Review: Star Wars Black Series Gaming Greats Phase I Assault Trooper (Coruscant Guard) & B1 Battle Droid Commander (Training)
- Mephitsu
- 3 hours ago
- 8 min read
“Battle Droids! I'm on them!”
In recent years, the Gaming Greats collection of the Star Wars Black Series has seen single releases move to the mainline waves rather than the Gamestop (US) Exclusives we’d seen until 2023. With that move came another shift in the Gaming Greats to multi-pack releases, and these remained exclusive and were sold via Amazon globally. While most of these to date have focused on the Cal Kestus Jedi games, there was a Battlefront 2 release in 2025 featuring a Clone Commando & Battle Droid, with two more already announced for 2026. The first of these is the Phase I Assault Trooper (Coruscant Guard) vs the Battle Droid Commando (Training), which we will take a look at here.
Apart from the first Inquisitor themed box set in 2024 which fell under the Phase 4a slanted side boxes, all of the other Amazon multi-pack Gaming Greats have been in the newer square format packaging, with this February 2026 release of the Coruscant Guard & Battle Droid Commander coming in the dual sized black box overlaid with the blue hue assigned to the Gaming Greats line across the text and artwork. The front of the box includes the very lengthy content detailing that this is a Phase 1 Clone Assault Trooper assigned to the Coruscant Guard, and he is joined by a Battle Droid Commando, but a Training model. The coloured bar confirms the source material for the set as Battlefront II, while the window is affixed with the hexagon foil sticker to badge it as a Gaming Greats release.
The right-hand side features the blue-hued artwork and with the set not numbered or part of a wider montage, the art is simply split with the Clone illustrated at the top and the Battle Droid beneath. Both are featured against the Imperial Design wall we see used as the Battlefront II selection screen. The two images are split on the reverse and sit on either side of the background text that gives a limited overview of both figures, with the Coruscant Guard confirmed as an Elite Shock Trooper division under Commander Fox. The Battle Droid is given context for those not overly familiar with the gameplay as a Training model that includes targets across the body for the training exercises. The Gaming Greats releases are the only ones that carry a logo of the source material, with the Battlefront II logo sitting at the base of the Battle Droid picture. The inner tray sits into a similarly blue coloured card insert that also features the Imperial wall loading screen background.
The Battle Droid is the same sculpt as has been in use across a myriad of different B1 releases since the original Phantom Menace Trade Federation release from 2019. This time round, and to mirror the Training Droid decor from the game, the Droid is cast in off white, with key elements of the skeletal body then painted, or cast, in a sandy finish. This includes the entirety of the head and neck, the shoulders, mid-section, lower legs, and the toe section of both feet.
The targets are added, as per the game, on the chest as a double, sandy yellow circle, with a smaller white target on the forehead just above the split white painted eyes. Further targets are included on the key joints of the shoulders, elbows and hips visible from the side of the droid.
As this is a Commander B1 Droid, there is no backpack included. Instead, we use the command comms pack that clips in on the left hand side of the droid. This is off-white to match the droid, with the two aerials coloured in the sandy yellow.
This is the second of the Battlefront II Training Battledroid skins, and as well as being on the same base body as the B1 droid from the 2025 set, the base white colour is also consistent, as are the target positions. The basic B1 doesn’t feature any accent colour like its Commander, and comes with the backpack. With the Commando Training Droid already confirmed as arriving in the April 2026 set, we can assume Hasbro and Amazon are intending to complete the set with the Heavy & Assault B1 Droids at some point and possibly the Droideka.
with the 2025 Gaming Greats B1 Training Battle Droid (right)
Our B1 Commander is armed with the basic issue E-5 Blaster Rifle in a grey finish. Again, this dates back to the 2019 Battle Droid release and has remained unchanged since. The gun carries a relatively large amount of detail and texture, but has no paint application to enhance these. It fits into either of our B1 Commander’s clawed hands, with the free hand then able to cup the barrel. Because we have no backpack, there is no holstering option.
