“But how will we know if they're a Jedi?”
Jedi: Survivor has been the source for a handful of Star Wars Black Series releases to date, namely a new Cal Kestis as well as enemy fodder like the Riot Scout Trooper, KX-Droid, and a repurposed B1 Battle Droid of the Bedlam Raiders. In November 2024, we have a new box set that significantly reinforces the ranks of the Raiders with three new droids for their forces. This new Jedi: Survivor 3-Pack is released under the Gaming Greats banner and is exclusive to Amazon globally.
Like the ‘Duel of the Fates’ set, this box doesn’t confirm the set has a name only that it is based on Jedi: Survivor and the name of the three droids it contains - a B1 Battle Droid, Super Battle Droid, and Magna Guard. The box is in the newer square format and is not numbered as part of the Gaming Greats series, but does carry the hexagon foil sticker on the front window. Its side art features a combination of all three droids and uses the same colour accent as the rest of the Gaming line, although this one is a bit darker when you put it next to one of the older slanted releases.
The rear of the box has larger images of each of the droids, but rather than give each of them a short bio the text on the back is a single background paragraph that explains that Cal Kestis will face off against reprogrammed Droids and the three types included in this set. There is still no mention of the Bedlam Raiders. Like all of the squared-off packaged Galaxy Collection releases introduced in 2024, the set comes with a coloured card backdrop for the figures and incorporates a scene featuring some planetary bodies.
The first of the set is the B1 Battle Droid. This does not differ in construction from all the other Battle Droid releases and features the same backpack - which is removable. The upper body is cast in cream like the original Trade Federation Droids but then includes ‘Raiders’ paintwork including burgundy markings on the shoulders, hands and the backpack - and a full silver paint job for the forearms. The silver also continues in the legs which are entirely a silver finish. The head extends on a twin stemmed silver neck with a beige base colour and burgundy red trim to either side over the eyes.
Articulation is 19 points in total with each joint worked into the construction of the B1 itself. Large circular rotation joints are added to the main joints like elbows and knees, with disguised swivels then added on the upper arms, below the elbows and the wrists to extend the movement. The legs are similar, with the but the rotation is within the ankle rocker and with the hips only working in one axis, the legs are fairly fixed and limited without the ability to widen the Droids stance. The neck allows the Droid to look up and down but also extends outwards and it can rotate by pulling the neck up slightly before turning. Like all Black Series B1 Droids, it can get into the folded pose reasonably well.
Our B1 has a new weapon, one of the salvaged and hybrid weapons that we see the B1 Droids use to fight in the game. This one has a central section in grey that appears to be the barrel and sights of a blaster rifle. To one end is a brown turned handle, and to the other are two large curved blades to make this a melee weapon. As the B1 hands were designed to hold their own blaster, and as they haven’t been updated for this set, the grip on the weapon isn’t fully secure, but it will hold loosely once posed in either or both hands with the articulation allowing for some attacking posing.
The second figure is the B2 Super Battle Droid. It uses the newly released sculpt and in a similar silver colouration which does look quite cheap in places with mold and pressure marks visible in the cast plastic. Over this is applied the same basic combination of paintwork to define the Bedlam Raiders with burgundy as a stripe on both upper legs and on the stomach area. The chest and head feature the most extensive paint work with cream and burgundy added as a pattern around the headpiece.
Our Super Battle Droid retains the same removable panels as the main release allowing you to remove both the head and the chest piece revealing the workings within which are very detailed in a darker gunmetal finish and include a handful of additional colours with yellow and white used on a couple of components, and red used on the large central eye that sits under the dome of the headpiece. This Super Battle Droid also gets an updated left arm from the main release. The entire lower forearm is replaced by a larger cannon in the same silver colour but with a black painted barrel.
The articulation is 18 points in total with a similar design to the B1 including large circular joints to bend the knees, hips, and elbows and swivel joints alongside. There is no movement at the head and the waist joint also lacks much movement. The main point of the B2 is to extend the arm weaponry out to shoot and this can be done using either arm, with the right featuring a twin blaster above the hand with the wrist jointed to bend down and out of the way so the weapon can be fired.
The B2 does feature a blast effect carried over from the single release. This is a two part red translucent piece that should slot over the barrel of the right hand blaster. Due to the very soft plastic on both, the fit is hard work to achieve but once locked in place it will hold straight and secure as the arm is extended out to fire.
The final figure is probably the most visually impressive, the Magna Guard also uses the existing figure but with redesigned soft goods that create the droid and individual styling where they wrap the chest and extend out as a rear cape section, and then up and over the head as a hood which can be displayed up or down. The droid itself is white on the outer parts and gunmetal silver on the joints while the arms are given the burgundy red tones of the Raiders. A brighter red is used on the Manga Guard’s eyes with silver and black then worked into the components of the head to create the features.
Our Bedlam Raider Magna Guard has 16 points of articulation and these are more traditional in places than the circular single-axis joints of the B1 and B2. The Magna Guard has a wider range of motion two than the others in the set with a good level of balance in the legs to support weaponry and attacking poses despite the original figure having some criticism for stability. The arms are also extensive thanks to butterfly shoulders hidden under the chest armour and the elbow and wrist joints but be mindful of the shoulder armour which is not permanently fixed and has a tendency to pop off if you move the arm too far.
The Magna Guard features one of the two electro-staff weapons included in the single release. This is the simpler of the two with the two translucent rounded plastic ends - and this is the accurate model to the one wielded in the game. It is grey in its colour with no other paint added, but does come with the two translucent purple electro effects from the single release.
These effects will fit this weapon, but were designed for the alternative electro-staff from the main release and therefore are not snug when fitted and quite often drop off or slip down the shaft. The Magna Guard hands feature what can best be described as two thumbs and two fingers meaning the grip is harder to access to put the weapon into place, but once it is in hand it is secure in both single or double-hand grips.
All three of the droids are good recreations of the Droids we see in the game with relatively accurate paintwork albeit missing some level of weathering or damage that the Droids on Koboh. While the figures themselves are more or less the standard releases repainted, it is nice to see some very specific updates to mirror the game - particularly the Melee B1 Droid weapon, the Super Battle Droid’s additional gun arm, and the Magna Guards soft goods. The included effect pieces are OK, but there are engineering issues in connecting both types to their appropriate weapon. It is however good to have the choice considering Hasbro could have omitted them altogether.
The set is particular to fans of the Jedi games and therefore makes a good choice as an exclusive, especially sitting outside of the main Galaxy Collection numbered releases so not to be a gap for boxed collectors. At a UK RRP of £71, the price is still less than three standard figures at their full £25 RRP but it is perhaps a bit too rich considering the repaints/tweaks and the limited appeal in the wider Star Wars Galaxy - this may be a set that will see some price reductions on Amazon in the future to the point all stocks are exhausted.
Keep Track of all the Star Wars Black Series figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive
If you are reading this via a 3rd party website that is importing our newsfeed, please come and visit us directly and give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Check out our direct news feed for more action figure news, reviews, and store reports
About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
Comments