The Gaming Greats line launched in 2020 as a sub-line to the 6 inch scale Star Wars Black Series, bringing us figures of our favourite Star Wars video game characters. The first releases were of Jedi Revan and the Battlefront Heavy Battle Droid. They were followed in Summer 2020 with two Stormtrooper releases from The Force Unleashed. Here we look at the Shadow Stormtrooper Gaming Greats figure.
Packaging 5/5
The Gaming Greats line follows the base design and shape as the Phase 3 Star Wars Black Series packaging. The base colour of the box remains black with the glossy Star Wars Black Series logo across the top rail. The differences start with a hexagon cut into the window with the Gaming Greats logo. The figure card back and side spine are variant colours depending on the character, with an electric blue shade used for the Shadow Stormtrooper matching the hue of the blue lighting in their armour. This same blue is used for the character name and in the Gregory Titus artwork, creating a haunting looking of the Shadow Stormtrooper with those blue eye lenses starting at you from the box front. This gives the box a very vibrant and different look to the other Black Series figures.
Most Black Series characters are now labelled as to the movie or property they are taken from, however the Gaming Greats line - and other video game figures prior to the line being launched - carry the game logo on the bottom right of the box.
The side spine itself is not numbered, but rather than the dot matrix pattern of other exclusives, it uses the Hexagon Gaming Greats logo above the character name. The back of the box repeats the Titus artwork and the Force Unleashed logo. It also carries the usual background text which is split between the premise of the Game and the role of the Shadow Stormtrooper.
"Star Wars : The Force Unleashed follows Darth Vader's secret apprentice, trained to hunt down and destroy Jedi, while Shadow Stormtroopers use cloaking technology to ambush enemies"
Paint & Sculpt 4/5
The figure in hand is well proportioned to the generic Stormtrooper look, with the helmet shaped well and the armour all well rounded and shaped. The whole figure is designed to look like it is about to phase into its cloaked mode and to do that we have some parts cast in blue translucent plastic and then part painted over the top in black with almost a metallic pearlescent sheen. Other parts like the shoulder pauldrons and the helmet have blue painted over the grey. The look is incredible and even with translucency of key parts like the stomach and arms - you are not at all distracted by the inner workings of the figure beyond.
There is however one shame about the figure which many have commented on since it was first shown - and that is the feet. These are cast in a gloss black and therefore create a very harsh transition from the translucent phasing lower legs into the shoes. It leaves him looking like he is wearing glossy patent black loafers and throws off everything else on the figure when your eyes are drawn to it. Had they executed the feet like all the other parts we would have been looking at a 5 out of 5 figure here for sculpt, paint and overall looks.
The figure uses the original 2014 Stormtrooper Sculpt and not the upcoming 2020 revisit. In the main this isn't an issue, but the 2014 Stormtrooper has always suffered with a bow legged look which does translate into this figure.
The other previous Shadow Trooper release from 2014 can be seen here side by side with our new Gaming Greats version. While the base figure remains the same the decor is wildly different.
Accessories 4/5
The Shadow Stormtrooper is packed with the same weapons as all previous Stormtrooper releases. The E-11 blaster rifle is cast in a black plastic and has the silver panel painted on the barrel. It is designed to fit in the right hand, where a trigger finger slots into place. When not in use it can fit into the holster on the left hip. The E-11 is consistent with the appearance in game.
The D-20A rifle was not used in the game, but has been included here. It is cast in a grey plastic and over this we have some hefty gunmetal dry brushing. It too fits into the right hand and can also fit in the holster if needed, but it looks a bit odd sticking up so far towards the head. The silver look of this gun does not quite match the Shadow Stormtrooper overall aesthetic and while I applaud paint apps on weapons - perhaps this one needed to be kept plain black?
Articulation 3/5
The Stormtrooper weighs in with 18 points of articulation. This is a couple more than standard as this is an older figure base and gets the bonus of having double joint elbows supported by a bicep swivel. This makes the lower arms very mobile and poseable with weapons posing etc, but the upper shoulders are not quite so lucky as they are blocked by the shoulder armour when you try to raise them.
Head : Ball joint Pivot Neck
Body : torso ball joint
Arms : ball joint shoulder, bicep swivel, double joint elbow, wrist pivot
Leg : ball joint hip, thigh swivel, double jointed knees, ankle rocker
The legs too, as mentioned, are carried over from the older figure and are not quite right. They look bow-legged a lot of time and to get a stance you often have to bend the right knee. The knees and ankles are securely ratcheted, but there is an issue that the feet never seem to line up with the knees for a flat position pose.
Summary
The Shadow Stormtrooper is one pair of feet away from top marks from me. I love the box, artwork and colours. I love the execution of the cloaking parts, with clever use of translucent parts in with well painted armoured parts. The only issue is those feet and it is a bizarre choice to leave something so out of place on the figure after everything else has been executed so well.
Like other Gaming Greats the figure will also be a little harder to obtain. It is exclusive to Gamestop in the US and via the Fan Channel here. With an increased base price of circa £24 and likely limited availability, army building a squad of these or more will be more difficult.
I score the Star Wars Black Series Gaming Greats Stormtrooper Commander 4 out of 5.
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, gaming greats, stormtrooper, empire, force unleashed, imperial, hasbro