The Purge Stormtrooper is the 3rd figure to be released from the Jedi Fallen Order video game. He follows the general releases of Cal Kestis and the Second Sister who were released on Triple Force Friday. The Purge Trooper is an exclusive, so is not numbered. In the US he is exclusive to Gamestop and is the figure that fans who pre-ordered the game will get in their bundle. In the UK he is a shared fan channel exclusive.
Packaging 5/5
The Purge Stormtrooper comes in the Phase 3 packaging so has a black base box with red side spine. As it is a videogame release the video game logo is added o the front of the box at the bottom right. And as an exclusive, and following suit with previous Battlefront figures a splash of red colour is inserted into the Gregory Titus artwork of the Purge Trooper.
This artwork is blown up and is mean and menacing on the reverse along with a short, non spoilery, piece of background text. There is a big glaring issue with this reverse text, instead of being repeated in 3 other languages - the box simply repeats the same text over and over again in English.
"Handpicked from the Stormtrooper Legions for their aptitude and loyalty, purge troopers accompany Inquisitors on especially dangerous missions. These troopers receive additional training to make them a cohesive unit, formidable against any Jedi threat."
Paint & Sculpt 4/5
The Purge Trooper brings us a brand new trooper helmet in the shape of the Clone Wars Airborne Trooper. The design on this is excellent and it looks so menacing in black. The piece is cast in gloss black plastic and it is so reflective. The visors is coloured a deep red and there are red trim and silver panels around the breather. Brilliant!
The body is a re-use of the original Clone Trooper body, all now cast in black plastic. The Pauldron is from the Sand Trooper, but the skirt is new and is not the same as the one used on Captain Rex. The soft goods do allow a lot of posing options, but out of the box there are already some fraying areas around the edge.
The body carries a number of decals to create contrast to the black. This includes a red Imperial logo on each shoulder as well as white chevrons on each forearm, and one on the thighs. The belt has been tweaked from the original Clone Troopers and now has a silver buckle hanging down and two red strips running off around either side. Not sure on their purpose?
The red trim on the figures decals and Pauldron appear to be a rank of some kind, images from Fallen Order also show different Purge Trooper colour variations.
Accessories 4/5
Our Purge Trooper gets the same weapons as a Clone Trooper, a DC-15S blaster and a DC-15A blaster rifle. Both are the same cast piece as the original Clone Trooper releases and are cast in a grey plastic. The smaller DC-15S has not paint apps, the larger Blaster Rifle has some silver paint added to the underside sights.
Both weapons fit comfortably in the figures hands, and with the double jointed elbows two handed poses are possible. There is no holster for the smaller weapon, and this seems a miss as the Troopers in the game look to have these on their right hip.
I am also a bit disappointed that the Force Pike we see in the early trailer is not included.
Articulation 4/5
By using the Clone Trooper body, our Purge Stormtrooper arrives with the same 18 points of articulation, two more than a normal release thanks to those double jointed elbows and the supporting bicep swivel.
Head : ball joint pivot neck
Body : torso ball joint
Arms : ball joint shoulder, bicep swivel, double joint elbows, wrist pivot
Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rockers
The top half is pretty poseable with two handed weapon poses - both slung and firing - available. The torso joint works well to add some movement to the main trunk and can lean the Trooper forward and backwards. The restriction remains in the shoulders which cannot raise as the large shoulder armour piece clashes with the chest armour. They have also neglected to update the Purge Trooper with the new Clone elbow joints as used on Captain Rex. While the elbows still bend to 90 degrees, the updated version utilise the double elbow joint for a much wider fold inwards.
The legs are a bit held in check by the thigh armour - an issue with all Clone Troopers to date - but there is still enough there to get some wider stances and action shots. One thing definitely improved is the ankle rockers which are stiff and secure - earlier Clone bodies did suffer from falling over thanks to weaker ankles.
Summary
The Purge Stormtrooper is an exceptional figure. It represents a transition era between Clones and the Original Trilogy Stormtroopers and therefore the re-use parts are acceptable. The paint, where it is applied, is very well done and I love the decals and chevrons.
The weapons work, but it is a bit disappointing a Force Pike isn't included. The figure gets all the benefits of the original Clone Trooper body with the double jointed elbows, but also the restrictive shoulders and hips thanks to the shaping of the armour.
The one issue I do have with the figure is it being chosen as an exclusive. It sold out within days here in the UK and I for one would like one or two more for my display. I do hope that variants of the Trooper are released, either generally or as further exclusives. I also hope (and would assume) that the availability now of an Airborne Trooper helmet means that the original Clone Wars Troopers can be released.
I score the Star Wars Black Series Exclusive Purge Stormtrooper from Jedi, Fallen Order, a solid 4 out of 5.
