REVIEW: Black Series Executioner Trooper 6″ The Last Jedi Figure Latest News October 31, 2017 For me, Force Friday was a little bit of a bust. I wasn’t one of the first two people in the door at Toys R Us–so I didn’t get any Black Series Last Jedi figures there–and I also missed out on a chance to win the giant Porg plush at Target because I was at Toys R Us at midnight. Alas. I was able to snag one new Black Series 6″ figure on Force Friday II, however–the Target Exclusive Black Series Stormtrooper Executioner figure! While he’s still a First Order Trooper, he has a couple new twists that make him work picking up… The Right: I’ve been actively trying to avoid non-toy revealed spoilers for The Last Jedi ever since I saw the world premiere teaser trailer at Star Wars Celebration Orlando, but if there’s any collector in the world (besides me) that didn’t know there was a First Order Executioner Trooper in the movie, well… they know after Force Friday II, that’s for sure! From Hasbro to Hot Toys to Funko to Anovos to Bandai Japan, it seems like everybody has got their own Stormtrooper Executioner ready to roll as soon as possible. And on Force Friday II, the Target Exclusive 6″ Black Series Executioner was the one new six-inch figure I was able to bring home… The big difference between this and the standard First Order Stormtrooper figures is, well… the axe and some minor paint differences. The electric axe is a 100% newly-tooled weapon by Hasbro that looks incredibly cool. I’m an effects piece whore, and the electricity effects on this axe are full of win. The Stormtrooper Executioner helmet has a thick black stripe that runs vertically from the front of the helmet to the back. This looks really neat and instantly sets this soldier apart from his foot soldier brethren. The axe itself has a lot of different colors and paint deco on it, making it a real eye-grabber and stand-out piece. I’m not sure how this weapon is going to look on-screen in the movie, but from a purely visual standpoint I think Hasbro has the Figuarts version’s axe beat. Unlike your ordinary First Order Stormtroopers, the Stormtrooper Executioner has black shoulder pads with the First Order logo on the sides. This isn’t exactly a “Holy Sh*t!” uniform difference, but it’s always nice to have something to set the different type of troopers apart from each other (plus it continues to make this more of a “black and white trooper” as opposed to a “white trooper with some black” . I dig it. In fact, the paint on this figure is aces all-around. Everything looks carefully applied, and I’m overall quite happy with the look of the deco on this piece. For a $20 figure, it looks terrific. The articulation is also mostly solid. I’m complain about the arm articulation momentarily, but the hinged ankles with rockers, ball-jointed upper torso, double-hinged knees and ball-jointed hips/neck all do their jobs without a hitch. The Wrong: While the Executioner Trooper is undoubtedly a fun new figure, I’m a little bummed about a couple issues with this figure. The main problem I have with the 6″ Black Series Executioner is that, for the first time, we have a Stormtrooper that really needs at least double-jointed blows (and preferably swivel biceps) in order to achieve lots of dynamic axe-swinging poses. That’s not to say that you can’t get this First Order Executioner into some swinging poses as he is, but the range of motion is definitely limited by the arm articulation that’s present (and not present). Additionally, the “trigger finger” right hand isn’t really appropriate for this particular figure, and the grip on the hands is a bit too loose to hold the electro-axe firmly. The axe handle is also made of a very cheap and rubbery plastic that bends quickly and leaves the Stormtrooper’s handheld axe looking, well… limpy. Overall: The Target First Order Stormtrooper Executioner Black Series figure certainly isn’t anything groundbreaking or revolutionary, but it is a fun and interesting new addition to the First Order army of action figures. The newly-tooled electric axe looks awesome and is easily the high point of this figure, and I like the new black stripe on the helmet and black shoulder armor (with logos) on this figure. I don’t like the rubbery plastic used for the axe, the reused right hand on this figure, or the lack of better articulation on the arms, but this is an overall well-done and recommendable action figure. GRADE: B+ The post REVIEW: Black Series Executioner Trooper 6″ The Last Jedi Figure appeared first on Star Wars Toy News.
