'Star Wars' Collectibles & Toys Review: Hasbro Star Wars: The Black Series Rebel Trooper
Star Wars: The Black Series #69 Rebel Trooper. © 2018 Hasbro, Inc. and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) |
In February 2018, Hasbro unveiled three new figures from its Star Wars: The Black Series collection at its showroom in the International Toy Fair, which was held in New York City at the Jacob K. Javitz Convention Center. Based on characters from Solo: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: A New Hope, and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, the trio was made up of
- #68 Tobias Beckett
- #69 Rebel Trooper
- #70 Han Solo (Bespin)
The six-inch scale figures hit shelves in both online and brick-and-mortar stores in the United States, Canada, and Mexico that July, joining the growing number of the coveted Black Series collectibles introduced by Hasbro in 2015, the same year that saw the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
What's In the Package?
Recently I decided to splurge on a few Star Wars figures of The Black Series collection; in addition to Emperor Palpatine and Throne and Death Star Trooper, I bought Rebel Trooper, which is one of my favorite minor character-based figures of all time.
Drawn from many homeworlds and species, Rebel troopers were the Alliance's front-line soldiers in the war against the Empire. They defended the Alliance's leaders on countless worlds and during many operations, changing uniforms and tactics to meet each challenge. ﹘ Packaging blurb, Star Wars: The Black Series #69 Rebel Trooper
The figure, which is from the six-inch scale line (most of my collectibles, including my original Kenner Star Wars action figures, vehicles, and playsets, are from the 3.75-inch scale line) is nicely sculpted, painted, and accessorized.
Launch into lightspeed adventures with a collection of classic and new characters, vehicles, and role-play items that feature the authentic movie-styling and battle action of the Star Wars universe. ﹘ Hasbro promotional blurb
Star Wars: The Black Series #69 Rebel Trooper comes in a black-and-red box and contains the figure clad in a Rebel-issue uniform that includes a vest (removable), a helmet (removable), blue uniform shirt, gray combat trousers, and black service boots. In addition, Rebel Trooper comes with a BlasTech DH-17 blaster pistol and a set of the Death Star plans.
Interestingly, this last accessory not only links Rebel Trooper to Star Wars: A New Hope but also to its direct prequel, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
My Take
One of my biggest disappointments as a young collector of Star Wars action figures back in the late 1970s and early '80s was Kenner's failure to produce figures for both major (Grand Moff Tarkin) and minor characters (Rebel Trooper) from Star Wars: A New Hope. Only late during the original Kenner figures' run, there were rumors that a Tarkin figure might be in the works, but that never got beyond the planning-and-design stage. And although many fans often wished they had Rebel Trooper action figures to recreate the boarding of Princess Leia's Tantive IV from Star Wars: A New Hope, it wasn't until the mid-1990s that Kenner (now owned by Hasbro) produced one for its Power of the Force line.
I have two different iterations of the 3.75-inch Rebel Trooper action figure in a bin in my office closet, so I didn't exactly need #69 Rebel Trooper from the Star Wars: The Black Series collection. Nevertheless, I like the way that Hasbro picked one of the more prominent (yet anonymous) defenders of the Tantive IV as its choice for a "minor character action figure."
The quality of the figure is outstanding. Hasbro lavished a ton of attention to detail not just with the figure but also with the illustration on the packaging. The sculpt/paint job on the figure, which literally could have represented any of the doomed but valiant Rebels whose duty was to delay Vader and his boarding party long enough for Princess Leia to get the Death Star plans away from her captured Blockade Runner, is outstanding. Both the figure and the line drawing on the packaging are so painstakingly detailed that I knew who the figure was supposed to represent.
#69 Rebel Trooper has the same gray hair and determined look as this anonymous Rebel aboard Princess Leia's captured Rebel Blockade Runner. © 1977 20th Century Fox Film Corporation |
I'm a sucker for cool details such as that, even though I noticed them after I bought #69 Rebel Trooper. The Hasbro employee who designed this figure's sculpting is to be commended for the careful attention to detail and the inclusion of accessories such as the removable helmet and the storage device with the stolen Death Star plans. which are only clearly seen in Rogue One.
Build your Star Wars collection with authentic, highly detailed Star Wars collectible figures, vehicles, and Force FX lightsabers from The Black Series.
Advance into battle with role-play gear that includes blasters, masks, and iconic, customizable lightsabers that are part of the Star Wars blade builders system. ﹘ Hasbro promotional blurb
It is quite likely that I will keep my Star Wars: The Black Series #69 Rebel Trooper in its package. I do not foresee any purchases of more floating shelves on which to display my best collectibles. After all, I am constrained both financially and the availability of space for storage and display here.
Nevertheless, this is one of my favorite "new era of Star Wars" figures, and I am pleased to have gotten one at a reasonable price from a third-party seller on Amazon. (I paid $25.98 for Rebel Trooper, which is fair, considering that the MSRP in 2018 was $19.99.)
This is, in my opinion, a collectible that is worthy of adding to anyone's stash of Star Wars collectibles and toys.
Product Information
- Manufacturer: Hasbro
- Source Film: Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope
- Year: 2018
- Original Retail: $19.99
- Assortment Number: E1210/B3834
- UPC Number: 6 30509 68391 8
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