Elite Praetorian Guard (With Heavy Blade) - TBS [P3] - Six Inch Figures (Exclusive) |
Name: Elite Praetorian Guard (With Heavy Blade)
Collection: The Black Series [Phase III]
Number: N/A (Amazon Exclusive)
Scale: 6"
Source: The Last Jedi
Availability: December 2017
License: Hasbro
As Supreme Leader of the First Order, Snoke was flanked by crimson-clad guardians, loyal protectors encased in ornate armor ready to defend the Supreme Leader from any threat.
There has been a relative meeting of the minds that the Elite Praetorian Guards might be the most interesting characters so far in Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. They’re the new versions of Emperor’s Royal Guard in this film, and while some have compared their helmets to ducks, there is something ominous and interesting about their design and solid red color. And there are supposedly many in this film. Some fans have already itemized that there are eight unique Elite Praetorians Guards in Episode 8, while others have been more conservative in their approximations and have suggested that there are only five. The latter assumption exists because of how many unique helmet styles there are, while eight represents the number of unique weapons there are. The Black Series [Phase III] line brought us our very first version: Elite Praetorian Guard (50) figure. Most of the figure's tooling has been reused for the figure contained in the “Guardians Of Evil” four-pack released as both a Barnes & Noble and GameStop exclusive. However, the multipack version was given soft-goods for the lower skirt, and the figure was freer to move as needed when posing him. Now we’ve come to the third version. The Elite Praetorian Guard (With Heavy Blade) is an Amazon exclusive and is just more of the same. This time this figure is more closely tied to the Elite Praetorian Guard (50) figure as it has a molded lower skirt. The figure also comes with a unique helmet design and two awesome-looking weapons. We’ll get to what is included here in a moment.
Hasbro did faithfully recreate all of the details that make an Elite Praetorian Guard what it is. A rather faceless character, the Elite Praetorian Guard boasts the crimson robes that its predecessor wears and comes with defensive weapons to defend its Master’s honor. The Elite Praetorian Guard (With Heavy Blade) looks great, has it’s typical 6” issues, but may stand out as one of the more interesting characters in the Sequel Trilogy. The Elite Praetorian Guard doesn’t have a fair range of movement in the arms, especially the elbows, but it is possible to move them enough to pose the figure with the included weapons. Hasbro designed a nice action figure here despite this. The “collapsible cup” arms are a strange concept for any Star Wars character, but they also create this insatiable morbid curiosity that you just want to understand these characters so much more. Hasbro utilized a brilliantly red and shiny, glistening plastic to cast this figure in and the results are beautiful. Reminiscent in many ways of the characters from Crimson Empire (without the faces of course), the Elite Praetorian Guard has a much more warrior-like look and feel to him. At the same time, we do question how these characters can see anything meaningful and be able to fight and protect who they’re intended to protect. Despite the figure’s arm issues, the Elite Praetorian Guard does have wonderful articulation throughout and can obtain a wonderful array of positions thanks to its functional articulation system. Even the lower robes have been cast in plastic with a lower durometer scoring to allow for more flexibility when making the most out of its leg articulation. Hasbro thought ahead here.
The two weapon accessories included with the Elite Praetorian Guard (With Heavy Blade) look fantastic. The first heavy blade is extremely long and almost looks too long for the Elite Praetorian Guard to handle. But you can come up with some pretty interesting poses with it. These characters look like they know how to take care of themselves in battle. And Supreme Leader Snoke looks like he is in great hands with these protectors. The other weapon included is called a sword whip. It has a “Phillips head” screwdriver feel to it with a red handle. It also looks like it could do some major damage if impaled by it. Both the left and right shoulder armor pieces are removable for reasons unknown. It seems that they needed to have some wiggle room when you articulate the figure’s shoulders, but to have them completely removable is something we’re not sure we understand. Despite the figure’s limitations, the Elite Praetorian Guard (With Heavy Blade) can hold the included accessories well. We’re not sure if we can admit to whether we find the Elite Praetorian Guard an interesting character or not. He does seem to follow closely in the footsteps of the Royal Guard that we fell in love with so many years ago, but we don’t know if he’ll ever be able to come close to the same coolness factor of that 1983 character. Time will obviously tell, but for now, it’s safe to assume we have a cool toy of him now. Time will tell, but it may be quite a task to figure out how to obtain all of these Elite Praetorian Guards (if Hasbro keeps making new versions of course).
Collector Notes
Elite Praetorian Guard (With Heavy Blade)
Status: Elite Praetorian Guard (With Heavy Blade) is a retool of 2017's TBS [P3] Elite Praetorian Guard (50) figure. This time the figure has received an all-new portrait and all-new accessories.
Articulation Count: 28 points (17 areas of articulation)
Articulation Details: ball-socket head (1), hinge-jointed neck (1), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), ball-jointed right shoulder (2), ball-jointed left elbow (2), ball-jointed right elbow (2), ball-jointed left wrist (2), ball-jointed right wrist (2), ball-jointed torso (2), ball-socket left hip (1), ball-socket right hip (1), swivel left thigh (1), swivel right thigh (1), double hinge-jointed left knee (2), double hinge-jointed right knee (2), ball-jointed/"rocker" left ankle (2), ball-jointed/"rocker" right ankle (2)
Accessory Count: 4
Accessory Details: heavy blade, sword whip, left removable shoulder armor, right removable shoulder armor
Date Stamp: N/A
Assortment Number: C3229
UPC: 630509602919
Retail: $24.99 USD
Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on listings.
