Equipment: Entertainment Earth Exclusive Star Wars Black Figure Set

Action figures are regressing. I remember when the original Star Wars came out in 1977; we finally had the action figures from the movie but they had limited poseability. If you were lucky those first Star Wars figures had 5 points of articulation. Over time the 3 ¾ inch figures became highly detailed and very poseable but now figures are going back to the old way. Fortunately not all figures are created alike.

Currently Hasbro has a line of 6 inch figures that have amazing detail and poseability called The Black Series. Of course larger figures come with larger price tags, running about 20 bucks a piece but still worth every penny. Some figures are harder to find than others, especially those store exclusives which can be the most elusive. Not every exclusive is an impossible treasure. The Entertainment Earth exclusive 4 pack is a treasure but it isn’t an impossible find.

This 4 figure set from Entertainment Earth includes a Sandtrooper Sargent, Crimson Stormtrooper, TIE pilot Lieutenant Oxixo and R2. First off, this is a great troop building set and second, it is the only place you can get the exclusive Crimson Trooper. If you collect Stormtroopers the Crimson Trooper makes this set a must for you.

As I mentioned before the figures in Hasbro’s 6 inch Star Wars Black Series are super poseable meaning this set will give you hours of playtime. (I just felt a disturbance in the Force…like there was a collective gasp across the collecting world then faded away) Yes, I am suggesting opening this pack and enjoying your toys the way they were meant to be enjoyed.

The first figure from this set I want to discuss is the Sandtrooper Sargent. This figure is similar to prior releases of Sandtroopers and is similarly equipped.  The figure is highly detailed with a slight patina making the armor look well worn. The armor appears to be screen accurate for Star Wars Episode Four: A New Hope with the white pauldron as seen in that movie. The Sandtrooper comes complete with E-11 blaster rifle (the side-arm of the Stormtroopers), a heavy blaster rifle, a DLT-19, a T-21 Light Repeating Blaster and backpack. This Imperial trooper is well armed. The one thing that would have been nice to see would have been a pair of binoculars but I guess you can’t get everything.

The points of articulation for the Sandtrooper are:

• head, which is on a ball joint and a pivot
• shoulders
• biceps
• double elbow joints
• double wrist joints
• chest
• hips
• double knee joints
• double ankle joints

The next figure in the set is the Crimson Trooper. Personally, I do not know the background of the Crimson Trooper but I do know he looks good. The red armor really stands out but I am sure there is a planet out there where this would be great camouflage. Seriously when you think about it the white armor only works as camouflage in the snow. The Crimson Trooper is equipped with an E-11 blaster which fits in his holster.  He also has an A280 blaster rifle. Maybe it is the unique color but I find this figure to be pretty bad ass. His points of articulation are identical to that of the Sandtrooper Sargent.

• Head-it is both a ball joint and a pivot
• Shoulders
• Biceps
• Double Elbow joints
• Double wrist joints
• Chest
• Hips
• Double knee joints
• Double ankle joints

Lieutenant Oxixo is the only figure in the set that has a name. Oxixo is similar to the other Star Wars Black Series TIE pilot released last year with some subtle differences. Lt. Oxixo’s helmet has silver triangle on his helmet which isn’t present on the regular release TIE pilot. Much like a Stormtrooper, Oxixo comes with an E-11 blaster (standard issue sidearm for Imperial Troops) but this is his only accessory. He does have a functional holster to hold his blaster which makes the figure a bit more appealing. The points of articulation for Lt. Oxixo are:

• Head-both a ball joint and pivot
• Shoulders
• Elbows
• Wrists
• Waist
• Hips
• Thighs
• Double Knee Joint
• Double Ankle Joint

Lt. Oxixo is a great figure and I think the only thing he needs is a TIE fighter of his own but then again, who doesn’t?

The last figure in this exclusive is an astromech droid called R2-Q5. This Imperial R2 unit has a black and orange color scheme. He does look skinnier than R2-D2 but that could just be the fact he is painted black and black is so slimming.

R2-Q5 doesn’t have much in the area of poseability but since he is a droid only the essential parts need to move.

• Rotating dome (head)
• “Legs”
• “Ankles”
• Retractable 3^rd wheel

R2-Q5 has the ability to lower his center wheel by turning the dome counter clockwise. Speaking of wheels, there are wheels on the bottom of each of R2-Q5 so you can roll him around during play. The wheels do not give him the ability to roll away on his own since he is top heavy. This R2 unit also has 3 small removable panels on the dome. I can only assume since both Q5 and R2-D2 are almost identical Hasbro may have used the same mold for both figures. Keep a close eye on that panel, it doesn’t click in and because of its size it would be easy to lose.

Despite the limited poseability I like this figure and am glad it was included in this set.  He is the perfect size to place on your desk to bring a sense of whimsy to your dreary workspace.

The Entertainment Earth’s exclusive 4 pack with a $99.99 price tag is definitely worth the price. Because of the small parts this set is recommended for children over 4 or for adult collectors of any age.  Check out this set and other great products from Entertainment Earth.