The Gaming Greats series of Star Wars Black Series figures is an exclusive line that brings us figures based on the various video game releases from the Star Wars Universe. They are predominantly repainted or tweaked figures, like this new Jet Trooper who is based on the troop type from EA's Battlefront II. The Jet Trooper was released in early 2022 as a Gaming Greats Exclusive, sold by Gamestop in the US and via more general Fan Channel routes elsewhere.
He is packed in the standard Galaxy Collection packaging complete with slanted side artwork that connects to the packaging on either side to create a wider montage as you can see at our Galaxy Collection gallery page. The Gaming Greats do include a metallic foil sticker on the window and the same logo used on the side spine. The Jet Trooper is number 06 in the series, following on from the Nightbrother and preceding the RC-1138 Clone Commando. The artwork on the spine and repeated on the back shows the Jet Trooper against a backdrop of Kamino, with the wording on the back that focuses more on the game mechanics and how these Jet Troopers are called in as reinforcements.
"Star Wars: Battlefront II lets players call in reinforcements from the most skilled soldiers and units in the galaxy, including the aerial specialist Jet troopers."
The Jet Trooper uses the original Clone Trooper (2014) body as a base. While the newer body is seen as crisper and cleaner, there was a decision made to not use this - although they have replaced the original Phase 2 helmet/head with the newer sculpted helmet that is glued onto an unpainted Clone Trooper head beneath.
The body as a whole is cast in white gloss plastic with the infill areas either painted in black or where needed cast in black with any white elements painted. This is one disadvantage of the older body and leads to some rough paintwork around the joints where paint has overlapped. Paintwork is applied in the 501st blue, or a slightly lighter shade of it compared to other 501st releases. There are also red markings on the helmet as seen in the game. These paint applications are neat and applied with precision and the figure does not have the rougher painted edges we see on other Clones who have been painted as though they have decorated their armour themselves.
The older body does give the Clone good proportions overall, the newer body does look a little 'animated' in its styling.
The Jet Pack in the game is modelled on a Mandalorian Jet Pack, so it is no surprise that the Jet Pack packed with our Jet Trooper originates with the Jango Fett figure. A hexagonal hole has been added to the rear of the Clone Body into which the circular peg for the Jet Pack sits with two upper tabs holding it straight and secure. Despite the peg and hole being different shapes, the fit is surprisingly tight and secure.
The Jet Pack, like the armour, is cast in white with added blue and grey painted details. These are also a little rough around some of the edges and the blue parts are certainly much duller than the colour used on the armour. For those hoping for a socket in each of the Jet outlets so aftermarket flame effects could be added - I am afraid the jet's thrusters are a solid filled piece.
Again, directly referencing the game, our Jet Trooper is armed with a single DC-17 blaster pistol. This piece has been in circulation for some time - since Captain Rex - and has been used on multiple Clone releases since. It is cast in black with limited detail and no paint apps.
The Jet Trooper retains the right hand of the original Clone Trooper with trigger finger so holds the weapon in the right hand really well. There are no holstering options on the figure.
As this is the older Clone Trooper body we have an 18 point of articulation count and the Trooper comes with double-jointed elbows and knees. This does have some advantages over the newer body in terms of posing, but the joints are pinned so there are visible pins on show at the major joints which is not ideal in overall aesthetics. He also misses out on the butterfly shoulders, but unless you equip him with a larger blaster he doesn't really need them.
The joints all work as they should, with a neat piece of engineering with the shoulder armour that withdraws into the chest armour when the arms are raised. There is also no sign of loose ankle rockers - an issue the older bodies did suffer with. As a Jet Trooper, you would want some flying pose options, which will require an aftermarket stand and sadly the feet don't pivot down as we might see when a Trooper is flying so he will look quite flat-footed in any flight pose.
While he is not canon as such, the Clone Jet Trooper is close enough to what we see in Revenge of the Sith and The Clone Wars to hold the interest of more specific collectors of that era. I am not sure why the decision to revert to the older body was made, but it certainly doesn't do the figure a lot of harm and the adjustments for the newer head and the repurposed Jet Pack are integrated well. There is not much to criticise here, other than the exclusivity which will work against collectors - particularly in the US where Gamestop are being relied on to deliver the item. We can also expect further variants using this base as there was a Phase 1 Clone Jet Trooper in the game with black armour markings, and the original game contents included a Phase 2 Je Trooper with Red Armour which looked great - but was never realised into the game.
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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...
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