Tag Archives: Dark Trooper

#3248: Dark Trooper

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

DARK TROOPER

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“Hulking Imperial combat droids with gleaming black armor and powerful jet boots, the Dark Troopers are a powerful design.”

When last I reviewed a Dark Trooper figure, back in February of 2021, the concept had finally made it live action, courtesy of The Mandalorian‘s second season, which saw them serve as the muscle to Moff Gideon going into the show’s season finale.  It’s been almost two years, but I’m finally following up that review of the Expanded Universe version with a look at a proper show version.  That’s just crazy, isn’t it?  Well, at least we’re finally here.  So, without any further waiting, here’s another Dark Trooper figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Dark Trooper is the 28th figure in the Mandalorian sub-line of Star Wars: The Black Series‘s Phase IV incarnation.  This figure is another deluxe-sized release, the sixth within this particular sub-set.  As with all prior deluxes, he’s shipped on his own, which is honestly pretty solid for the purposes of army building and the like.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 33 points of articulation.  The Dark Trooper sports his own unique articulation scheme, removed a bit from other Black Series figures, barring really only K-2.  It’s generally a pretty good set-up, though I did find the butterfly shoulders a little spongey on my copy, and his knees can’t get a full 90 degree bend.  Other than that, though, there’s a good movement set-up.  The Dark Trooper’s sculpt is an all-new offering, and it’s mostly really good.  The overall appearance is a good recreation of the design as seen on the show, and it works well with the articulation scheme, making it all look really slick and sleek.  The only thing I’m not crazy about is the torso; rather than a solid sculpt, he’s got a sleeve over the torso for his upper armor.  While I don’t totally hate the concept, since it allows for a little more depth, the fact that it’s a softer plastic and it’s also a free-floating piece makes the figure as a whole feel a little less solid than he should.  It does at least look the part, though, and I’m not worried that it’s going to fall apart or anything.  The figure’s color work is on one hand very basic, but on the other exactly what it needs to be.  He’s predominately molded black plastic, albeit with that super shiny finish that all the Dark Troopers sported in the show.  There are a few little spots of accenting, which give him just a little bit more pop, and the application is generally pretty cleanly handled.  The Dark Trooper is packed with two sets of hands (gripping and fists), a rifle, and two blast effects pieces.  The blast effects without any sort of flight stand do seem a bit superfluous, but they’re better than getting nothing at all, and do at least help to disarm the sting of the higher price-point on this guy.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Dark Troopers are a fun concept that combines Stormtroopers and droids, so it’s one I’ve always been able to get behind.  I was excited when the show first hinted at them, and even more so when they actually showed up in the show proper.  I knew the figures were a lock, so it was just the waiting game at that point.  Now the wait’s finally over, and the final figure’s not perfect, but he’s still really, really cool.  It’s a great starter version of the figure, but I’d love to see maybe some damaged variants or even one with the charging station at some point in the future.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#2680: Dark Trooper

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

DARK TROOPER

STAR WARS: POWER OF THE FORCE II (KENNER)

“It is a period of Civil War. The Rebel Alliance struggles to free the galaxy from the clutches of the evil Galactic Empire. Discovering that Imperial forces have begun developing a new type of stormtrooper, the Rebels call on mercenary Kyle Katarn. His mission: seek out and destroy the secret Imperial project called Dark Trooper. Known as phase III, this most powerful of the Dark Troopers is actually a figure known as General Mohc. Practically unstoppable, he represents the greatest threat to the success of the Rebel Alliance.”

Kenner’s Expanded Universe sub-set covered a few different EU tales, giving them each at minimum a pair of figures.  Though previously unexplored in the toys, that included some video game coverage, in the form of two figures based on the video game Dark Forces.  The first of those was the game’s protagonist, Kyle Katarn.  The second was today’s focus, the Dark Trooper, a concept that’s certainly moving up in the world, thanks to a proper canon appearance in the second season of The Mandalorian.  But, let’s jump to those humble beginnings, shall we?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Dark Trooper is the final single carded figure in the Expanded Universe sub-line of Kenner’s Power of the Force II.  He’s the other of the two later release figures I mentioned in last week’s Spacetrooper review.  Also of note is the fact that the Dark Trooper was the only of the nine single release figures not to be shown off on the cross sell on any of the packaging, for whatever reason.  The figure stands 4 1/4 inches tall (the second tallest in the set) and he has 6 points of articulation.  He’s definitely one of the stiffer figures included in this line-up, only further highlighted after looking at the Spacetrooper last week, with his extra movement and all.  Given the bulked up design of this particular look, the slightly more restricted set-up isn’t totally shocking however.  This mold was new to this figure, but would later be re-used in its entirety for the Fan’s Choice rerelease in 2007, likely due to the combination of rarity and popularity of this particular release.  It’s an interesting sculpt, because it feels more dated than the rest of the assortment, but that’s actually because he’s going for a recreation of the game model, which means he really should be that bulked up and geometric.  Hard to take the ’90s out of a ’90s design,  I suppose.  There’s a fair deal of detail work going into this guy, which does a lot to make him a bit of a step up from a straight recreation of the game look.  I also appreciated that the jet pack is actually a separate piece, with full detailing on the figure beneath it.  In terms of paint work, the Dark Trooper’s actually got a bit more going on than it seems on the surface.  All of the silver is painted, rather than molded, and there are actually two distinct shades between the outer armor and the mechanics.  The Dark Trooper includes a rather goofy looking heavy blaster lifted straight from the game, as well as yet another fold out display.  This one’s definitely one of the most clever, being based on the game’s HUD, allowing you to simulate an in-game set up.  That’s pretty nifty!

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Dark Trooper was a figure that was almost not mine, and was almost the cause of a real tussle between me and Max….okay, not really.  But, when we were pulling the figures out when they came in, he had called dibs on the Sentinel, and then also set this one to the side…only I didn’t realize he’d set this one to the side with the intent to buy it himself, so I grabbed it with the rest of my set and innocently sent him a shot of the whole set after I’d opened them and set them all up.  Then there was much discussion between the two of us, at which point Max very graciously let me keep the Trooper, because he’s nice like that.  It’s nice to have the whole set-up of these guys after all these years, and the Dark Trooper is certainly nifty, especially after their TV appearance!