Issue 38 : Saturday 1st October 2016
l a i c e p S e n Rogue O n o i t c A e h t l l a t u o k c e Ch e u g o R m o r sf w e n e r u g i F Friday e h t f o O W T w e i v e r o s l a We e n O e u g o R � 6 w e n d n a r b figures
Marvel have released details of their 2017 Unlimited Plus membership package which gives the subscriber access to its entire online catalogue of 17,000+ Marvel comic titles. This year they are including an exclusive 6 inch Marvel Legend Captain Marvel in with the pack.
King Arts have already released a number of 1/9 Diecast Marvel figures - concentrating particularly on Iron Man, but with an Ultron thrown in too for good measure. Now they are expanding this 1/9 range with their first Captain America figure.
Exclusive limited edition Hasbro Marvel Legends Captain Marvel figure (with alternate head)* not available anywhere else! The figure is a repaint of the recent release and comes with both head options. US collectors will have to pay $99 for the 2017 membership and will then get their figure and the other welcome gifts mailed to them. Sadly, there is no option for any overseas collectors to sign up.
Cap will stand 8" tall, and at this scale puts him out of any compatibility with any of the other Marvel licences other than perhaps the Dragon vignette statuettes. He will come with a particularly nice Avengers themed base, masked and unmasked head, swap out hand options and of course his shield. The face sculpt in particularly is pretty decent, and certainly the better of any others we've seen other than the 1/12 Hot Toys releases. King Arts products aren't being imported all that much into the UK or US, so prices will be high. If you were buying direct in Hong Kong then the Cap figure will run at 798 HKD, this is around £80 on a direct conversion.
Tamashii Nations Movie Realization range has been a huge hit with its re-imaginings of Star Wars characters into Feudal Japan. So much so that they have recently moved the line into Marvel with a Spider-man Samurai figure, and now it seems a Samurai Iron-Man is on the way. Other than a few promotional images, there is no other details at this stage. We would expect the figure to retail around about the $80 in the US and £70 - £80 in the UK. In our opinion the Spider Man figure didn’t quite hit the mark, but this representation of Iron-Man is nothing short of stunning.
Singapore based Comicave Studio's have been making a name for themselves recently with high end diecast collectables from Marvel Studio's, in particular their Iron Man figures. It seems they are now branching out into DC figures with these new Suicide Squad 1/12 figures. The interesting move is that these are more aligned to the Mezco One:12 range with soft good clothes on top of a highly detailed sculpted figure. The figures, revealed at a Far East Trade Show and posted online via One Twelve Republic will include The Joker, Harley Quinn, Deadshot and two of the Joker's Henchmen. No more details are known at this stage.
DC Comic book fans can start looking forward to 2017 with these new figure solicitations that have gone out to retailers from DC Collectibles, and should then hit stores from April 2017 onwards.
Medicom have confirmed Harley Quinn will be released in their MAFEX series early next year, dressed in her iconic shorts and top and as seen in Suicide Squad.
In the DC Comic Icons 6" scale we will get Wonder Woman, Swamp Thing and Deathstroke who will all retail for $28 in the US / approx £22-£25 here in the UK. There will then be a more deluxe release of Cyborg who will be $45 / £40
And it has now been confirmed a 2nd version is on the cards, this time it is the Nightclub version wearing the gold mini-dress and with the hair re-sculpted from the original version. Originally leaked via a press cutting, the official images soon followed. In both the press release and the following promo images there is a picture of Batman in his diving gear from Suicide Squad. This doesn't appear to be a new release, but we think this Diving Gear head will be packed in with Harley Quinn and then you can swap it with the existing Mafex Batman to make the Suicide Squad version.
And the DC Bombshells are expanding from statues to this 6.75" scale figure wave, with the first figures to include Poison Ivy, Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn and Bat Woman.
Finally, there is a comic book inspired 3 pack taken from The New Batman Adventures episode "Legends of the Dark Knight". Retailing at $70 in the US (approx £60 in UK) the set includes Batman, Robin and the Mutant Leader. Playsets are quite often overlooked by a lot of Toy companies due to their relatively poor sales. When manufacturers do go for it however, they have been going bigger and better in recent years - and those two words are certainly suitable for this new offering from Mattel. Officially part of their Batman vs Superman 6" range, this 4ft (1.25m) 5 story play-set will be sold exclusively by Walmart in the US, so expect it to be in larger Asda stores in the UK as part of their Xmas promotion.
