Force Link Starter Set/First Order Stormtrooper Executioner/Elite Praetorian Guard (With Whip-Staff) - SW [TLJ] - Miscellaneous (Exclusive)

We understand clearly the need for store exclusives. Despite this, it would be our preference if they just went the way of the dinosaurs at this point. Hasbro’s Star Wars exclusive program just isn’t like it used to be, and trying to lock down and keep organized what retail chain has what exclusives is burdensome at best. But even if we could let that go, some of the exclusive concepts just don’t make any sense either. Why is Hasbro releasing an exclusive version of the Force Link Starter Set? This just isn’t right. It’s an item that should remain a mainstream release because you need it to make the figures interact and talk. So why would Hasbro expect everyone who bought the mainstream version, the Force Link Starter Set/Kylo Ren two-pack, to repurchase the Force Link wristband just to get the two repainted/retooled 5POA figures included with the Toys R Us exclusive version? It’s disappointing, and it’s borderline maddening to see this transpire. That being said, the Force Link Starter Set/First Order Stormtrooper Executioner/Elite Praetorian Guard (With Whip-Staff) trio is done well. And if you haven’t bought the Force Link technology yet, then this is the set to get. Just ignore the mainstream release because this combination of products is much more interesting and better done. The price is a problem, however. Toys R Us wants $35 for this set. It's absurd.

You know about the Force Link wristband and how it works, so let’s focus on the newness here instead. Included are a First Order Stormtrooper Executioner and the Elite Praetorian Guard (With Whip-Staff). The First Order Stormtrooper Executioner is a repaint of 2017’s SW [TLJ] First Order Stormtrooper Force Link figure. This time the figure has received additional paint operations to give the figure its required color flashes. The paint operations are impressively clean and neat, and Hasbro did a great job on transferring them onto this figure without any issues we can see. The figure comes with three accessories: the electro torture staff, the F-11D blaster rifle, and the SE-44C blaster. Both blasters can attach to the slot on the figure’s right thigh armor. We love this interactivity, and it attaches very tightly to the figure. In other words, the blasters aren’t going anywhere. They’ll stay in place as needed which is wonderful. The electro torture staff is great too. It doesn’t looks that much differently than the one included with The Black Series [Phase III] First Order Stormtrooper Executioner 6” figure or The Black Series [Phase III] First Order Stormtrooper Executioner 3.75” figure. The figure can hold all of the accessories very, very well and Hasbro ensured that they tooled his hands in the appropriate positions to accompany these great accessories. We’re simply impressed.

The Elite Praetorian Guard is nice, but the weaker of the two figures. It’s not that he looks terrible, but he has a lean that the other 5POA Elite Praetorian Guards don’t seem to have. Perhaps Hasbro has utilized this tooling so much that the molds are getting worn. Or maybe the packaging is bowing the figure a bit. Whatever the reason, the figure does indeed have a lean, and it looks aesthetically displeasing. This figure is the 5POA 3.75” version of the Amazon exclusive TBS6 [P3] Elite Praetorian Guard (With Heavy Blade) that was released about the same time as this Toys R Us exclusive multipack. Admittedly, the Elite Praetorian Guard just doesn’t feel right in the 5POA format. It needs a whole bunch more movement to be a viable action figure. So does the 5POA First Order Stormtrooper Executioner for that matter, but the Elite Praetorian Guard looks a tad wonky in this format and scale. The former figure can almost get away with it. The First Order Stormtrooper Executioner says five lines of dialogue with the help of the Force Link wristband. Again, no one will know if these lines are part of the film or not, but they sound great. You also get a nice array of sound effects like blasters blasting and electro torture staffs electrocuting. We haven’t been able to find any speaking lines with the Elite Praetorian Guard. He just makes sound effects. Maybe this is part of many secrets in The Last Jedi. We’ll just have to wait and see.