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Added: October 27, 2017 Category: Black Series [Phase III], The Score:
First Order Stormtrooper [Ultimate Trooper Pack] - TBS [P3] - Six Inch Figures (Exclusive) |
Name: First Order Stormtrooper [Ultimate Trooper Pack]
Collection: The Black Series [Phase III]
Number: N/A (Amazon Exclusive)
Scale: 6"
Source: The Force Awakens
Availability: December 2017
License: Hasbro
Equipped with sleek armor and powerful weapons, the Stormtroopers enforce the will of the First Order.
We honestly don’t know where to begin talking about the First Order Stormtrooper [Ultimate Trooper Pack] Amazon exclusive. It is a perplexing release, and something that we’re not even sure is needed. It’s evident that collectors need to army build the troops from the Sequel Trilogy, but is this the way to do it? It feels like we have received most of the gear included here via various previously released figures already, but somehow Hasbro felt that a multipack of accessories was a good idea. Yes, we have been begging Hasbro for years now to give their 6” figure many more accessories. But we’re not sure if the extra contents in this release constitute a $15 price hike. Your mileage on this opinion may vary. We don’t know the role of the First Order Stormtroopers in Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, but we’re confused if this release is meant to be an Episode VII or Episode VIII character. Do they use the same weaponry in Episode VIII? Probably. But there is no way of knowing until the film gets released. What makes this even more confusing is that we're not sure if the First Order Stormtrooper [Ultimate Trooper Pack]’s gear that was utilized in either The Force Awakens and seen in promotional or reference materials is also used in The Last Jedi. Hasbro utilized the head sculpt from 2017’s TBS [P3] First Order Stormtrooper Executioner TARGET exclusive to make the one in this set. For us, that should mean that this is an Episode VIII First Order Stormtrooper, right?
Getting a First Order Stormtrooper isn’t nearly as exciting as getting an Original Trilogy Stormtrooper, so it’s hard to get excited about another release. Perhaps this will be a significant way for fans and collectors to army-build the “all-white” Stormtrooper since it comes with so much extra stuff. Rumors exist that a plain white First Order Stormtrooper is coming in the fourth post-Force Friday II wave of The Black Series [Phase III] 6” line as a mainstream release too. But will this figure also don the new helmet, or is it a straight repack of the First Order Stormtrooper (04) figure released in 2015? Everything is becoming very confusing, and the secrecy around everything is becoming burdensome. Either way, it’s evident that we’re going to be seeing the First Order Stormtrooper figures for quite some time. With 28 points of articulation, the First Order Stormtrooper [Ultimate Trooper Pack] can move as you desire, but there are still issues with how far he can bend his elbows, hips, and knees. Sadly his articulation is still encumbered by the armor pieces. Still, the figure is shiny and looks great. We imagine army builders have already added multiples of him to their respective collections by now. Obviously, you have a plethora of accessories here to create unique versions of this character. Interchangeability like this is something that collectors love having options for with their action figures. You get a great deal of choice with this release.
The First Order Stormtrooper [Ultimate Trooper Pack] comes with 10 accessories. They include a Z6 riot control baton (which breaks down into three parts), an F-11D blaster rifle, an SE-44C blaster pistol, an FWMB-10 repeating blaster (which is also called a megablaster), a megablaster stand, a megablaster support rod, a betaplast ballistic riot shield, web gear, a miscellaneous pouch, a backpack (which we thought only belonged to First Order Snowtroopers), and macrobinoculars. You get to do a lot of mixing and matching with the accessories. And the included web belt allows you to make a First Order Stormtrooper (Heavy Gunner) character. The inclusion of the megablaster and stand just makes this extra special. The shield, however, is a weird addition. There is no handle for the figure to hold it and it is almost pointless as far as accessories are concerned. There are other issues, however. Our accessories are fresh out of China and are beginning to discolor. The shield looks to be turning pink, and some of the guns and the megablaster stand already has yellowing on it. Hasbro isn’t using quality plastics here. These shouldn’t be discoloring so soon. This set seems to give the feel of getting a whole bunch of stuff, but in reality, you’re not getting that much new here to warrant the extra money. Add to that quality issues with the plastics used to make the parts included here, well, we have to say we’re a tad disappointed.
Collector Notes
First Order Stormtrooper [Ultimate Trooper Pack]
Status: First Order Stormtrooper [Ultimate Trooper Pack] is a rework of 2017's TBS [P3] First Order Stormtrooper Executioner TARGET exclusive figure.
Articulation Count: 28 points (16 areas of articulation)
Articulation Details: ball-socket head (1), hinge-jointed neck (1), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), ball-jointed right shoulder (2), ball-jointed left elbow (2), ball-jointed right elbow (2), ball-jointed left wrist (2), ball-jointed right wrist (2), ball-jointed torso (2), ball-socket left hip (1), ball-socket right hip (1), swivel left thigh (1), swivel right thigh (1), double hinge-jointed left knee (2), double hinge-jointed right knee (2), ball-jointed/"rocker" left ankle (2), ball-jointed/"rocker" right ankle (2)
Accessory Count: 13
Accessory Details: Z6 riot control baton (3 parts), F-11D blaster rifle, SE-44C blaster pistol, FWMB-10 repeating blaster (megablaster), megablaster stand, megablaster support rod, betaplast ballistic riot shield, web gear, pouch, backpack, macrobinoculars
Date Stamp: N/A
Assortment Number: C32298
UPC: 630509602872
Retail: $34.99 USD
Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on listings.
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