Diamond Select have confirmed details of their booth at NYCC and within the announcement have confirmed that they will be showing off the as yet unseen Taxi Driver Ghost in their 7" Ghostbusters line. This is likely the final figure of the range and will be hitting in the 5th series at some point in 2017
The set includes Wayne Manor and then a working lift taking you down into the multi leveled Bat Cave which includes zip wires, weaponry, traps and a hidden jail cell. Also includes is an exclusive unmasked Batman figure. The US price is a very reasonable $99.97, which would equate to £77 in the UK. For now we will have to see if indeed Walmart pass this over the pond and then at what price.
I am probably more excited than I should be for these new 3.75" figures of the Dark Crystal coming from Funko. So far we've seen a few prototype images and two lovely exclusives for SDCC and then NYCC. Now the images have been released of the first figures, due in October 2016. This first "wave" will include Jen with the Crystal base, The Chamberlain, Aughra, Kira with Fizzgig and a larger boxed figure of Ursol the Mystic. Each of the figures will include a crystal shard that will assemble into Jen's base to make the full Dark Crystal. Sadly for completists, there is no news or details on the Landstrider or Garthim which were boxed up as convention exclusives. If Funko choose to hold these two pieces back it will be a frustration to many and may impact on sales.
Even though it is only 3.75" scale, there has been lots of excitement about Funko's Dark Crystal range of figures. Funko took an exclusive Landstrider & Jen set to SDCC this year, and now NYCC fan's can get their own exclusive. The Garthim and Kira boxed set will be available at the Funko booth during NYCC 2016 which takes place from the 6th to 9th of October. The Garthim looks particularly impressive, while Kira will come with wings - something not included on the planned single release - and Fizzgig. The downside, and where Funko may fall down with this line, is the exclusivity of these larger creatures like the Garthim and the Landstrider. Any fan worth their salt will want a full set on the shelf, so although you can forgive a repainted character or a minor tweak - to hold these two iconic creatures to being US convention exclusives may do some damage to this fledgling line.
Assuming a similar RRP to the older Re:Action figures, or the newer 3.75" Game of Thrones figures from Funko then expect a $10/£10 price either side of the channel.
Back in July 2016 the monthly DC Collectors Corp box had two new 3.75" Funko figures packed with it Harley Quinn and Joker. Along the same lines as their new smaller Game of Thrones figures, these are less retro than Re:Action and along with Game of Thrones and Dark Crystal seemed to indicate a new direction for Funko. As we suspected at the time, these first two exclusives will now be followed by a 7 figure wave. "Whether this signals a wider release plan remains to be seen, but it would seem odd for Funko to invest so much into 3.75" sculpts and then not to use them at mass market." (Mephitsu Archives, July 2015) The first wave is due in January 2017, and thankfully Funko have retained those wonderful bomb shaped circular backing cards. The figures are all taken from Suicide Squad and is made up of Killer Croc, Katana, Enchantress, Underwater Batman, Deadshot, Harley Quinn (inmate) and The Joker (shirtless). It is a shame that the more iconic Harley Quinn and the purple coated Joker were exclusive as they would have rounded out the set much better than the inmate and shirtless versions. Fans will also be hoping that a second wave will follow so the Suicide Squad can be completed with Rick Flag, Captain Boomerang and El Diablo.
In terms of price, the similar Game of Thrones figures have a $10 price in US, and have been available here in very limited quantities for between £10 and £15. I suspect these Suicide Squad figures will follow suit but will be better stocked in terms of the licence having a bigger pull with stores and independents vs Game of Thrones which is stigmatised by the poor sales in general of the first Funko 6" figures.
This weeks Predator news from NECA gave us a look at the card-back for their upcoming Predator Clan Leader, based on the Kenner figure from their 1990's Predator range. With the recent wealth of Aliens figures from NECA, fans have been clamouring for a re-release of the very early Hicks & Hudson Marines figures - and NECA have answered.
