Umbra Operative ARC Trooper - TBS [P4] - Six Inch Figures (GG09)

The Umbra Operative ARC Trooper is part of the infiltrator reinforcement unit for the Galactic Republic in the action-packed multiplayer game across all 3 eras, Star Wars: Battlefront II.

There are many characters released into the Gaming Greats sub-line, but perhaps the most striking is the Umbra Operative ARC Trooper. Don’t get too excited. Hasbro developed no new tooling here, but the paint operations may save this action figure from getting overlooked by the Star Wars collecting community. The bumblebee-colored armor is reminiscent of 80s Christian rock band Stryper, and the yellow and black on the armor warns that this ARC Trooper is ready for attack. Hasbro took 2021’s TBS [Lucasfilm 50th] ARC Trooper Echo, glued on the helmet, and repainted the action figure to transform into an Umbra Operative ARC Trooper. The figure is vibrant in appearance and functions well as an action figure. Hasbro already had an excellent action figure base with Echo, and changing it into an Umbra Operative ARC Trooper didn’t take much effort. However, they need to ensure they nailed the paint operations to develop a good action figure for collectors. The figure’s base is from a figure released in the first wave of The Black Series [Phase IV] line. More on that in a minute.

The Umbra Operative ARC Troopers are featured in the Star Wars: Battlefront II video game and don’t vary much from the standard ARC Trooper seen in The Clone Wars. Aside from their bright coloring, they perform all of the typical duties of an ARC Trooper, although these characters’ missions are concentrated on Umbra. Hasbro based most of Umbra Operative ARC Trooper on the newest Clone Trooper tooling first used with 2020’s TBS [P4] Clone Trooper (Kamino) (TCW01) figure. Yes, Hasbro developed new parts for the ARC Trooper body, but they based the figure’s core on that original tooling. Umbra Operative ARC Trooper comes with a new layer of chest armor that Hasbro fitted to the torso, and it’s immovable and provides a distinct look for the character. There is also a new pauldron, kama, and holster/belt combination piece to fully outfit the character for ultimate screen accuracy. The lower arms and lower legs are also newly tooled parts. We’re happy to see that Hasbro decided to recreate textures and designs faithful to the character’s appearance in The Clone Wars television series.

Hasbro went cheap on accessories for the Umbra Operative ARC Trooper figure. They only included the DC-17 blaster pistols. The figure holds these pistols well, but we wish the hands allowed for a tighter grasp because they fall out of the left hand relatively easily. These smaller guns are gorgeously tooled and fit into the holsters like a glove. The Umbra Operative ARC Trooper doesn’t have a removable helmet, but they kept the swivel rangefinder. The bucket is in proportion to the rest of the figure’s body, and Hasbro painted this figure beautifully and captured all of the detail and nuance of the video game character. The latest figures in The Black Series 6” line have incredible buttery smooth articulation systems. Despite the extra gear, the same is true for the Umbra Operative ARC Trooper. Umbra Operative ARC Trooper attains an astonishing array of poses and positions and has a fantastic center of gravity to hold these poses without issue. We feel the biggest problem is the MSRP. These action figures are becoming increasingly unaffordable. We hope it doesn’t damage the line in the long run. This figure is a GameStop exclusive.