Emperor’s Royal Guard & TIE Fighter Pilot (Carbonized) - TBS [AC] - Six Inch Figures (Exclusive)

Resplendent in crimson robes and armor, the Emperor's Royal Guard protected the Emperor. Imperial pilots were treated as expendable, but the Empire treated its TIE pilots as important parts of its war machine.

Commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi with figures from The Black Series, featuring classic design and packaging!

If you need a picture-perfect example of how desperate things are with Hasbro’s The Black Series 6-inch line, you needn’t look further than the Emperor’s Royal Guard & TIE Fighter Pilot two-pack. This Amazon exclusive release entered the retail marketplace at a whopping $69.99 before becoming more widely available and going on closeout for about half price. The contents inside are almost as insulting as the MSRP. Hasbro blended their “Carbonized” novelty with the 40th Anniversary of Return Of The Jedi, making an odd release that we aren’t entirely sure will meet the needs of The Black Series 6-inch collecting community. Admittedly, we do find some beauty with these colorfully shiny action figures. They look metallic, and the Emperor’s Royal Guard is especially glistening and artful as if unnecessary. Equally, the TIE Fighter Pilot is shiny and captures a holiday spirit, although we believe that effect was unintentional. Interestingly, there is a “red” theme with the Emperor’s Royal Guard, which makes sense, and a blue theme with the TIE Fighter Pilot. The card art is challenging to make out with the foil-like materials used to produce this look commemorative and celebratory. But the intent appears to have gotten lost in translation. Hasbro set up the Emperor’s Royal Guard & TIE Fighter Pilot two-pack, unlike The Vintage Collection multipacks. They’ve included two separately carded action figures, with some relation to each other, and in a way that celebrates something unique within the Star Wars timeline. However, we’re uncertain if “Carbonized” action figures were the right choice. They already included the Emperor’s Royal Guard in the basic figure assortment. Still, they could have chosen another character to pair with the TIE Fighter Pilot to provide a unique character while making it relevant to Return Of The Jedi’s 40th Anniversary.