Also exciting NECA Predator fans was the following image which Randy Falk (Product Director NECA) loaded as his Twitter profile image this week. Randy often uses profile pictures as teases of new figures, and without any more details at this stage we can surmise based on the picture that this is a version of the Jungle Hunter Predator from the original movie as seen emerging from his cloaked state. Whether this will ever be a commercial release, or is simply a diorama or test piece from NECA is yet to be seen - but we would expect all to be revealed one way or another at NYCC from 6th to 9th October.
Hicks and Hudson will be blister packed in a special 30th Anniversary 2-pack. They will be a straight re-release of the original figures but will be packed with the standard heads AND the helmeted figures that originally came packed in with an Alien Warrior. NECA have said they "may" use their newer "injected flesh tone plastic" for the figures. Both Marines will come with all their original accessories including Pulse Rifles, Motion Detectors, Lamps, Welding torches and for Hicks his Shotgun and holster.
As teased at SDCC, although originally thought to be part of the Kenner homage line, NECA have confirmed the pink coloured Alien Warrior is actually a Video Game release based on the 1990's Arcade classic. This figure, which uses the existing sculpt, will hit stores in January 2017. It will be packed in the standard video game box with opening front cover, and will come with it's own Facehugger, Chestburster and Egg accessories. Introducing the newest addition to #NECA’s line of classic video game tribute figures: The Aliens #Xenomorph Warrior (Arcade Appearance) 7" Scale Action Figure! For additional product info and new gallery of photos, please visit: http://neca.io/2cNS5U3 The #Warrior is based on its appearance in the #Aliens arcade game, a side-scrolling adventure that began devouring quarters in 1990. The figure comes with #Facehugger, #Chestburster and #Egg accessories, and all feature special paint deco that reproduces their in-game appearance. The Warrior stands over 9" tall and has a bendable tail and nearly 30 points of articulation.
Continuing the Aliens 30th anniversary celebration, #NECA presents a special edition action figure 2-pack that includes two iconic #ColonialMarines! Long out of production, #Hicks and #Hudson are collected here with all the pieces that appeared in their individual and 2-pack releases. For more product info and additional photos, visit: http://neca.io/2cEdHnq Each figure stands approximately 7” tall and comes with an interchangeable head with a helmeted “combat” sculpt. The set comes packed with signature weapons and other accessories: pulse rifles, motion detectors, shoulder lamps, welding torches, shotgun and shotgun carrier. Both feature the authorized likeness of their actors (Bill Paxton and Michael Biehn) and have over 30 points of articulation for dramatic poses. Starts shipping out to retailers in January 2017!
Comes in gorgeous, display-friendly 5th panel window box packaging that recreates the look of the actual #arcade cabinet! Starts shipping out to retailers in January 2017!
Tamashii Nations are tweaking their existing 1/12 SH Figuarts Mk1 Clone Trooper and releasing him again, this time as the red trimmed Captain as seen briefly in Attack of the Clones. The catch for collectors is that this is a very limited exclusive, available at the Tamashii Nations show in Tokyo across the 28th to 30th of October. As an exclusive it works on a lot of levels - being a cheap repaint for TN, and being a minor character that many collectors perhaps won't be too bothered about chasing down. Then again if you are an SHF collector, then chasing down is becoming 2nd nature - particularly to anyone outside of Japan.
Medicom's MAFEX range of Star Wars figures has been the closest contender to SH Figuarts in the past couple of years, but has never really matched the SHF releases in term of volume. Medicom appear to be trying to remedy that with a number of new releases being announced recently including Rey from The Force Awakens, and a Revenge of the Sith Darth Vader. They have now confirmed two more trooper figures will be added to the MAFEX range in mid-2017. The Clone Trooper will hit stores in July 2017. He will come packed with blaster, rifle, interchangeable hands and a figure stand. There will also be Phase 1 and Phase 2 helmet options in the box. This will allow you to display him either from Attack of the Clones or Revenge of the Sith.
The following image has been shared across social media, confirming Disney Stores are now selling a very impressive 5 pack of Disney Elite figures. The pack is lead by Kylo Ren and he is joined by Captain Phasma, unmasked Finn (FN-2187) and a Flame Trooper. There is then an exclusive Heavy Weapons Trooper - a figure never made available previously, and a bit of a kicker for collectors who have supported this range to date as they will now have to re-buy 4 figures to get this 5th version. The price is also a disappointment, as there is no discount for being re-releases or multi packed and will set you back £99.99. Watch out for this pack in Disney Stores now.
