Shadow Stormtrooper - TBS [P3] - Six Inch Figures (Exclusive)

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed follows Darth Vader's secret apprentice, trained to hunt down and destroy Jedi, while Shadow Stormtroopers use cloaking devices to ambush enemies.

For years, Star Wars fans were told that Blackhole Stormtroopers differed from Shadow Troopers. And there was quite a bit of evidence to support this. Now, with the Disney takeover, and everything falling into two categories, all Stormtroopers that resemble a Shadow Stormtrooper or Blackhole Stormtrooper get dumped into the same bucket. As the Shadow Troopers went through an evolution in the various Expanded Universe sources, so did the action figures. We received all-black Stormtroopers like 2006’s TSC Shadow Stormtrooper exclusive figure. Then we received a different-looking Shadow Stormtrooper in 2008’s TAC Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Commemorative Collection three-pack. However, the closest we came to an accurate portrayal of the Shadow Stormtrooper from The Force Unleashed video game was when Hasbro released the 2010 Legacy Collection Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Figure Packs, which were Toys R Us exclusives. The Shadow Stormtroopers in this set are translucent, the same as The Black Series [Phase III] Shadow Stormtrooper Gaming Greats 6” GameStop exclusive. We assume that not everyone will fall in love with the 6” Shadow Stormtrooper.

We, however, are suckers for it and adore it. But if you weren’t a fan of The Force Unleashed multimedia event, the character might not mean much to you. It’s almost a wasted release for 6” collectors. 3.75” collectors should have been given the update to this beloved character. Like the previously released Stormtrooper Commander, Shadow Stormtrooper is the best action figure version of the character that money can buy. It’s so good that we also hope Hasbro gives us a super-articulated 3.75” version using The Vintage Collection Imperial Stormtrooper (VC140) tooling for the rest of the collecting community. But until they do, this is not a figure to miss. The Shadow Stormtrooper is a rework 2014’s TBS [P1] Stormtrooper (#09) figure. Hasbro cast it is a clear/translucent plastic, highlighted with neon blue paint, to help mimic the effect of the specialized armor. It works well. The rest of the figure is also repainted with various color flashes to match the video game character perfectly. The Shadow Stormtrooper figure comes with the same 30 points of articulation as the other Stormtrooper figures. And you can get a vast range of motion from many of the joints while attaining almost any pose you desire without any difficulty.

Lightly accessorized, the Shadow Stormtrooper comes with an E-11 blaster and a more massive blaster rifle, which is the same weapon IG-88 holds in The Empire Strikes Back. The Shadow Stormtrooper figure can carry both guns excellently, and the E-11 blaster can be placed in the functioning holster when not in use. Hasbro has utilized this tooling multiple times already, but we hope they keep beating out other Stormtrooper variations as the years move forward. They have an all-new Stormtrooper sculpt in the works, so it’s essential to get them out now, so they look uniform. It’s quite amazing how excellent paint applications can make the same figure look completely brand new. Specifically, Hasbro went to town to give it its invisible armor ability. Collectors should commend Hasbro because the results are fantastic. A GameStop exclusive and part of the Gaming Greats sub-collection of 6” action figures, it seems as if we should expect a few more before Hasbro retires this incredible line of video game-based action figures. Hopefully, collectors will be able to get their hands on multiple Shadow Stormtrooper 6” figures because the more you have, the more effective they’ll be at acquiring their targets!