The B1 Droid has 19 points of articulation, all designed to mimic the in-Universe Droid design with large circular rotating joints at the shoulders, elbows, hips and knees. These joints have been problematic in the past for holding secure, but the newer releases, including this 2026 option, are arriving with a greater level of strength and security. That being said, I found my B1 Commander a little lop sided when stood as it feels like one leg is a little longer than the other.
The head cannot be rotated on the neck, but can look up and down at the hinge point under the head with the two rear ‘tails’ jointed to move as the head does. The neck can also be pulled up and out of the body and then fold down into the B1 de-activated storage position with the knees tucked into the chest and arms wrapped around.
The Droid is opposed in the set by the Phase I Assault Clone Trooper from the Coruscant Guard. This is a unit we see in canon, but not necessarily on the battlefield. They were introduced into the Battlefront II game as a Shock Division under Commander Fox and used red markings on their white Clone Armour. This was translated into the game using their Clone Wars appearances and the brief scenes in Revenge of the Sith as source material.
The Assault Trooper uses the newest of the Clone Trooper bodies with the individual armour parts cast in white, with the joints in a ridged black plastic as per the Clone’s undersuit. This almost entirely negates the need for paint work across white or black sections and keeps the lines clean and crisp between the two.
The armour is painted to match the Assault Trooper markings from the game, this includes red trimmed shoulder Pauldrons, a red central stomach section with an integrated white circle, red belt pockets and red on the elbow, knee and shin guards.
Like most modern Clone releases, the head is painted and a likeness to Temura Morrison, albeit with a less-than-detailed photo-real application compared to the level we would get with a named character.
The helmet, taken from the Phase I Trooper from 2024, is cast white with the visor and vents painted in black. Black is also used to pick out the side vents and as a bold black rim around the circumference of the helmet. There are further red markings on the helmet across the brow of the helmet, just above the black trim, and on the mouth section, where there is a red diamond design.
The helmet fits snugly onto the Clone Trooper's head and sits low enough to obscure the skin tone of the chin, thanks to the beak design of the Phase I helmet.
Our Trooper comes with two weapons, the newer, slightly smaller versions of the DC-15S blaster carbine and the longer DC-15A blaster rifle. These are also cast in a grey plastic, include a crisp level of detail, but no paint layer to enhance their look.
The newer Clone body now features trigger hands for both left and right, so the weapons can be held in either hand, with the other hand able to provide a secure grip to the barrel for two handed weapon grips and poses. There are no holstering options as is usual for basic Clone Troopers.
There are 21 points of articulation on the Clone body, allowing for a wide range of movement, particularly weapon firing positions, with the shoulder and elbow joints allowing for either weapon to be raised up to a firing position, with our Clone looking down the scope. The legs also allow the Clone to kneel, again allowing for some variation in display in more dynamic battle posing, with the knee armour left 'floating' so it can be moved and posed with the knee rather than being fixed in an unnatural position.
The set retails on Amazon in the UK for £44.99, so it is technically a fiver cheaper than two standard releases. However, neither of these figures has any newly developed parts and are simple repaints of existing figures to mirror the Battlefront II skins. This works fine for the Clone Trooper with the Coruscant Guard existing in the wider Canon, although not seen directly in this armour decor. There are also Coruscant Guard figures already in the line for Commander Fox and the Shock Troopers, although these are both in the Phase II armour. Being a two-pack, it does, however, provide an issue for anyone wanting to build a squad of this particular Trooper type.
The Training Droids are the bit that will probably limit the appeal of the set. While the Training Droids are canon, as seen in the Clone Wars on Kamino, and do feature in the game as playable troop types, the design is lacking, and they feel plain and can even look unpainted from a distance. I suspect many collectors would have been happier for Hasbro and Amazon to include a standard Trade Federation of Geonosian B1 Droids, allowing collectors to build a larger squad than these very obscure variants.
This is one for Completists, and the Battlefront II fans in particular, and is reliant to a degree on Hasbro & Amazon committing to complete the squads of both as seen in the game rather than leaving these as single figures in a disjointed Gaming display.
Keep Track of all the Star Wars Black Series figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive
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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...
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