And as well as this new bumper pack another Disney Elite Series Star Wars figure has turned up for sale, again found in a UK Disney Store. Like the others that are currently showing up, like the above 5 pack of First Order characters, this is a simple tweak of an existing sculpt to create the First Order Commander with orange shoulder pauldron. Look out for it now in Disney Stores, RRP is expected to be the usual £19.99 - that is of course a £1.04 rise from last years £18.95 price tag.. As of going to print neither of these sets are listed online, but it shouldn’t be too long until these hit the website.
The Sandtrooper lands a month earlier in June 2017. He will also come with a figure stand, blaster, rifle, interchangeable hands and the backpack. Looking at the promotional images this is definitely an original New Hope Sandtrooper, and not as we might have expected an update version that will be seen in Rogue One.
Disney Parks were also getting into the Rogue Friday merchandise frenzy with a wealth of merchandise announced and immediately on sale as of the 30th September.
Both figures will retail for 5800 Yen. That is £44 in the UK and $57 in the US.
The four droids are C2-B5, who is a black imperial Astromech who will appear in Rogue One, R2-BHD, R3-M2 who was an Astromech serving during the Clone Wars and R5-SK1.
Within the various items of clothing, phone covers and pins is a brand new 3.75" set of 4 new Astromech figures, packaged under the Disney Parks Droid Factory branding.
And for Toys R Us it is confirmed that they will be carrying the Hover Tank Pilot. This is another new Imperial Troop type for Rogue One, and will sit neatly with the Scariff/Shore Trooper and Death Trooper who are coming in the first couple of Rogue One waves.
Hasbro has released the full promotional images of the various Rogue One exclusives. As we had expected, K-Mart in the US will be carrying the diorama figure of Jyn Erso - with costume specific to Eadu. This figure will be part of a 2 figure set, with the second figure as yet un-announced (and most likely a spoiler). If we assume the same arrangement as last year's Rey figure at Kmart, then there will be no UK general release for this figure, although it should be offered by some of the smaller independents.
US customers were finding this in limited numbers as of Rogue Friday (30th Sept) but UK customers apparently will have to wait another month or so on this one arriving.
STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES 6-Inch JYN ERSO (Mountain Base) (Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Suggested Retail Price: $24.99/Available: Fall 2016) A skilled warrior in the Rebel Alliance, JYN ERSO is on a mission to destroy the Death Star! This collectible 6-inch figure features extensive articulation and detail, including a new poncho and hat as seen in the film. Fans can connect an additional STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES figure with diorama base to create the ultimate collection. Each sold separately. Available exclusively at Kmart.
Target have revealed their Rogue One exclusive Black Series set - and have improved on last years 2-pack by making this one a 3-pack. The set is made up of a the standard release Jyn Erso (Jedha), who comes with the same gun and headscarf as the SDCC and standard wave 1 version. There is then the more casual Cassian Andor figure we have been seeing on some leaked images. He includes his rather impressive rifle. The draw for many will be the Death Trooper Specialist. This is the standard Death Trooper, but with extra shoulder pauldron and accessories.
STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES 6-Inch IMPERIAL HOVERTANK PILOT Figure (Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Suggested Retail Price: $19.99/Available: Fall 2016) An elite soldier for the Galactic Empire, this impressive 6-inch scale IMPERIAL HOVERTANK PILOT figure features articulated movement and true-to-story detail. Recreate battles from ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY with exclusive army building unit and new pilot character class. Available exclusively at Toys “R” Us.
Walmart have had a number of key exclusives recently from Hasbro, notably the Marvel Legend figures that are currently being sold across both sides of the pond.
