Imperial Shock Trooper - 1:6 Scale Figures

The red-marked soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic were quartered on Coruscant and tasked with the protection of the Senate and other governmental facilities, as well as serving as guards and escorts for diplomatic envoys. Though such a role would suggest less exposure to frontline combat, extensive and well guarded training facilities on Coruscant served to keep the red-marked troops in fit fighting condition.

During the attack on Coruscant by the Separatists, the shock troopers emerged as one of the last lines of defense against the invading droid forces. These highly skilled troops, under the command of ARC-trained and promoted Commander Thire, were able to prevent many of the droids from demolishing some of Coruscant's most ancient and revered edifices, but they were unable to prevent General Grievous from kidnapping the Chancellor.

Commander Thire was later tasked by Emperor Palpatine to scour the lower levels of the Galactic Senate to find any traces of Jedi Master Yoda. He subsequently served as one of Palpatine's personal guards on Coruscant and during off-world trips. The shock troopers eventually became the basis of the Coruscant Guard, elite Stormtroopers tasked with providing security on the Imperial capital.

Once collectors received Sideshow's Republic Clone Trooper (212th Attack Battalion: Utapau), most of us didn't think that Sideshow would be able to outdo or top themselves with another clone trooper. This is only because of how awesome the Republic Clone Trooper (212th Attack Battalion: Utapau) was when it came out. Breaking every apparent barrier in previous (non-Sideshow) 1:6 Scale clone trooper releases, Sideshow made the definitive template for the 1:6 Scale Episode III clone trooper body. Even Medicom's Real Action Heroes Clone Trooper figures don't come remotely close to the quality Sideshow delivered. We never saw such detail in a clone trooper 1:6 Scale Figure before and it captured every essence of the character beautifully. Sideshow didn't waiver at all with the second clone trooper release and provided us with an incredibly finished product that nearly renders us speechless. In fact, it looks like they were intent on bringing the accuracy to a whole new level. Sideshow has evidently proven any naysayers or critics wrong (that it couldn't be improved) with the release of the Imperial Shock Trooper. Probably the most popular of the clone troopers, the 1:6 Scale Imperial Shock Trooper is right now Sideshow Collectibles' crowning achievement in that scale (until they outdo themselves with a future release). The figure is undoubtedly a quality product and will be one that stands out in your own personal collection. It is perfect in almost every way and we believe that even if you aren't a 1:6 Scale Figure collector, this figure will at least tempt you to consider starting. Their 1:6 Scale Figures line has grown by leaps and bounds and the characters chosen to see this scale are varied and numerous and obviously great choices. But in 2009, a clear focus on soldiers in the Militaries Of Star Wars line has been prominent in the collection. The Shock Trooper gets its day in Sideshow's sun and it is a magnificent collectible! Clearly the Imperial Shock Trooper is an "easy" repaint of the Republic Clone Trooper (212th Attack Battalion: Utapau). But the level of detail in the paint application proves that it is so much more than a repaint, let alone an "easy" one. Sideshow obviously approaches each clone trooper as a blank slate and develops a coloring process from the ground up.

Cautious not to reinvent the "decorating" wheel, Sideshow treats each 1:6 Scale Figure as unrelated from another and is undeniably successful with a trailblazing direction that is set on making them all look individual (and we are not talking about the obvious differences in armor color here). Because even the most casual collector will be able to appreciate how each clone trooper has been approached from completely different angles, it further drives home the point of that Sideshow is committed in their efforts to keep the figure set apart from each other even though the same sculpt have been utilized. The 1:6 Scale Imperial Shock Trooper has his signature red color flashes and they have been weathered stunningly. Seriously, look at the photos in this review, have you even seen better battle-damage on a 1:6 Scale Figure? The red details have also been beautifully displayed on his helmet as well as his shoulder pads, belt and boots. There are also red lines on his thighs (just like the 3.75" action figure and they have been perfectly placed and evenly painted and are effective in leading your eye up and down the sleek form of the silhouette and of this Imperial soldier. It would be a dream come true to get our 3.75" action figures with this level of detail, but it will likely not happen. While we would be thrilled to see this amazing feat of artwork applied to Hasbro's basic figures, it probably wouldn't make us appreciate the arduous efforts of Sideshow with their very fine 1:6 Scale Figures as much. In other words, the 1:6 Scale line is indeed the place to address all of these exacting standards of fine details. New battle-damage and new scrapes can be found on the Imperial Shock Trooper that are completely different in many ways from what has been applied to the Republic Clone Trooper (212th Attack Battalion: Utapau). And Sideshow was very clever with the choice of armor color they used (we are talking about the "white" portions here). The Republic Clone Trooper (212th Attack Battalion: Utapau) has a very "yellowed" look to the armor and this was a great choice for this characters since the Utapau system has an earthy and dusty terrain. But the Imperial Shock Trooper has a brighter off-white (bone) color. This is easily seen when compared side by side.

It works very well for the purpose of realism and accuracy to what we all saw in Episode III. It is simply an amazing 1:6 Scale Figure, you're going to love it. The figure has been constructed very well. Complete from head to toe with stiffer-than-average points of articulation, the Imperial Shock Trooper is able to hold his poses as you articulate him. He comes outfitted with the same weapons as the Republic Clone Trooper (212th Attack Battalion: Utapau) and the guns are the perfect complement to this already beautiful figure. The guns are masterpieces themselves and if you spend some time analyzing them you will see how faithful Sideshow is to replicating these accessories too. If you own the Republic Clone Trooper (212th Attack Battalion: Utapau), you may have noticed that the back section of his belt with the thermal detonator attached to it didn't stay snapped closed very well. Sideshow has remedied that error on the Imperial Shock Trooper and now the belt stays closed flush against the body (at the point where the detonator is). This is a great improvement and we are thrilled that Sideshow realized the error on the Republic Clone Trooper (212th Attack Battalion: Utapau) and corrected it. We will reiterate that the most impressive aspect of the figure is the paint job. Seriously, just look at the red sections of the armor. Plenty of white scrapes in the red section making it look as if one too many battles wore off the red paint and plenty of black carbon-scoring marks drive home the point of how committed Sideshow is to their attention to detail. Never will you see this much accuracy on a high-end collectible of this scale. If you think that the Gentle Giant, Ltd. mini bust of the Shock Trooper had it "all" as far as decoration is concerned, you would you be wrong. It pales in comparison. On the mini bust, the red color is wrong, the helmet is not that accurate and the battle-damage scrapes are inferior. We could go on too. But the thing to know is that the 1:6 Scale Imperial Shock Trooper is the premier and definitive Shock Trooper collectible. No replica, scaled replica, mini bust, or other 1:6 Scale Figure comes close to replicating the exactness of this favorite Star Wars character. We recommend it for your collection. It is already in ours and we think it is simply the best thing we added into ours in a long time.