Imperial Death Trooper/Captain Cassian Andor/Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha) - TBS [P3] - Six Inch Figures (Exclusive)

Imperial Death Trooper: 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.

Captain Cassian Andor: An accomplished Alliance Intelligence officer with combat field experience, Captain Cassian Andor commands respect from his Rebel troops with his ability to keep a cool head under fire and complete his missions with minimal resources.

Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha): A highly skilled soldier in the Rebel Alliance, Sergeant Jyn Erso is an impetuous, defiant warrior eager to bring the battle to the Empire. Jyn has little patience for debate within Alliance High Command, enough so that she takes matters into her own hands.

Well, we’re sure fans of The Black Series [Phase III] will be apologizing for this rip off. Maybe that’s a harsh way to start this review, but man, oh man this is the equivalent of buying a bridge. (And to think people actually complained about six never-before-released astromech droids with the Entertainment Earth exclusive Astromech Droid Pack.) TARGET is the retailer of choice to pick up the Imperial Death Trooper/Captain Cassian Andor/Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha) which essentially is a wasted opportunity to give collectors a three-pack of characters from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story when we already own almost 66 and two-third percent of this already. The real kicker? The set retails for $69.99. You literally have to get [almost] two of the same exact figures you purchased on Rogue Friday just to get the all-new Captain Cassian Andor figure. It’s obnoxious. It’s egregious. And a cheap trick cash grab makes us madder than George Costanza at a Rageaholics Anonymous meeting. Hasbro’s exclusive program has been hit or miss over the years, but the last couple have been pretty good. This one, however, is a huge setback. Bottom line: Hasbro – include these extra (here exclusive) accessories with the BASIC release of the figure. Make new or different outfits exclusive, and stop repacking figures in a collectors’ line. WE’VE already bought it when it was released the first time.

You know about the Imperial Death Trooper. This character has a very unique look and design, and comes encased in shiny black armor to conquer the strengthening band of Rebels looking to overtake the Galactic Empire. We received it as a basic figure in The Black Series [Phase III] line. Many of them were wearing pauldrons and harnesses in the trailers for the film. Well, Hasbro decided to make this iteration of the character exclusive to THIS three-pack. But it’s our opinion that these extra parts SHOULD HAVE BEEN included with the basic figure so that it didn’t necessitate another purchase somewhere else just because it now comes with extra parts. But that’s what we all have to do if we want this “officer” version of the Imperial Death Trooper. Even worse, we get ANOTHER Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha) figure in this set too. There are no exclusives accessories for her thank goodness. But why is it fair that we have to pay an extra $20 for a figure that most of us likely already have twice? It’s frustrating. These aren’t cheap figures. And the TBS6 figure of her is so bad it’s like getting a Disney Princess doll instead of a cool Star Wars action figure. We’re also not sure if we just experienced a bit of bad luck or not, but the left leg on our Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha) figure snapped and broke when we tried to articulate the double hinge-jointed knees. That cheap plastic is really coming to a head it seems (for us at least).

The reason to buy this set obviously is the all-new Captain Cassian Andor figure. Instead of his dark blue parka outfit, he is now given a Rebel Alliance outfit very similar to what we saw in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. In all honesty, this Captain Cassian Andor figure looks pretty nice. The paint operations on the head need work, of course, but the rest of the figure shines pretty brightly in our opinion. The figure is loaded with articulation just like every other TBS6 figure, basically a carbon copy of all others before him, and the detail of his costume is expertly tooled and stunningly finished. In a very surprising move (maybe it’s part of the plot in Rogue One) Hasbro has tooled his gun in three separate parts that connect to each other to make a long blaster rifle. The parts fit together tightly and the finished gun looks great. But when you break it down into its three parts, you can take the center section and use it as a blaster pistol for him. The transition is seamless and it’s quite the convention. What’s more, the reduced blaster pistol fits into his hand and holster flawlessly. Quite a bit of planning went into this detail and we have to give credit where credit is due. Captain Cassian Andor also comes with a removable vest shell, but the figure looks silly without it so you should leave it on the figure. As far as value, this set is a true rip off (not the Entertainment Earth exclusives that everyone is whining about lately). But you do get one good figure here. And that’s probably worth it for enough collectors.