Star Wars The Black Series Dark Trooper review
The Mandalorian’s second season will always hold a special place in my heart as it restored the tarnished luster of one of my all-time favorite characters. But it wouldn’t have been nearly as amazing if Luke didn’t get to showcase his fully formed Jedi skills against the most formidable opponent. Cue the Dark Troopers.
This droid garrison of Imperial enforcers were capable of overwhelming most standard forces except a Jedi. The price tag of the Dark Troopers meant getting 10 was really dicey, but a great Target sale meant I could certainly do some light army building. And sometimes that’s all you need. I’m kidding. I really NEED 20 for Luke to slice, dice, dismember and shatter. Until then five will have to suffice.
But let’s see if the latest deluxe figure in the Black Series line is worth filling out a shelf on the display…
Packaging: The deluxe figures aren’t much different than the normal figures. As with the other Mandalorian figures, burnt orange is the accent color contrasting against the predominantly black packaging.
The window is a little wider and more space is taken up, but it’s consistent with the others, which is appreciated.
This carries over to the side mural image as well.
The bio is small but continues to effectively tell the characters’ stories in a sentence or two.
Likeness: Dark Troopers don’t sport the most complex designs.
They’re made to look intimidating, and their numbers enhance that unstoppable army visual. The figure captures that very well with the football style shoulder pads, broader helmet with narrower eye displays and the protruding chest armor.
Hasbro incorporated the pistons and gears setup very well. This feels like such a typical Empire design where it has an obvious weak spot in the smaller less protected torso section.
I really like the occasional silver joint elements around the knees, biceps, elbows and wrists. It’s interesting how some Star Wars designs are more easily interpreted through the figures as darkened/low light scenes disguise some of the detail.
Scale: Dark Troopers should be taller than the average character especially Din Djarin and Moff Gideon.
Paint: The Dark Troopers sport a sleek, reflective armor. These capture light well giving them this haunting look like nothing can damage them let alone mess up their nice paint job.
The red of the eyes really stands out actually appearing as if they’re illuminated.
Articulation: Dark Troopers are all about power and little precision, so their movements are very clunky and methodical. That’s not a big ask to pull off with the usual Black Series articulation.
Their articulation is surprisingly good with great range in the neck to allow for stellar flying poses and hitting deep stances.
These could have been blocky, stiff characters, but Hasbro made them very fun to pose.
Dark Trooper has:
- neck
- ball-jointed shoulders
- elbow (with swivel)
- wrist
- wrist hinge
- torso
- hips
- thighs
- knees
- ankles
Accessories: The Dark Trooper comes with its blaster.
As always, it’s got some fantastic detailing. I like the choice to cast this in a charcoal black instead of the same high glossy black of the armor.
Additionally, the Dark Trooper has a pair of rocket exhausts for flying. These are easy to plug in and stay securely in place.
Finally, the Dark Trooper has swappable fists to pummel blast doors and Mandalorian helmets.
The small fists are a bit of a pain to switch on thanks to the tiny peg and the wrist joint is hard to keep in place while trying to plug the fist in as well.
Worth It? The Dark Trooper started out at $31.99, but Target started putting them on clearance, which meant I was able to stock up on them at $15.79. That’s a heck of a price for any Black Series figure and when they’re at this quality it’s an outstanding deal.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
The Dark Troopers are terrific figures and I can’t overstate their relevance to one of the greatest moments in Star Wars history. I got five and still would happily take five…or 10 more.
Where to Get It? These were plentiful at retail for a long time — chalk that up to the deluxe price. Now you’ll need to go the Amazon route, which also has them in stock. Entertainment Earth has them in stock as well.
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