Last year the Target exclusive (Poe and Riot Trooper) came to the UK via Argos. This year this seems unlikely as it is not listed anywhere in the specially printed Argos Rogue One brochure. One reason for this may be that Target now ship direct to the UK and will sort custom and packaging charges all at time of checkout. The 3-pack itself is £49.11 / $59.99 The set is up on the Target site now at £49.11 / $59.99, but not yet available to order. To give us an idea of UK shipping we checked some similar items shipped with custom costs to the UK and the costs were coming in anywhere between £25-£40 on top of the list price - it is likely size and weight dependent and we won't know for certain until the Buy Now goes live. As and when it does go up there is a UK shipping offer currently with £15 off a £70 spend using code UKSHIP
They have now announced they will be carrying a Rogue One 6" Black Series exclusive, and what a way to announce it with their very own Shore Trooper advertisement
This is the standard Shore / Scarif Trooper, a variant of the Shore Trooper Sergeant that will arrive in the 2nd wave of the Rogue One figures. The RRP will be $19.97 and we would hope that they follow suit with the Marvel figures and bring this item over to the UK for sale in their Asda stores for a similar £ value.
Whilst all the Exclusives were being announced, it kind of went under the radar that companies were opening up pre-orders for Wave 8 and Wave 9 - and as part of this the full lineup for each wave was confirmed. Wave 8 will continue with the Rogue One theme, repacking Jyn and the Death Trooper and adding Director Krennic and the Scarif Stormtrooper Squad Leader into the range. The wave will be topped off with the Force Awakens C-3PO and the A New Hope Princess Leia. Wave 8 (also being referenced as Rogue One wave 2) is expected at the end of October.
Wave 9, likely the last wave of 2016, will arrive in November and will include the long awaited Fans Choice Darth Revan figure. Imperial Troop builders will look forward to the AT-AT Driver and Snowtrooper, while Rebel fans will want to get their hands on Sabine. The wave is rounded off by the basic release of the A New Hope Obi Wan (without table) and a re-issue of the Princess Leia. Our Phase 3 Star Wars Black Series Archive is fully updated with a breakdown of all these, and the rest of the Black Series since its 2013 launch. CLICK THROUGH to have a look and click through the released figures for a review.
In a move that will frustrate collectors outside of the US, it has been announced that the Original Trilogy C-3PO Black Series 6" figure will be a Walgreens exclusive.
3.75" Black Series collector's will be pleased to see the Super Articulated figures are going to include Rogue One characters, with a wave of 4 due into Walmart (and hopefully Asda here in the UK) later this autumn. The wave will include the popular Scarif Stormtrooper, Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor and finally the poster boy of much of Rogue One's marketing - the Death Trooper. US price on these is $12.99 and if these do make their way to the UK then the Asda on shelf price should be somewhere between £9.97 and £12.97 depending on the offer Asda chooses to lead with.
Kohls in the US were one of the last of the big companies to announce their exclusive, and they have got a standard 3.75" box set rather than the Black Series treatment that most of the other stores have gone with. The set is a 4 pack and contains Moroff, Pao for the Rebels - then a Death Trooper and Stormtrooper with White Pauldron to represent the Imperials. There is nothing in this pack that is exclusive as such with all the figures being pretty much available via another avenue be it single or dual packed in the main range Multi-packs like this have made their way to UK stores before - and I think we should watch out for this landing in Sainsbury's or possibly into Toys R Us.
The Force Awakens version will be arriving later this Autumn in Wave 8. This version, without the red arm and complete with Silver Leg, will hit Walgreens stores by the end of the year. The issue with this, outside the US, is that any previous Walgreens exclusives have not made it easily to UK stores and have instead been imported at a huge mark up vs a standard figure. For now we await full details.
Click through the images to pre-order this AT-ACT from our affiliate partner Forbidden Planet
One item not making an appearance on Rogue Friday was the big ticket AT-ACT vehicle for the 3.75” range. Hasbro have confirmed this will be available at some point before Xmas and UK retailers are already taking pre-orders at the UK RRP of £289.99
September 30th, Rogue Friday, saw the SH Figuarts Rogue One product all go up for pre-order and also on offer was the long awaited Han Solo from A New Hope. Also available, if you can get one, is the pre-order for the unmasked Kylo Ren - although this one is a Tamashii Nations Web Shop exclusive. The following larger promotional images have now been released for this father and son.
The Entertainment Earth Exclusive 4-pack has been officially unveiled as a set of Clone Troopers in the Phase 2 armour as seen in various scenes in Revenge of the Sith The four Clones share the exact same sculpt, but varying paint jobs to represent the following clones ● ● ● ●
Both figures will be released in February 2017 with an RRP of 6264 Yen (£48 / $63).
