Editor’s Note:  This figure is essentially identical to the Walmart Exclusive Black Series Scarif Stormtrooper released in 2017.  The original review is copied here.

Original Review:  Chris - 10/11/2017 7:07 AM

It feels like Star Wars has been on an apology tour for a decade and a half.  AOTC was supposed to be an apology for TPM.  TFA was an apology for the Prequel Trilogy.  Rouge One feels like an apology to the OT fans for the soft reboot that TFA became.  If that last statement is at all true, the confusion surrounding the toy line is a fitting parallel to the confusion surrounding the vintage Kenner toy line.  In that line, we had yellow lightsabers, Holiday Special characters sneaking their way into the toy line, and flipper-footed Walrus Men terrorizing our cantinas.  For the Rogue One toy line, we have Moroff escaping the destruction of Jedha City as well as utter confusion over the ranks of the shoretroopers.  This Scarif Stormtrooper grunt is incorrectly labeled as “squad leader” on the box.  Similarly, the grunt and leader in the 6” scale have their titles reversed on the respective packaging.  I think.  It’s very confusing. 

This Scarif Stormtrooper is one of the most praised figures from Walmart’s exclusive Black Series 3.75” line, which is a shame as it has been exceedingly difficult for most to track down.  I only recently found this figure at retail, myself.  For that reason, we listed this figure as number two on our most needed repack list for the upcoming return of the Vintage Collection. The big question is whether or not the figure itself is worth all the gnashing of teeth over the difficultly in acquiring it.  That answer is a definite “yes”, but that’s not to say that the figure is flawless.  Let’s start with the positives.  This is one of the best examples of a figure interacting well with its accessory, even if the accessory count is minimal with a lone E-11 blaster rifle.  The use of ball-jointed wrists allow the figure to grip the blaster in a natural two-handed fighting pose.  The sculpt of the armor limits the range of motion at the elbows a tad, but not condemningly so.  If there is a complaint with the articulation, it comes with the lower body.  Despite having extra points of articulation with thigh swivels and premium ball-jointed hips, I feel the “posability” is ever so slightly lacking.  I’m not sure which is the exact culprit , nor am I even sure the culprit is singular.  It’s probably due to a combination of the plastic kama, lack of rocker ankles, and less than ideal range of motion at the knees due to the shin armor. 

The detailing of the figure is outstanding.  Just as Rogue One recaptures the “used universe” feel of Star Wars we love so much, so does this figure.  Seemingly every piece of the off-white armor features some sort of distressing deco.  As you can see in the zoomed-in photos, the paint apps are applied using the recent “dot matrix” technique that is similar to pointillism, but that dot pattern is not detectable with the naked eye (unless you’re Chuck Yeager).  I tried to detect the pattern just by staring at the figure, but I ended up reenacting the scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off where Cameron stares dazed at Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. 

That last bit of detail is for our younger readers.  Nothing disarms a school teacher like a bit of cultural trivia.  Use it as a “Get out of jail free” card. 

Finally, as you can see from the unassisted single-leg pose above, the figure has outstanding balance by virtue of the ample articulation.  The only deduction comes from the complaint that the figure needs just a frustrating tick more range from the articulation to achieve perfection.  This lands the Black Series Scarif Stormtrooper an outstanding 9 out of 10. 

If you absolutely have to have this figure now, the secondary market is your only option at this time:

However, there is a good chance that if you’re patient, this figure will make a return at some point during the Vintage Collection (probably 2019 or later).

Editors Note:  Very prescient of you, Chris!

TVC Release Update:  Chris - 2/07/2019 7:05 AM

These old eyes can notice two differences between this TVC release and its TBS predecessor which can be seen in the comparison photo above (TBS figure to the left of the picture).  The brown inset paint apps on the belt are much darker on the TBS release.  Second, the dirt apps are much more pronounced on the torso and head of the TBS release.  To this second point, it could argue that the TBS release is better, however, I can’t be sure if this is endemic of the entire production run or just a natural variation on my TVC sample.  The TVC card is striking.  The figure pops off the tropical background, and the teal pill and figure surrounds work great with the over aesthetics.  I like teal.  I blame the inaugural San Jose Sharks sweaters. 

This is the definitive Scarif Stormtrooper figure.  With this second release, the figure will pull close enough to meeting demand (hopefully).  We don’t need Hasbro to revisit this exact figure, but we need the Captain and Squad Leader variations desperately.