Scout Trooper (Carbonized) - TBS [P4] - Six Inch Figures (Exclusive)

Scout Troopers were trained for more independence and adaptability than most Imperial troops. The Empire used Scout Troopers for a range of missions, including reconnaissance and infiltration.

Here we go again. If things couldn’t look any grimmer for The Black Series 6-inch line, Hasbro is now pumping out pitiful repaints left and right to help balance out their bleeding bottom line with a format that no longer offers the profit margin it once did. As fewer and fewer all-new 6-inch figures get added to the line, more and more Carbonized and Credit Collection figures will take their place, and collectors are growing weary of the ongoing redundancy. The Mandalorian is front and center of Hasbro’s line of sight, and we can expect more and more products based on the Disney+ series to be announced, released, and collected into our vast and various collections. The Carbonized format is back for The Black Series [Phase IV] line look, and Hasbro chose some of the worst toolings to create these figures. It almost looks as if they acted in desperation instead of thoughtfully planning unique exclusives for the lineup. The latest addition is the awful Scout Trooper (Carbonized) which features tooling from the line’s inception, and the sculpt is obsolete, and Hasbro should never use them again. Shame on Hasbro for not even updating the figure’s most significant failures.

Initially, part of 2014’s TBS [P2] Speeder Bike With Biker Scout Deluxe set that performed poorly when first offered, the renamed Scout Trooper gets another release, this time Carbonized and released as a Target exclusive. Hasbro gave the figure updated “metallic” paint operations as a novelty in the hopes that it will be more collectible to fans of the line. While we can be suckers for brightly painted action figures, the tooling is so old and tired that it makes us a bit mad that Hasbro can’t do the slightest tooling upgrades to make these figures look as best as they can in this new era of action figure collecting. The Scout Trooper has a mostly fantastic sculpt, but it severely lacks the arms. Not only is the articulation terrible, the thin spindly arms and “small hands” make the figure look ridiculous. Not even the “Carbonized” deco hides the laughably small hands. Despite this, many aspects of the Scout Trooper look nice. The storage pockets and the straps look great. And the boots, one with a holster, might be the highlight of the figure. Hasbro manufactured the original Biker Scout in a terrible quality of plastic. This release also feels more substantial than previous figures, but it still has that “jiggly” looseness which is annoying.

We used to feel that the Scout Trooper was an excellent figure despite its faults, but it’s overstayed its welcome in the 6-inch line at this point. Sure, it can be posed in various ways, thanks to its fantastic articulation system. And the figure attains most poses seen in The Mandalorian and a ton of other “off-screen” stylistic positions. Scout Troopers are exciting staples to have multiples of in your collection, but should Hasbro have gone “Carbonized” for this release? Hasbro has so much untapped potential to produce new characters with minimal new tooling. And they must move away from repainting existing sculpts, especially the old ones. And then we must contend with the price. Hasbro wants you to pay $25 for a figure approaching a decade in age now. And without any enhancements or new parts, why do they feel collectors will happily pay that much money for newly painted crappy tooling? The Hasbro Star Wars brand has some incredible moments, but the Carbonized line isn’t one of them. We hope Hasbro can focus on new tooling, and if that means fewer figures per year, then so be it. The Vintage Collection collectors had to endure a lot of garbage before proving we’d support the line. Maybe it’s time for the 6-inch line to get rejuvenated too.