"Hey, you! Stop! Hold it! Freeze!"
Following their debut in Rogue One, the Shore Troopers made a welcome return in the 2022 Andor series on Disney+ which led to a new variant of the Trooper making its way into the Star Wars Black Series. The Andor Shore Trooper was a 2022 release exclusive to Target in the US and sold via the Fan Channel elsewhere. It is number #03 in the Andor section of the Galaxy Collection and comes in the window packaging with slanted side panel and red-hued artwork and labelling as per the accent colour assigned to the Andor collection.
The Shore Trooper has had some cosmetic upgrades since the Rogue One release, but the base figure remains broadly the same physically apart from an update to the belt/skirt section which has been widened slightly, had the pouch size increased, and a two-strap holster added to the left-hand side. The figure is cast in the brown shades of the Shore Trooper armour, with the upper sections the tan sandy colour which is more intense in colour than the original Troopers, and the legs a dark brown finish. Over the top of this goes the key markings in white in a rough-edged stripe across the chest and shoulders, and the red arm section with its central yellow boxes. browns and blacks are used to pick out other details on the belt and midriff and there is a hint of weathering on the chest and legs but nowhere near as extensive as the original figure.
The Shore Trooper helmet remains the same as well, cast again in the sand-coloured plastic with a black gloss painted visor, black trim around the helmet face plate and mouth section and a small red decal to the right-hand side. The back of the helmet and back of the figure have lost most of the paint detail we saw on the original release and the various vents and panels are left unpainted.
Our Shore Trooper is a jointed body being based on older stock, and while that makes the joints more visible in the legs they do offer the advantage of being double joints at the knees which have extended options for posing. There are 16 points of articulation in total and while the legs benefit from the older parts, you can start to see where the improvements have been made over the last few years. Losing the butterfly shoulder joints reduces arm movement, and the single ball joint head is more restricted in terms of a natural position. All the joints work as intended, and the Shore Trooper is secure and stable once posed.
The sole accessory is a new smaller blaster as seen in Andor during their scenes on Niamos and is more reflective of their role on this planet as security personnel rather than all-out soldiers fighting a war as seen during Rogue One. The pistol is limited in detail and is cast in the same tan plastic as the figure's armour with some black painted detail on top of the barrel and again on the clip. The blaster fits in the Trooper’s right trigger finger hand securely but is holstered on the left which is accurate to the onscreen look but feels impractical. The holster too isn't the best design, reminiscence of the straps used on the Rogue One Death Troopers. In this instance, the upper rubbery strap pops out to allow the blaster to fit in the slot and it secures back again over the weapon pretty easily compared to other holsters of a similar design.
As a release, the Andor Shore Trooper was an obvious one considering the existence of the figure already within the Black Series line. The decor and belt section are updated sufficiently to match the Andor appearance but overall the figure lacks the weathering of the original release as well as quite a bit of painted detail around the back of the helmet and armour. The weapon is accurate to the Andor scenes but is limited in detailing and decor. As an exclusive, the figure will be tricky to Army Build - but it has been part of the large volume of discounted UK stock at Game stores, so I would think those who wanted a squad of these Troopers have been able to obtain one at a much reduced total cost.
Keep Track of all the Star Wars Black Series figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive
If you are reading this via a 3rd party website that is importing our newsfeed, please come and visit us directly and give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. Check out our direct news feed for more action figure news, reviews, and store reports
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...