442nd Siege Battalion 212th Utapau Attack Battalion Coruscant Guard 501st Legion
The set will be presented in a concertina type box that unfolds from a cube to reveal the figures within.
As is often the case, yet another new Star Wars SH Figuarts figure has been revealed at one of those Far East Trade Shows. And it really is a case of anything Hasbro can do we can do better as this Obi Wan Kenobi, as seen in A New Hope, looks particularly impressive. It has to be said though that the whole figure is a plastic sculpt, with no soft goods, and if the figure does have any downsides it is in that outer robe. Fans must be grounded though in that we should remember that it has taken 2 years to get Han Solo from a Trade Show reveal like this to the stores, so with a large number of SH Figuarts already on pre-order it would be interesting to see when this one can be slotted in for release.
Entertainment Earth Exclusive! Execute Order 66 with these incredible The Black Series Clone Trooper action figures taken from Revenge of the Sith! Each trooper features the best faux battle damage deco you've ever seen on a Hasbro action figure - each scuff, scrape, and legion marking has been perfectly applied. The pictures look amazing, but in person they will knock your socks off like they took down so many unsuspecting Jedi. Build your army to hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights! Pre-order now!
As we saw at the end of August, Bandai are going to be doing 1/12 figure kits for Rogue One starting with the Death Trooper.
Also up for preorder on Rogue Friday were five brand new SH Figuarts from the Rogue One movie itself. The following larger promotional images have now been released for the fantastic five Rogue One figures in the 1/12 Figuarts line. K-2S0, The Death Trooper and the Scariff (Shore) Trooper will all ship in December 2016. The Hover Tank Pilot and the updated Rogue One Storm Trooper will ship in January 2017. All the figures have an RRP in Japan of 5616 Yen (£43 / $56) except K-2SO who is a touch cheaper at 5400 Yen (£41 / $54).
But these images from a recent Far East Trade show indicate the Death Trooper is not alone in terms of Rogue One releases. Also on display was the Scariff/Shore Trooper and K-2SO. Collectors will be glad to see Bandai are continuing the ability for the two trooper kits to be customised as you build them with enough parts supplied to make the Death Trooper into a Specialist, and to amend the Scarif trooper to any of the three specific variants we saw at Celebration. Fans of the ships will also be glad to see the Tie Striker, U-Wing and a new X-Wing. And checkout what looks like a Death Star kit in the bottom right. It also appears Bandai's kits are going to get bigger, with the Stormtrooper arriving in 1/6 (12 inch) scale. UK and US fans should of course remember that current licensing won't allow Bandai to supply these directly outside of Japan, so you will need to find a 3rd party importer and will be paying a higher price because of this
Rogue Friday, 30th September, has seen a quantity of new Rogue One figures physically hit store shelves - but it was also been used as platform for a quantity of new product announcements. This new 3.75" 4-pack will no hit stores until Spring 2017 but is very competitively priced at $24.99 for four figures (that's about £20 in the UK). The set won't be exclusive, and will hit all major retailers. "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 3.75-Inch Jedha Revolt 4-Pack (Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $24.99/Available: Spring 2017) Create epic adventures with the ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY JEDHA REVOLT 4-PACK! Each 3.75-inch figure features movie-accurate detail and multiple points of articulation. Characters include JYN ERSO, SAW GERRERA, IMPERIAL HOVERTANK PILOT, and EDRIO TWO TUBES. Includes 4 figures and 5 accessories. Available at most major retailers and on HasbroToyShop.com."
Review : Death Trooper (Rogue One) Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Rogue One Wave 1 Released : September 2016 Price : ÂŁ21.99 The Star Wars Black Series welcomes the Rogue One figures into its midst this September, with the launch of the first wave based on Rogue One. Hasbro have made the decision to keep the red & black packaging that launched with The Force Awakens, and therefore the numbering for the Rogue One figures is consecutive to the Saga and Force Awakens figures that have come before.
#25, The Death Trooper, has been the Poster Character for Rogue One for quite a while now and is arguably the most anticipated figure of this first wave. He will also appeal to Army Builders who will want a squad of these black clad troopers. Like all phase 3 figures to date, the black box is trimmed with the bright red side spine onto which is printed the number of the figure and the character name. The front is decorated in a grey lined drawing of the trooper and this is replicated round the back where you will also find a multilingual bio of the trooper.
