While not directly labelled as such, the 4th wave of the Star Wars Black Series Archive releases was heavily influenced by The Mandalorian and included four army building troopers that were seen in Season 2 of the Disney+ show.
The Shoretrooper (Scariff Trooper) was originally released in 2016 for Rogue One, but as is often the way of Hasbro this troop builder was an exclusive release to Walmart in the US and the Squad Leader was given the general release.
The Archive releases use a blister card design with gold trim on the 4th wave as it also ties in with the 50th Anniversary of Lucasfilm as seen in the logo at the top left of the card back. Around the back of the card, we have a short text intro to the Shore Trooper which is specifically for their Rogue One appearance and not for The Mandalorian. This then runs into the 50th Anniversary Lucasfilm golden timeline we have seen on all of these releases.
"Specialist stormtroopers stationed at the top secret Imperial military headquarters on Scarif, shoretroopers patrol the beaches and bunkers of the planetary facility"
The Shoretrooper itself is identical to the 2016 release, as is the remit of the Archive series, with minor paint variances as you'd expect from two factory runs some 4-5 years apart. The design of the Scarif Troopers was well executed back in 2016 and the figure is a mix of a black undersuit and trousers, over which bone-white armour is placed.
The amour is weathered with a darker brown wash and there is an application of red with yellow dots on the right arm and white on the left shoulder pauldron.
The helmet includes the same weathering as well as black paint to the visor and the front vent. A red decal is applied on the upper section to the right-hand side.
The Shoretrooper has a single accessory, a variation of the E-11 blaster which is cast in grey with metallic silver added to certain elements to give a more realistic and battle-worn metal look. The blaster fits in the right hand where a trigger finger slots in place, the articulation allows for the left hand to cradle the blaster nozzle.
Despite a belt full of pouches and other storage, there is no holster for the blaster.
There are a total of 16 points of articulation, a pretty standard configuration for the Black Series of that era. Its age benefits us in the use of double-joined knees. The arm configuration is really well worked too with shoulder pauldrons that withdraw into the body as the arms are raised, and single-joint elbows that bend sufficiently for weapon posing including more dynamic firing poses.
In fact, out of all the troopers released to date, this may be my favourite in terms of posing options and the ability to stand and stay standing in any pose you put the shoretrooper into.
This is a timely release for the Shoretrooper as an Archive release. It allows those focusing on The Mandalorian to expand their Imperial Remnant, while fans of Rogue One have a better and cheaper option for troop building vs what was a sought after (and expensive) exclusive. It also ties in with future project Andor with Shoretroopers making an appearance in that Disney+ series if set photos are accurate.
As an Archive release, there was never going to be any substantial improvements on the original, but this is perhaps a figure that doesn't need them.
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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...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, star wars. black series, hasbro, rogue one, scariff, shoretrooper, stormtrooper. imperial, the mandalorian, cassian andor, archive, lucasfilm, 50th anniversary
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