"You will never convince me to betray my Master!"
Hasbro has been drip-feeding us with Star Wars Black Series releases from the iconic Force Unleashed video game since 2020 with what has up to now been variants of existing figures released under the Gaming Greats banner including Stormtroopers and a Senate Guard. As of September 2023, we can now add Starkiller, Galen Marek, to that collection with a very special Hasbro Pulse Con exclusive box set.
The set is a Hasbro Pulse Con Exclusive, opening for immediate delivery of orders at the end of Hasbro Pulse Con 2023. The packaging is closest in principle to the 2020 Endor exclusive with an outer cardboard sleeve depicting the cover of the original Force Unleashed videogame from 2008, using the same image on both front and back (if you can define them that way) with one side showing the Warning labels and Hasbro logo and one side without. The sleeve is not taped in place so can be removed and replaced as needed.
The two side spines of the box show off the contents at one side, lining up Starkiller and all his included accessories and parts - 14 in total - and the Imperial Stormtroopers with their blasters. The opposite spine carries the Black Series logo, The Force Unleashed logo, and between them a short overview of Starkiller and a vague premise of the game without spoiling anything dramatic for anyone inspired to seek out the game on the back of the figure release.
Inside the sleeve, we have an inner black box that has a cut-out at the front displaying the new Starkiller figure alongside several of the pack's key accessories against the same Force Lightning blue background as the front cover. And that cover image is reused again on the rear of this inner box.
There are then two side compartments which are hinged to the main section of the box and taped in place. This tape is not easy to remove and begins to tear the black packaging when removed. Once freed, these two side sections hinge open each revealing an Imperial Stormtrooper attached to the same Force Lightning backdrop. Once these segments are free, the display principle of the set in the packaging is complete, but it will require quite a bit of shelf real estate. It is a shame that on the hinge elements of each of the Stormtrooper compartments, there is a very visible brown line from the inner cardboard used to join the sets together, especially considering the exclusive nature of the set.
For those heretics like myself who want to open the set, this is done via side flaps on each of the three compartments. The figures are tied in with clear elastic ties, and behind the main Starkiller compartment is a further inner brown box containing the last of the accessories - notably the large Force effect base, and the guns for the Stormtroopers.
Starkiller is of course a brand new figure, with this set replicating the simple Training Gear presented by Darth Vader towards the start of the game. This is cast in darker brown tones with green accent colours applied around the chest, arms, and skirt to add variation and tone to the overall look. The costume features plenty of intricate details including the multi-strapped belt, the strapping on the right wrist around the bracer, and the tourniquet around the left bicep. Over the chest piece is a single individually cast piece of shoulder armour in a deep gunmetal colour. The lower left arm is left in a skin tone, with a painted wound bleeding from the wrist.
There are three head sculpts included, all modelled on Sam Witwer who played Starkiller in the game. The one packed fitted onto the figure is a neutral look with short shaved hair, deep sunken reddened eyes, and some shading around the angular features all executed using Photo-Real decor. We then get what I can best describe as a maniacal smiling variant, and an all-out angry variant with mouth open in a scream or a roar. Both variants use the same photo-print design but also lose much of the likeness to Witwer in their set expressions leaving me preferring the standard head out of the three choices available.
Articulation is entirely pinless and has 17 points in total worked into and around the costume where possible. The Black Series is phasing out the thigh swivel which has resulted in the loss of 2 points, but with a rotating knee and a bit more range through the hip, this is not a miss. The arms are sufficiently jointed to use all of the accessories, while the dual neck allows some more subtle head positions and gestures than the older traditional ball joint.
This Starkiller figure is themed almost exclusively around his force powers, but he does get one lightsaber hilt and a selection of four blade options to fit into it. The hilt appears to be his original saber from the game and similar in design to that of Darth Vader’s. It is thinner and a bit more delicate than other sabers in the line. The blades too are a bit slimmer where they plug into the hilt. The blades are shaped to fit a certain way, but even when lined up they are prone to bending so handle with care.
You are provided with both red and blue blade options, the red being the most accurate version for the hilt provided. They come as a standard translucent blade, and the set resurrects the ‘in motion’ lightsaber effect blade only seen previously with Count Dooku back in 2020. Personal choice will dictate what colour and options to use, and it is good to have plenty of choices. Hands are provided to hold the sabers, although the grip on each is quite soft, and prefers the more traditional forward grip, than the reverse grip favoured by Starkiller. If we are to get future Galen Marek figures the hand options need to improve.