Out of the pack the figure is packed with two weapons, a small hand blaster and a larger rifle. We will look at these in a little while.
The Death Trooper stands an impressive 6 1/4 inches high, making him the tallest Black Series Imperial Trooper to date and a replication of the tall and sleek stature we will see in the movie. Like the long line of Trooper figures before him, the Death Trooper is a lovely looking thing and well executed all round by Hasbro. The new helmet is more angular at the front and this is perfectly captured and then is really well coloured. The paint see's neatly applied silver to the front breathers and up the faceplate to the eyes, and here the eyes do have a green tint to match the prop.
The armour on the Death Trooper, once you get up close to it, is not as bulky as the standard Stormtrooper but does carry through the same characteristics. The shoulder straps are there, although are more defined and with an actual strap that is picked out neatly again in a brushed metal finish. Round the back is the iconic Stormtrooper back plate and further down on the rear is the circular tube on the belt. All the armour is a high gloss black, and then beneath this there is a greyer under-suit which is also sculpted to include a ribbed finish. This all meas what looks at first glance to be a shiny black figure does turn out to include a lot more depth than you would first think.
The arms are very similar to the standard troopers and again are high gloss and the same applies to the legs, although here the knee pads are not included and you can see that ribbed under-suit again between the upper and lower panels. Round the waist is the aforementioned utility belt, and unlike the Stormtrooper there are some varying pouches here and a flexible rubberised strap which is the holster for the smaller blaster.
The two guns included are cast in a plain grey plastic and for me don't quite live up to the quality of the figure. The smaller blaster on mine came out with a bent scope and the plastic here is a bit too soft. The larger blaster does carry a bit more detail with a red indicator panel round one side, and with it being thicker and bulkier it shouldn't bend or mishape easily. Articulation is brilliant on the Death Trooper, particularly as the expectations for me were quite low when you consider the Clone and Stormtroopers we have seen to date and how they are restricted by the armour. As the Death Trooper is sleeker and more streamlined this translates to much more movement. This all starts with the usual ball jointed head which can rotate fully and is then hinged to be able to look down as far as getting the mouthpiece of the helmet to touch the chest armour.
The arms are ball jointed and rather than the shoulder panel withdrawing into the armour, on this figure the shoulder panels have a level of flex which see's them smoothly transition over the shoulder and bend to match the contours as the arms are raised. This all means the arms go up a full 90 degrees to the body and can then rotate. Add in a rotating elbow joint which bends past 90 degrees, and a two handed weapon pose is a piece of cake.
The torso is also jointed, hidden nicely under the chest plate. What this means is the Torso can lean forward and back and also rotates right round, adding more action poses and scope on displaying the trooper. The hips are ball jointed, and with the belt being a similar flexible plastic like the shoulders, Death Trooper can sit down and comes close to doing the splits. The knees remain double jointed and because of the wider hip movement you can easily have the Death Trooper kneeling on one or two knees and again opening him up to some dynamic action poses. The final joints are the usual ankle rockers, and these are nice and stiff and that means the Trooper is dead easy to stand up and stay that way.
I have a feeling the Death Trooper will be the chase figure from this first wave, so grab him when you can - although he is coming back apparently in the 2nd wave later into the Autumn. As a figure he has very few faults, and we award him a 5 out of 5 score with the benefit of the doubt given on those ugly grey plastic guns.
Review : K-2SO (Rogue One) Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Rogue One Wave 1 Released : September 2016 Price : ÂŁ21.99 The Star Wars Black Series welcomes the Rogue One figures into its midst this September, with the launch of the first wave based on Rogue One. Hasbro have made the decision to keep the red & black packaging that launched with The Force Awakens, and therefore the numbering for the Rogue One figures is consecutive to the Saga and Force Awakens figures that have come before.
#24 in the series is K-2SO, the new Imperial Security Droid who is in fact serving the Rebellion in the story. Like all the other phase 3 figures before him, K-2SO arrives in the Black packaging with stark red banding down the right hand spine. The grayscale art work remains, as does the multi language bio of the figure on the back.
