Imperial Death Trooper - TBS [P3] - Six Inch Figures (25)

The elite soldiers of Imperial Intelligence, Death Troopers are encased in specialized stormtrooper armor with a dark, ominous gleam. These soldiers serve as bodyguards and enforcers for Director Krennic, a highly placed officer within the Advanced Weapons Research division of the Empire.

There is a new Imperial in town; and he’s called the Imperial Death Trooper. So very different from a Shadow Trooper, the Imperial Death Trooper has a very unique look and design and who comes encased in shiny black armor to conquer the strengthening band of Rebels looking to overtake the Galactic Empire. Early information tells us that they serve as bodyguards to Director Krennic who is a key player in the development of the first Death Star, but there are already stills on the web which show them marking through the shorelines of Scarif. Clearly they’re playing an important part in the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story film. Hasbro decided that these troopers should be part of the inaugural wave of The Black Series [Phase III] 6” figures launched on September 30, 2016. The Imperial Death Trooper is unequivocally a great choice to be part of the first wave (technically the seventh wave overall) and for all intents and purposes, the figure turned out remarkably well. Shiny were it needs to be shiny (pretty much EVERYWHERE) and articulated just about as perfectly as we could have imagined, the Imperial Death Trooper should be a hit for fans of the 6” line. The figure looks just like the onscreen character. Add a ton of articulation to a great looking figure and there isn’t much more that could make you happy.

The Imperial Death Trooper for us is sort of the symbol of the new Rogue One film. There is always ONE trooper that becomes the icon for each and every Star Wars film, and this ebony colored trooper is it. The sculpt is absolutely beautiful. From what we can tell every last detail of the onscreen costume has been painstakingly crafted on this 6” toy. From the crisp lines on the helmet to rounded edges of the armor, the Imperial Death Trooper is a standout member of the Galactic Empire and we can’t wait to see what damage they’ll do in the Star Wars universe. The Black Series 6” collectors may be disappointed that that the elbows are only ball-jointed instead of double hinge-jointed, but for us we prefer the former. Double hinge-jointed elbows aesthetically aren’t pleasing to our eyes, but we understand and empathize with collectors who feel that type of articulation offers a wider range of movement, especially for holding weapons. In our opinion, the Imperial Death Trooper looks good holding a weapon regardless of the fact that double hinge-jointed elbows provide more range of motion. Needless to say, we’re happy Hasbro went in the direction they did for this character.

Just like all Imperials, there are varying ranks of each type of trooper. Stills from the trailers already reveal an officer type for the Imperial Death Trooper. While it would behoove Hasbro to include the extra accessories that make certain trooper officers, we understand how it’s an easy cash grab for them to hold off and release one or the other as a store exclusive. Stuff like this should drive more collectors bonkers, but many seem content with this really irritating trend of The Black Series 6” line. Instead, all we get here are two weapons and that’s it. Thankfully, the included weapons interact with the figure very nicely. Those we feel figures like this should come with a healthy dose of accessories, at least they allow the one that do come with the figure to interact flawlessly with them. The Imperial Death Trooper is certainly a character to army build and we hope we can accrue a nice amount when all is said and done. From the fabulous articulation to the stunning paint job, the Imperial Death Trooper has the right stuff where it counts. It is great that the Imperial Death Trooper is a such a prominent figure in Rogue One. We’ll be getting almost every scale of him in the line at some point. At least we have that to look forward to with this character.