First Order Jet Trooper (Carbonized) - TBS [P3] - Six Inch Figures (99)

Specialized Stormtroopers of the First Order, Jet Troopers soar into battle equipped with agile rocket packs.

Interestingly, the only “Carbonized” figure that doesn’t have a standard counterpart in the line at the time of its release is the First Order Jet Trooper (Carbonized) figure. The character is part of the “second’ wave of The Black Series [Phase III] 6” figures, and they won’t be released until around the release of Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker in theaters, (but that could mean slightly before or slightly after that date the way distribution works nowadays). When you look at the first wave of Triple Force Friday 6” figures, it appears that Hasbro could have chosen the First Order Stormtrooper as an option (since the “Carbonized” line focuses on helmeted characters), but it’s evident that Hasbro wanted to focus on as much newness as possible when it came to these specialized figures. We’re thrilled to report that the First Order Jet Trooper (Carbonized) figure, in our opinion, is the nicest “First Order” trooper The Black Series [Phase III] 6” line has seen to date. We’re a little critical of the character’s helmet (it looks unfinished and uninteresting), but the design of the armor is enhanced with crisper details, better-functioning armored parts, and new features we haven’t seen before on the member of the First Order until now. What’s more, everything new has been seamlessly applied to the 6” figure, and it has some of the smoothest articulation we’ve ever seen in a figure in this line. The First Order Jet Trooper (Carbonized) has a lot more newness than you might think. If you like trivia, First Order Jet Trooper (Carbonized) is the last two-digit numbered character in The Black Series [Phase III] 6” line (99).

It's a bit unfortunate that we have to review the First Order Jet Trooper (Carbonized) for the first time through the eyes of the “Carbonized” paint job. It doesn’t seem fair to judge an all-new character and action figure that’s received specialized paint operations the result of a marketing gimmick, and not of screen accuracy. Regardless, the First Order Jet Trooper (Carbonized) figure can easily pass for a character ripped right out of The Rise Of Skywalker. Interestingly, it is the “Carbonized” enhancement of the armor that gives the First Order Jet Trooper (Carbonized) figure a more believable and presentable appearance. The new pearly finish is beautiful, and not necessarily far-fetched visually to the costumes we’ve seen released by Lucasfilm. Yes, there’s a difference, but it’s not that stark. What we’re trying to say is that although it’s deco isn’t screen-accurate, you’d probably never know unless there was a regular version in the line to make the comparison. We’ve mentioned the fluidness of this figure’s articulation system. The joints articulate smoothly with relative ease, yet hold their positions as you attempt to pose the figure somewhere in a display or collection. This newfound fluidity not only includes the movement of the ball-socket head and hips, but it is also part of the ball-jointed shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles. Some collectors have noted the “Carbonized” finish peeling, chipping, or flecking off of these figures when you articulate the figure. Interestingly (and thankfully), we haven’t experienced that phenomenon with ANY of the four “Carbonized” figures released.

As we briefly mentioned previously, we love the design of the First Order Jet Trooper (Carbonized), save for its helmet. It looks nearly the same as the First Order Snowtrooper (12) or First Order Flametrooper (16), which makes sense from a certain point of view, but we were hoping something with a fresher take on another member of the First Order, because they updated the armor, so why not update the helmet a little bit more too? It’s a microscopic complaint compared to the rest of the figure, so it’s easy for us to let it go. But we would be honest without expressing this detail. The rest of the figure, however, is a brilliant and fresh design. The character wears special chest armor to accommodate its jetpack, and it’s one piece permanently adhered to the figure. We would have loved to have seen a removable option here, but that might have interfered with the character’s aesthetics by making him look too chunky if it didn’t lay against him close enough as required. So, we’ll take it as it is happily. Hasbro copied the details from the costume prop perfectly, and you’ll find red and blue symbols and unreadable characters and details on the front and back of the chest, while the rest of the figure only has black details. He comes with a double-barreled blaster, and it fits perfectly in his right hand. He also has a slot on his right thigh armor, but there is no plug on the gun to place it there. We imagine that Hasbro will eventually produce a Sith Jet Trooper at some point in the line, perhaps as a retailer exclusive. But in the meantime, be sure to enjoy this figure. It’s sincerely one of the nicest-looking members of the First Order.