Out of the box, K-2SO is an impressively sized figure - standing a clear 7 and 1/4 inches high, almost as high as Chewbacca. The first thing that strikes you is that although this is essentially an all black figure, there is a very impressive and clean sculpt hidden by the muted dark paint job. Starting with the skeletal head, there are some crisp panel lines and then smaller grills and lights around the mouth area. This is painted in a glossier black at the back of the head, where as the front is a slightly duller matt finish.
On top of this there is some intricate and very neat painting of K-2SO's silver/white eyes, some tiny silver grills around his mouth area and with a tiny red indicator light to one side. It's not all perfect though as there has been an attempt to weather/distress the head with some silver paint applications to replicate scratched paint. The smaller ones here work, but a larger "splodgy" one looks too cartoonish for me.
The two tone black extends into the body, and as with the head the sculpt is crisp and very mechanical with clean lines and plenty of overlapping panels. The shoulders in particular have 8 varying panels rotating round the shoulder, and then there is the chest panel which again is sculpted with switches and panels. Round the back is the back panel of an Imperial Storm Trooper with the circular port and the two lines, above this sits two small antenna. Further down the back is more paneling and grills. Like the Protocol Droids, the Security Droid have a thinner midsection that extends out of the bulky torso to connect to the hips. Like Protocol droids, such as C-3PO, this mid section contains further sculpt detail albeit in K-2SO's case more uniform and regular vs the "tummy wires" on C-3PO. The height of K-2SO is driven by his long legs which extend out of the hips, down through the knees and to the feet. The arms are of a similar design to the legs, with big rounded joints at the elbows and wrists. The arms are also elongated like the legs, giving the whole figure a lanky and awkward look. All of the body is painted in the same two tone of black, with very neatly painted silver highlights as well as some muted colours - particularly some orange trim around the shoulder and hip sections. This orange paint is not crisp and neat, but quite rough and I think this is to reflect the prop itself rather than being a poor job in the factory. The same weathering and scratching from the head is continued on the body - looking fine in most places, although where there is a larger section - such as the left shoulder - it does start to look like a paint splodge as opposed to some scratching to the droids paint job. The figure's decor is finished with some Imperial logo decals on either shoulder.
The legs are tackled in exactly the same way as the arms with a ball jointed hip, and then one of these circular double ended joints for the knees. The knee bends a full 90 degrees and then rotates in two places, this means K-2SO can kneel quite easily. The legs end with another circular joint at the ankle, and here it rather strangely allows the foot to be bent 90 degrees front and back if you so wish. The benefit of this joint, and the well engineered feet is that, unlike his 3.75" counter-part, K-2SO is a very stable figure and stands really well in a number of poses there is no danger of this droid going shelf diving.
Articulation on K-2SO is very well engineered, and is a similar approach to the one taken with IG88 - although K-2SO's articulation is much more refined and operates a lot better. The head is on a very thin stalk of a neck, and the head can rotate fully on this neck and thanks to a ball joint can also tilt quite a bit to either side. This neck is then rather beautifully a double ended ball joint with the second end that plugs into the body also being able to move and tilt. This allows the head even wider movement so much so that K-2SO can look almost straight down at his feet if you feel the need. The torso is jointed at the natural joint between upper chest section and the inner mid-drift. This allows the entire torso to be rotated independently to the legs which adds some nice sideways positioning when posing your droid. Arms are ball jointed at the shoulder and can raise out to around 70 degrees to the body and can then rotate around the axis. The elbow joint is really neat as it's a circular piece which can be rotated itself as it has a ball joint that plugs into the upper arm and then the lower arm. This joint bends to a full 90 degrees and then the joint rotates also and thanks to the double ended joint you can also rotate the lower arm to your hearts content. The arms finish in a rotating wrist which also bends well past 90 degrees either way, the one gripe is that on my figure one of these joints is quite loose and I suspect it is a weak spot for the figure. There are no accessories supplied with K-2SO although his hands are capable of holding some of the Black Series weapons / accessories.
K-2SO is a really solid start to the Rogue One Black Series figures, and when you consider some of the complaints leveled at the first Force Awakens wave it seems Hasbro have worked hard to make sure this figure is well sculpted, well engineered and then presented as best he can with a good paint job out of the factory. I can't really find any major faults with K-2SO and therefore feel he deserves a 5 out of 5 score and a thumbs up recommendation to go out and hunt him down ASAP.