Shadow Trooper - S.H. Figuarts

S.H. Figuarts is a new standard figure series that incorporates the Bandai action figure "Art" under the theme "Pursuing Character Expression through Humanoid Action."

Has anyone been to Wookieepedia in a while? Goodness gracious how the Expanded Universe is being stripped away to nothing! It’s hysterical how Disney can think they can bury the former Expanded Universe and act like it doesn’t exist. When Jedi Temple Archives reported that the established EU was going away years ago (at Toy Fair 2014 and then a confirming article April of the same year), very few believed the outrageousness of the original rumor. It all came to pass, and the original Expanded Universe was swept under the carpet with the rest of the dirt and Disney acted like they would see no evil, speak no evil and hear no evil about the beloved EU. Of course, they didn’t really “throw it out,” but they indeed deemed it as “Legends” which means that it doesn’t exist anymore. They even produced a laughable video with everyone reminiscing about their favorite cherished stories while the realization was none of it mattered anymore. Take a look at the Shadow Trooper. It was one of the first Expanded Universe characters that appeared in a comic entitled Gambler’s World in the seventies. But if you check out its entry in Wookieepedia, you’ll discover that they’ve listed its first appearance as Star Wars: Battlefront. Um, no. Something this ludicrous makes us want to react to Disney as Annie Wilkes did to writer Paul Sheldon demanding that the history of Misery Chastain not be cheapened by the need to continue the story with anachronistic issues or an unbelievable sequence of events just to “bring her back.”

Yet, that’s what Disney has decided for the Star Wars universe (and the Shadow Trooper in particular). No matter how Disney destroys the established and Lucasfilm approved Star Wars stories outside of the films, fans like you and me aren’t going to let that happen, and we’re developing our own Star Wars timeline is rebellion. We say all this to say that regardless of how the history is being stripped away, we’re very glad the various licensees are still making some of the earliest characters…. even if their stories are all “lies” now. S.H. Figuarts has been making some wonderful 6” scaled action figures with unprecedented articulation, and one figure that was a priority was the Storm Trooper. With all licensees, the ability to use the same sculpt to make a different character is a key cost-saving measure. So they made sure that both the Storm Trooper and the Shadow Trooper were made within a short time from each other. In all honesty, the sculpt looks significantly better as a Shadow Trooper than a Storm Trooper. It must be how the human eye interprets the contours and shapes and overall aesthetics. The Shadow Trooper is essentially a negative of the Storm Trooper, with just a few coloring changes (like silver lenses on the helmet, etc.). With a wealth of articulation, the Shadow Trooper is a prime example of what makes articulation junkies so incredibly happy. The Shadow Trooper can be placed in nearly any position you desire, with just a little bit of inhibitions in the lower body (like the hips) because of the design of the armor.

Unlike the shiny armor of the Storm Trooper, the Shadow Trooper has a more flat paint job and it looks incredible. Interestingly, it is still part shiny. S.H. Figuarts has paid attention to all of the important details to the Shadow Trooper and has masterfully applied it to this figure. We couldn’t be more pleased with the final results. The Shadow Trooper also comes with a modest amount of accessories (and the same ones as the Storm Trooper. Included are two interchangeable left and right hands (in addition to the pair that already comes with the figure). You get uniform left and right blaster gripping hands, blaster holding hands, and two-fisted hands. (We don’t understand the need for including fisted hands on all of these S.H. Figuarts action figures. In our opinion, they’re kind of useless.) Also included is the signature Imperial issue E-11 blaster rifle. It is a simple accessory but looks great with the Shadow Trooper figure. In our opinion, the S.H. Figuarts Shadow Trooper figure is a fun variation on the classic Storm Trooper and takes the lead in this scale. Until someone can make better, we think this one will remain a far cry from the rest. Some will still take issue with how these hyper-articulated figures are approached. But we think S.H. Figuarts have approached these figures with grace and have made some truly wonderful high-end collectibles. Many will not take the plunge, but for those that do, they quickly see what they’ve been missing.