Royal Guard (Coruscant Security) - SW [S - P1] - Basic (’02 #19)

Did you know that there is a difference between a Red Guard and a Royal Guard? There is, and you gauge the difference by the period you’re referencing. The Red Guard transitioned into the Royal Guard after the Galactic Empire’s formation, under Emperor Palpatine’s tyranny. It’s technically incorrect to refer to them as Royal Guards in Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. As such, the name on the Hasbro Royal Guard (Coruscant Security) figure is erroneous. You can’t be too upset with Hasbro for this oversight. After all, Star Wars fans have referred to them as Emperor’s Royal Guards for decades now and without any explained back story, what else would they think? Anyway, Royal Guard (Coruscant Security) is the first modern Red Guard figure in the Hasbro line. While no differences exist in the costuming between the guards seen in Episode VI or Episode II, Hasbro didn’t have much wiggle room in attempting to tie them to Prequel Trilogy. Royal Guard (Coruscant Security) still comes with the infamous force pike, but it also comes with an electro effect (that isn’t visible in the film), so how else can you tell these characters apart from each other? The most straightforward answer is that you cannot.

Royal Guard (Coruscant Security) has an excellent sculpt, but it has minimal articulation. Because the robes are molded and not fabricated from soft-goods materials, any meaningful articulation renders itself useless. The inability to articulate the figure when there are constraints is futile. We feel the lack of articulation is a plus here. You won’t be frustrated trying to pose the action figure because there isn’t much articulation to make that happen. However, you will have a decent-looking Royal Guard action figure that fits seamlessly with any of your modern figures from Return Of The Jedi. Aside from using a red that is too bright for our tastes, we are fond of this action figure. We feel a deeper crimson red would have worked better for the Royal Guards. Despite a lack of articulation, Hasbro didn’t cut the sculpt short. They developed a well-detailed body underneath the plastic robes. It’s a bit difficult to futz with them and see the “art” underneath, but make it a point to spend a few moments, and you’ll discover that Hasbro did an excellent job. A well-designed body rests below the nicely flowing robes. With an ever-so-slightly off-balanced center of gravity, Royal Guard (Coruscant Security) may topple over if not precariously positioned. But with a little bit of patience, you can achieve satisfying poses despite the figure's limitations.

Released in time for April 2002 street date, Royal Guard (Coruscant Security) was one of the first action figures to be army built at a brisk rate. Sure, many collectors were after the clones, but Original Trilogy fans were quite excited to get a proportionate a great looking Royal Guard to round out their OT collections. With eight articulation points, Royal Guard (Coruscant Security) has inhibited helmet movement, but the other joints move reasonably well despite the constricting robes. The feature we’re most thrilled about is the sculpt of the right hand. Hasbro developed it in a way that allows for a screen-accurate look when holding the force pike up against the body in a “guarding” position. It looks fantastic, and it’s the main pose for this character. What else could you wish for here when it comes to a Royal Guard? Hasbro made one of the character’s most notorious features a reality here. Is the Royal Guard (Coruscant Security) action figure perfect? It isn’t at all. But it looks good, and it’s worlds away from the 1997 POTF2 [R/G] Emperor’s Royal Guard figure, which is now a relic by today’s standards. We’re getting closer to a super-articulated Royal Guard action figure. Many want to see the return of soft-goods too. (Editor’s Note: 2005’s ROTS Royal Guard (III 23) and 2012’s TVC Emperor’s Royal Guard (VC105) both brought this back.) This one will have to suffice for now.