Emperor’s Royal Guard - TBS [ROTJ40] - Six Inch Figures

Why do 6-inch collectors get the original character photo of their 40th Anniversary Emperor’s Royal Guard figure, but The Vintage Collection collectors get a revised character photo, and twice, no less? The Return Of The Jedi 40th Anniversary line is full of repacks, and Emperor’s Royal Guard is no different. It’s an excellent figure worthy of re-release, even if the figure doesn’t have the latest articulation upgrades. At least they didn’t call this character an Imperial Royal Guard this time. Do you remember that ridiculousness? The Emperor’s Royal Guard 6-inch figure remained one of Hasbro’s finest achievements, and it still can be categorized as one of the hottest 6-inch figures Hasbro has ever produced. Suppose The Vintage Collection’s Emperor’s Royal Guard (VC105) and the reissued TBS [P3] Emperor’s Royal Guard Walmart exclusive figures are any indications. In that case, people will be army-building this figure for a long time. And now we get this figure in vintage Kenner-inspired packaging with the ORIGINAL character photo, so there is much to appreciate here.

Hasbro has approached the Emperor’s Royal Guard figure similarly to how they have approached so many previous Royal Guard figures. Still, this release comes at an elevated level. The soft-goods robes are gorgeous. Look at the drape of them. Then, the color, texture, and fabric all work together beautifully to create a natural look for this action figure. The armor suit was seen throughout the old Expanded Universe comics like Crimson Empire. The detail is unprecedented, and we’re thoroughly impressed with the work Hasbro has done here. Something is striking about a figure that is all red. Aside from the black visor, there isn’t much other color besides red here. Hasbro tailored the robes in a streamlined way, but they work and have a lovely drape. The soft goods cling closely to the figure’s body. They don’t stick out. We are thankful that Hasbro doesn’t attempt many removable helmets in The Black Series 6-inch line. It helps the aesthetics of these characters so much.

Emperor’s Royal Guard still lacks enough accessories, in our opinion. But this approach is commonplace, with most figures in the 6-inch range. We would have loved to see the same accessories that came with the 3.75-inch figure also get made for the 6-inch version. Again, these figures are $24.99 each (with an expected aftermarket overcharge for this character) and should come with various accessories (i.e., more than one or two) to outfit the figure. We should be able to make a Crimson Guard and an Emperor’s Royal Guard because Hasbro provided enough accessories to make this possible. The first included accessory is the standard force pike. It feels like Hasbro has been making these accessories too short. They also seem a tad too stubby for some reason. The other accessory here is a Biker Scout’s blaster pistol. You can house it in the holster on the leg when not in use. And that’s all we get here. But if you’re buying this figure, you’re purchasing it for its packaging to celebrate 40 years of Return Of The Jedi. The figure looks remarkable in the packaging, and you might want to keep it there.