One of the things Jedi: Fallen Order did very well was to pit the playable character, Cal Kestis, against hordes of Original Trilogy Imperial Troopers and within that re-imagine and tweak some of them into new roles. The Return of the Jedi Scout Trooper was taken off their Speeders and placed on reconnaissance and scouting roles in the various locations complete with blasters and melee weapons for dealing with any resistance. Hasbro took one of these Scout Troopers and brought it into their Black Series Gaming Greats subline in Autumn 2020, the 8th figure in the Gaming Greats series.
Gaming Greats as a line still uses the Phase 3 packaging design, albeit with some tweaks. The Gaming Greats logo has been added in a hexagon cut out next to the window, and each figure has an assigned accent colour used throughout the box. The Scout Trooper is assigned an ice blue colour, taking inspiration from the electro baton the Trooper uses. This blue is used on the figure name, which is simply "Scout Trooper" with no definition of role or appearance - although the Jedi Fallen Order logo sits to the side to confirm the source visually,
The blue is also used on the backing card, and within the artwork to create a very visual and sinister Scout Trooper shot. The side spine to the right is also ice blue, headed at the top with another hexagon Gaming Greats symbol.
On the back of the box we have a repeat of the artwork and then the standard background text, presented in four different languages. The text may be short, but it does add some context to the Troopers role and choice of weaponry that is included.
"Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order features Scout Troopers, often tasked with reconnaissance or long-ranged engagements, but also capable fighters when a target gets near"
The box opens at the top or bottom flap and the figure slides out in an inner tray. Watch out for the tiny hold-out blaster which sits just beneath the larger baton. While it is taped in, it is small enough to go missing as you unpack your Trooper.
4.0
The figure base is the same as released back in 2014 with the Speeder Bike and again in 2019 in the Archive series. The helmet is well proportioned, cast in white plastic and then painted with black visor, mouthpiece and lined symbol on the forehead.
The armour similarly is cast in white with the under suit in black with textured fabric effect. There are some elements cast in black that are then painted black and coverage is not quite achieved - these include the elbow pads and knee pads and these also present as a slightly different shade to the other armour.
The two grey pouches from the original figure have been removed and a strapped vest has been added using a flexible black plastic. To one side of this is a control box with painted buttons and displays. Brown wiring comes up from this and over the shoulder strap and then down as an individual piece on the right arm with a circlet round the right wrist. On the back of the strapped vest is a cannister container of sorts which has been painted white on each end. This is white paint over black and the finish is a bit rough.
The new figure has no weathering applied to the amour, and there are some minor paint differences around the figure including the backpack.
4.0
Our Trooper is armed with an Electro Riot Baton, a new piece for the Black Series. It is cast in black plastic with detail down the length but no paint apps or décor added. The end is wrapped in a translucent blue electro effect. This is loose on the weapon, but is shaped to fit well and cant be removed easily thanks to the wider shape at the very end of the baton. The baton will fit in either hand securely and two handed poses are also achievable.
Our Trooper also gets the EC-17 hold out blaster, again re-used from the original release. This is a tiny weapon cast in black plastic with a good shape and a few clear details around the hilt and main body of the gun. It is so small it has to be wielded in the Troopers hands with only two of his fingers around the weapons grip. The blaster can also be stowed in the figures holster, cast as part of the right boot. The fit here is not overly secure and with such a small piece there is a big risk of the blaster going missing.
4.0
As the Scout Trooper is based on the 2014 body, he comes with the same articulation as the original figure. In this case, this works in our favour as the original Scout Trooper was significantly articulated to allow him to ride the Speeder Bike and the figure has a total of 20 points of articulation.
Head : ball joint neck with pivot
Body : torso ball joint
Arms : ball joint shoulder, bicep swivel, double jointed elbows, wrist pivot
Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double jointed knees, boot swivel, ankle rockers
The torso joint is not much use and doesn't move too well, particularly with the vest piece in situ around it. There is also some slight restriction in the right arm with that wired piece and ringlet stopping some of the upward and outward motion or snapping and breaking as you move the arm a bit too far. This wiring could easily have been left off and most of us would have been none the wiser.
Weapon posing is a lot of fun with the baton with some good recreation of poses from the game as our Scout Trooper looks to face down a Jedi. Kneeling poses are just out of reach thanks to the pouches around the hips and that is a shame considering these Troopers are often snipers.
All our Scout Trooper joints are tight and secure, with good movement and no issues with the figure standing or being posed.
4.0
There is very little to complain about with the Jedi Fallen Order Scout Trooper. We have a good figure, updated to the newer look from the game and packed with two weapons, including the new electro riot baton with FX piece attached and in place.
The wiring down the right arm presents my only concern, both in terms of its restriction of articulation but also in how long it will last before snapping. It is something Hasbro could have left off with limited impact on the overall look of the figure.
I suspect we will see this Scout Trooper again in the near future, with a tweaked Commander release with the orange Pauldron, and that is fine with me. I score the Scout Trooper from the Gaming Greats line a total of 4.0
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, gaming greats, jedi fallen order, scout troopers, electrostaff