Dark Trooper (Phase III) - LC - Build A Droid (Exclusive)

Hasbro certainly upped the ante with their second series of Walmart exclusive Droid Factory sets. And by this we mean the buildable droid itself because it is unbelievable! The two-packs were primarily all based from the various Expanded Universe sources in one form or another. Besides a few surprise characters and neat accessories, the figures in the two-packs weren’t anything too exciting. But the Build A Droid figure for this group was the reason to buy the sets. Hasbro designed the mammoth Dark Trooper (Phase III) and it is one big droid. He is actually huge, and Hasbro cleverly fit his nine separate parts into only five different two packs (unlike six sets for the first go around). Some of the two packs come with two limbs while others come with just one part. But regardless of the arrangement and assortment of the parts, they come together to form one big, massive and awesome Dark Trooper (Phase III) action figure. What's more impressive is that he is super-articulated, sporting an incredible amount of articulation (with extra points of articulation if you count his movable/removable shoulder armor). We think Hasbro has reached a new plateau when it comes to the Build A Droid platform and the Dark Trooper (Phase III) is indeed the most impressive. Hasbro has stated that this was the only way that they could have brought this figure to collectors due to its sheer size. It would never fit in the basic line packaging. When all is said and done, Dark Trooper (Phase III) towers over and simply dwarfs the silver Dark Trooper figure (previously available in 1998's POTF Expanded Universe line as well as the 2007 TAC Darktrooper Saga Legends re-relase).

The range of movement for the new Dark Trooper (Phase III) figure is simply incredible. And while the old phase II version was excellent for its time, we have been treated to a marvelous new creation that renders the 1998 version obsolete. Dark Trooper (Phase III) towers over 2008's TLC General Grievous (BD 25) figure and all of the Chewbacca figures released to date (as far as height is concerned) and when it comes to breadth and width, well, just forget about it. He rivals most all other figures as perhaps the broadest trooper or army builder we have ever received. His stature is foreboding and intimidating and the look on his 'face' clearly intimates that any onlooker should stay far away! Dark Trooper (Phase III) has been colored excellently and the contrast of the blacks and silvers used to decorate him clearly express that it is manufactured from some metallic based material. The "solid" look of him is truly stunning and the areas that do show some silver highlights that show the distinct separation of the outer armor and “body glove” if he were to have one. The Dark Trooper (Phase III) is also accented with red details here and there and they are painted so brightly that they almost look like lit lights. The glowing illusion is a testament to how well this figure is painted and it also implies the various functionalities that are on its backpack. Dark Trooper (Phase III) comes with a large gun and it has plenty of red detail on it as well. It is a fantastic use of color and it doesn't overshadow its dark, brooding, and threatening presence. These droids were nicknamed 'bipedal tanks', so you know that they were intended to be quite a formidable enemy and defender of their cause. The Dark Trooper (Phase III) is indeed an amazing droid and action figure.

The Dark Trooper (Phase III) will indeed be one of the most highly sought after figures in the Legacy Collection. Many have passed on them thanks to the ridiculous $17.00 MSRP for each two-pack. This also means that even less collectors will be willing to shell out $85.00 before tax for ten repainted and retooled figures just to get assemble it. Some may not want the droid parts and they may just find their way on eBay at some point, but this is even less likely. The reason to buy the two-packs is to assemble the Dark Trooper (Phase III) figure. You may want to know that you shouldn’t expect this figure as a "down the road" Saga Legends figure. Hasbro has already stated that he is much too big to ever include as a basic figure. So, it looks like that this is the only medium in which you will be able to build it. We think that the Dark Trooper (Phase III) in and of itself is reason enough to pick up all five Droid Factory sets but this is something that can only be determined by you (and this certainly isn’t the case as they are not selling through as Hasbro has hoped). (Editor’s Note: Hasbro confirmed that they canceled the next wave of Walmart exclusive Droid Factory sets due to the poor sales of this series. Too bad that poor distribution played a part in their failure as well.) Collectors should take time to ponder how to get these sets into their collections because they offer a lot more than just the Dark Trooper (Phase III). For the first time, we get two figures based on the Droids TV series (the first in the modern line). These sets do have worthiness of your purchase. What we can say conclusively is that this is a figure certainly not to miss! What you may find interesting is that Wookieepedia's entry on this character explains that very few units of the Dark Trooper (Phase III) were ever created. With Hasbro's claims that this series of the exclusive Droid Factory has been produced in much less numbers, it looks as if collectors may be following suit and building a great deal less too!