In a bit of departure from Bantha Skull protocol, I’m going to start off by talking about the card.  Unless there is something particularly noteworthy, the card is an afterthought, and they never factor into the grades we give out.  This Shadow Stormtrooper is no exception.  The final grade is not influenced at all by the packaging, but with that in mind, I have to say I find this card stunning.  This figure is part of the “Gaming Greats” series, and as such have no film reference from which to draw.  The card artwork could have gone sideways in a hurry.  It didn’t, and the end result looks fantastic, inclusive of the teal pill and background color.  It all harmonizes very well.  I actually wish Hasbro sold 8” x 10” prints of some of these cards so I could frame them and hang them on the wall.  I am very thankful that these Gaming Greats are available via the Fan Channel and I was able to order from site sponsor Entertainment Earth.  I had several minty samples to choose from to keep carded.

Okay, enough about the thing that a good 50% of you consider nothing more than trash (you lot of savage philistines).  This is now the fifth figure based on the VC140 - Stormtrooper mold.  Despite being only two years old, that figure has reached legendary status, and will be the Stormtrooper figure against which all others are judged.  That figure received a 10 out of 10, but that is not the reason this Shadow Stormtrooper has the same grade.  In the VC140 review I wrote:

This is perhaps the most conspicuous lack of rocker ankles in the history of the line.

That statement is growing borderline tragic as time goes on because rocker ankles are back, BABY!  The best Stormtrooper in the history of the 3.75” universe was released just before the greatest advent in posing returned to the line.  It’s the equivalent of a football player retiring right before their team signs Tom Brady.  Because rocker ankles are now an expectation, I was going to lower the score on this figure to a 9 out of 10.  As far as the sculpt goes, I feel that grade would be in keeping with the current new tooling standard.

The reason I’m not deducting a point is to reward Hasbro for going above and beyond with the deco.  This figure easily could have been accomplished with minimal paint applications.  Most of the deco could have been achieved via the color casting of the plastic plus replacing the customary black paint applications on the helmet with blue.  No one would have complained, or probably noticed had Hasbro chosen that path, but they didn’t.  First of all, the eye lenses are not a solid blue.  It looks like they utilized the Photo Real “pointillism” technique with varying shades of blue which give an electrified effect.  Next, the entire figure is covered in a subtle silver spray.  Under magnification it looks like the Shadow Stormtrooper was the victim of a glitter bomb, but with the naked eye it gives a shimmering appearance.  I also took off my pants, and it still looked shimmery.  I wanted to test it against varying manners of nakedness.

The Force Unleashed Shadow Stormtrooper has actually been released several times (linked above under other releases).  This is definitely the best both in terms of sculpt and deco.  It’s the definitive Shadow Stormtrooper and a 10 out of 10.

At the time of this review, the Vintage Collection Shadow Stormtrooper can still be ordered from site sponsor Entertainment Earth.

Click HERE to order yours (sponsored)