The figure is designed with multiple options to stow the lightsaber hilt which features a small plug on one side. This can slot into the right side front of Starkiller’s belt, or in one of four other sockets on the reverse - I wonder if these have any bearing for future figures and possible additional sabers?
The rest of the accessories are themed around the game’s Force Powers including the other two pair of hand options which are posed in force gestures - a set that resembles Force Choke and a second open spread pair for Force Push and other ranged powers. A final set of hands is included to directly replicate the game box art (as is the purpose of the set) with Force Lightning sculpted onto the hand and cast in translucent blue plastic. These work really well, and the figure does have sufficient stability to hold up when they are fitted, although on display angling them to reach the ground or another object will ensure stability.
The Starkiller part of the set is finished off with an individual left hand with a sculpted Force Push effect attached to the hand in a translucent light blue plastic. This again fits well enough onto the figure but is heavier than the Force Lightning so has to be posed with care, and most likely down and touching the ground.
We then have a large Force Explosion base as the final element to recreate Starkiller on the cover artwork. This comes in four pieces with a central circular translucent blue piece and three blast pieces that have to be slotted into place. The base has three peg holes within the inner segment allowing Starkiller to be further supported when posed.
Once you have Starkiller posed with his lightning hands and standing in his Force Power base, you do need a couple of Imperial Stormtroopers to act as fodder and Hasbro has included these as part of the set - a decision that has inflated the price and been questioned in some quarters considering the availability of the Stormtrooper figure.
The two Stormtroopers are identical to each other and use the new body with individual cast pieces of white armour and black body-suited parts that removes the need for very much paint work and improves the crispness of the transition from armour to bodysuit and back. The minimal paintwork is applied neatly with black segments on the stomach plates, the black sections of the helmet, silver around the front breathing apparatus, and blue to the sides of the helmet's cheeks.
The Stormtroopers have the original 19 points of articulation, again all pinless, retaining the thigh swivel beneath the shape of the thigh armour. Further movement is granted at the shoulder pauldron which is hinged to move with the arm - although the way these had been packed on my figure had both right Pauldron’s sticking up and out too much on arrival - easily fixed with some hot water. The Stormtroopers have a wide range of posing options including having the ability to kneel and crouch and plenty of firing poses with their included weaponry.
That weaponry is the standard E-11 blaster cast in black plastic with no further paint detail. It fits into the right hand of each trooper where a flexible trigger finger slots into place on the blaster. The left hand is shaped to cup the barrel if two-handed poses are preferred. There is however no holster option, something that is shown on the two Stormtroopers on the box art - a minor point only.
With all the parts at your disposal, you can now complete the diorama that the set is designed to replicate adding two flailing Stormtroopers to your Starkiller, wrapping the partly flexible Force Lighting around their bodies. The Stormtrooper articulation will allow them to support themselves in certain positions and the Force Lighting helps support stability, but you may end up wanting to add some after-market stands for display longevity. The whole piece takes up arguably more shelf space than the box footprint, but the overall look is impressive!
This will almost certainly not be Starkiller’s sole appearance in The Black Series with a single release almost a given in the coming months. That said, any single release will likely include fewer accessories - probably just some lightsabers - making the various Force effects and possibly the alternative heads the key value of this exclusive release. With a base figure and head sculpt for Starkiller now in the arsenal, this release also opens up the options for future variations with both Light and Heavy Training gear a relatively simple tweak, and even things like the Bounty Hunter disguise, Jedi Robes, and Industrial Explorer supported by parts from other existing figures.
There is no question over the quality of this set, but more so the price tag. For three figures and counting Starkiller as close to a Deluxe, then we should be talking no more than £90 for the set - but the packaging and limited exclusivity of the set has added another £19 on top here in the UK. At the time of review, the set remains in stock (x1 week post Hasbro Pulse Con) and many fans are perhaps playing the waiting game having seen other exclusives like the Cantina Showdown and the Andor with B2-EMO plummet in price. Starkiller is of course perhaps a more desirable character for collectors, and on the flip side, this set may emulate sets like the SDCC 2017 Grand Admiral Thrawn set and become highly sought after in the coming years.
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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...