Death 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."

The whole idea about a Star Wars story taking place in between of Episode III and Episode IV immediately piqued the interest of Star Wars fans everywhere. Then when the synopsis became public that it would focus on how the Rebels intercepted the Death Star plans, interest exploded to a fever pitch. As we all know well now, there were many internal problems with the making Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Constant rewrites and reshoots plagued the film’s development. And even rumors abound today that the final version we saw in theaters varied greatly from what got chopped in the editing room. Overall, the film went over well by fans. But it was the initial marketing of the film birthed the interest of Star Wars fans. Early on, right from the start, Disney allowed the new troopers in the film to be revealed. Fans were instantly infatuated with Shoretroopers and Death Troopers and the others that were revealed in the various toy and collectible lines. But the Death Troopers stood out a little bit more than the others because of their beautiful sleek and shiny black armor, thin frame and slightly elongated height. All major licensees made them, and all had turned out very well.

S.H.Figuarts has also made a beautiful 6” scaled version of the Death Trooper. Just like all of their other hyper-articulated action figures, the Death Trooper is loaded with incredible articulation which allows the figure to be posed in any position you wish. The materials used to cast the figure are remarkable. The shiny armored parts are glistening, while the duller body glove portions underneath are dull. You couldn’t ask for a better approach to this character. We’re particularly impressed with the blaster pistol and its components that were included here. We’ll explain. Death Troopers are armed with a blaster rifle and a blaster pistol. But the blaster pistol hangs from the right hip via a strap. To make this look authentic, S.H. Figuarts designed a separate strap piece (by itself). Then they designed a strap that has the blaster pistol’s scope wrapped inside of it. The unencumbered scope is removable from the blaster pistol, and then you can replace it with the tethered scope so that the blaster pistol can hang appropriately from his hip. It’s a brilliant convention, and we’re extremely appreciative of the extra care and time that went into making this gag/gimmick work so incredibly well.

The blaster rifle is a simpler accessory, but beautiful as well. S.H. Figuarts including enough interchangeable hand attachment for the Death Trooper to hold it in both hands in both directions. This is something we’ll probably never see in Hasbro’s The Black Series 6” line. What’s so impressive about the S.H. Figuarts figures is that they can hold their weapons while achieving incredible poses. They have incredible balance and look fantastic holding the poses too. All movement is natural and gradual. A joint may have a couple of points of articulation each, but the movement is so fluid and smooth. These small figures truly move like the human body. The finishing touches on the Death Trooper are beautifully done too. They’ve added green paint on the helmet. The green color is more subtle in the visor, but the breathers are colored more brightly. If there is a setback here, it’s that you cannot army build these figures easily. S.H. Figuarts figures are expensive. When you have a character like the Death Trooper, it feels like you need a half dozen of them. But a half dozen will run you close to $300. Sadly, the price does little to quell the temptation. The Death Trooper is beautiful. You should consider one for your own collection.