on his own, though, and the fact that his utility belt actually functions with removable weapons is just too cool. I do wish we would see more Stormtrooper variants that look even more distinctive from what we've seen before but I think the Imperial Patrol Trooper is a step closer to where we need to be. He's a solid figure of a cool design from a criminally underrated Star Wars film. That's a Great in my book, right?



This is the first toy of the Imperial Patrol Trooper I've reviewed. For more Star Wars: The Black Series reviewed 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
Admiral Piett
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
Dengar
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
General Veers
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 
Moloch
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 (Bespin Escape)
Princess Leia Organa 
Qi'ra (Corellia)
Qui-Gon Jinn
R2-A3, R5-K6, and R2-F2
Range Trooper
Rebel Trooper
Red Squadron (R2-D2, R5-D8, and R2-X2)
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 (Mimban)
Stormtrooper (With Blast Accessories)
Supreme Leader Snoke (Throne Room)
Tobias Beckett
Tusken Raider 
X-34 Landspeeder & Luke Skywalker (SDCC Exclusive) 
X-Wing Pilot Asty 

4 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. He definitely is. I love the Biker Scouts and this guy just hits all the same points for me. I love the stuff on his belt, too.

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  2. Definitely one of my favorite trooper designs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Star Wars Story trooper designs have all been really good. They've had some very solid work. Heck, the ST designs for troops have been cool, too.

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