Shadow Scout (With Speeder Bike) - TAC - Exclusives

Shadow scout troopers (a.k.a. storm commandos) are trained for missions of deep infiltration. They uncover plots hatched by shadows in dark corners, and they dig up deadly secrets that can be used to make enemies cooperate. Their speeder bikes are designed for silence and speed, with a trideflective energy shield that prevents detection.

In case you weren’t aware, the obsession with all things “shadow” started in 2005, even though a rich history of Star Wars characters donning “all black” armor richly existed in the Expanded Universe years before in 1979. But once Hasbro entered the Utapau Shadow Trooper into the Revenge Of The Sith line, both collectors as well as licensees couldn’t get enough of the metaphorical negative of many of the most popular members of various armies. The fever for shadow really took off in 2006, and Hasbro began planning exclusives utilizing this concept which would be released the following year in the 30 (77-07) line. The Shadow Scout (With Speeder Bike) was one of these releases and while we can get over this trend quite easily, we admit that this release is admittedly quite cool. For us, we found it strange that Hasbro would devote such a huge portion of the 30 (77-07) line to the Expanded Universe. (They released many unique concepts of their own as well as a wide range of official Expanded Universe canon based characters.) But the line was chock full of amazing releases that it didn’t feel at the time that we were being bombarded with so many things that weren’t from the films. The point of all of this is that the Shadow Scout (With Speeder Bike) release is actually not half as bad as you think.

Shadow Scout (With Speeder Bike), a 2007 San Diego Comic Con exclusive, utilizing 100% previous parts, but Hasbro has turned them into something new and interesting this time around. Let’s talk about the Shadow Scout first. Hasbro took the super popular 2006 VTSC Biker Scout figure and then they repositioned its legs so that the figure could set itself on the speeder bike effortlessly. Lastly, the figure was completely repainted in the Shadow Scout color scheme as first seen in the Star Wars: X-wing Rogue Squadron comics. Call us crazy, but because the legs received a slight bit of new retooling, we feel we were able to get a lot more use out of the included articulation. We found it easier to pose this action figure in more dramatic poses. See out photo gallery for a better idea of what we mean. The paint job is obviously simply dark, but we love it and it suits this time of character well. Also called storm commandos, the Shadow Scout would have been awesome to see in Return Of The Jedi had that been an option. The Shadow Scout comes with the standard Biker Scout pistol we have seen these figures come with in the toy line since 1983. We truly love the way this figure turned out.

The Speeder Bike has also been retooled. Although it’s been completely repainted and sports the original 1995 date stamp, Hasbro “glued” the vehicle together so that it no longer has the “exploding” feature. It still has basic articulation like the swivel handlebars and the spring-loaded landing gear feet, but aside from the obvious differences, it’s just more of the same. The dark “shadow” paint operations do this old sculpt a world of good. The paint operations have been executed so well that it takes away some of the pains that the old sculpt has. Sure, an all-new vehicle is required at this point, but Hasbro does what they have to so that old can appear new again. The rear exhaust flaps still articulate when the landing gear is moved and are also removable should you decide to take them off of the vehicle. Generally speaking, the Shadow Scout (With Speeder Bike) is a pretty exciting release. Again, we would have loved to see a focus on items based on Episode IV, but Hasbro did make it clear that 2007 was intended to represent 30 years of Star Wars, the entire property, and not just the first Star Wars film. Hasbro could easily give the “shadow” themed merchandise a rest at this point, but if they make it remotely interesting like the Shadow Scout (With Speeder Bike) release, we bet collectors will be happy.