The Bad Batch is the latest addition to the Star Wars Universe, and Hasbro have already opened the Bad Batch Galaxy Collection series for the Star Wars Black Series with three figures launching the new collection as part of Wave 4, released in the Spring of 2021.
The Bad Batch uses a deep red accent colour that is used as a border on the packaging and on the side artwork which in this case features The Elite Squad Trooper with weapon raised. These art panels connect together for a wider montage. The Elite Trooper follows on directly from Crosshairs and is #3 in the line. The rear of the box gives us another look at the artwork as well as providing a short piece of background text that reads
"After the formation of the Galactic Empire, a small group of highly skilled enlisted recruits is tasked with neutralising anti-Imperial insurgents throughout the galaxy as means to prove the effectiveness of conscripted soldiers."
Boxed collectors may not be happy that the Elite Squad Trooper numbering does mess up the ability to have the main Bad Batch all aligned in a row on the montage as the Elite Squad Trooper does interject between Hunter & Crosshairs, and Wrecker and Tech.
The Elite Squad Trooper is a hybrid figure made up of the upper body and helmet from the 2020 Clonetrooper body, with the legs of the original 2014 version. The reasoning behind this is unclear, although the combination of the two bodies is not noticeable or does it cause any issues with the overall look and proportions of the figure.
The armoured panels are all cast in a glossy dark grey, allowing a contrast to the usual black bodysuit underneath. The helmet, like all the new 2020 bodied Clones, is a separate piece glued over an unpainted head. While this can lead to warping, I had no issues on my Elite Trooper. The helmet has a green painted visor, and further paint apps around the mouth and the breathers. If you look at some of the screengrabs for Bad Batch I think the helmet should have some slightly lighter grey elements across the crown, but they have not been added.
After the helmet, the only other paint applied on the body is where the base black of the knee pads had to be painted in grey. There are plenty of little details that could have been picked out or enhanced with paint such as the components / communicator on the wrist or the belt.
The Elite Squad Trooper comes with a single weapon, the DC-15S blaster as seen in the previous Clone Trooper releases. The weapon is the one we see when the Elite Squad Troopers first appear in 'The Replacements'. The blaster is cast in black with no paint apps, although there is plenty of detail in the sculpt which would have looked excellent picked out with a metallic drybrush.
It is a shame that the Elite Squad Trooper could not have come with the flamethrower we see used in 'The Replacements', although I would expect this is not the last we have seen of this particular Trooper figure.
Articulation is improved thanks to the hybrid body with the legs benefitting from the older Clone Trooper double joint knees. The overall articulation count is 19 joints in total which include the dual joint neck and butterfly shoulder joints.
Neither the new or old Clone legs could kneel nor sit, instead you will need to utilise standing poses and thankfully they do this really well. Even the weaker ankle rocker that did plague some of the early clone bodies has been resolved on this run. The arms work fine, with the butterfly shoulders opening up the range a little more with two-handed weapon grips well within range as is the ability to offer up the blaster to the helmet for sighted shots.
The Elite Squad Trooper is an interesting bridge between the Clone Wars and the full-on Imperial Stormtroopers and therefore it is good to have them represented as a figure. The look is translated well from the screen, other than the grey variations of the helmet which are subtle on the show but not applied at all on the figure. The charcoal grey armour contrasts well on the black of the undersuit so the figure is not a single tone like the Deathtrooper for example. The figure would have benefitted from a few extra paint apps to smaller details on the armour like the belt and communications array at the wrist. It would have also been nice to include a second weapon such as the flamethrower unit.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, star wars, black series, hasbro, the bad batch, galaxy collection
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