This guy was a comic con exclusive that I got online from the Star Wars store. I thought he looked pretty cool, familiar but different. All this time I just thought he was a repaint for the heck of it but, as I was reading my X-wing Rogue Squadron Omnibus, I discovered they made an appearance in that series at least. The speeder bike is pretty similar to the vintage one I had as a kid. Identical, even? Other than the push-button blow-up feature anyways.
Taking pictures of all black figures is a little tricky- I will do it again better when I get a chance. Anyways I heard shadowtroopers really don't like getting their photo taken- kinda ruins their blackops stealthy cred. They're sort of like ninjas, the stormtrooper equivalent of ninjas. You don't ever see shadowtroopers sent to Tattooine to look for no droids, that's for sure. Way too ninja for that. So yeah, a black stormtrooper. Cool. I got it and a couple of other figs (Utapau shadow and Special Ops Clone) in a trade with a snowtrooper for a Captain Rex and McQuarrie Rebel Soldier. Not a bad deal for either of us I'd say.
It's amazing how striking this figure is and really it's just an inverted Royal Guard. Black becomes red and red becomes black. But the Royal Guard design has always retained its intrinsic perfectness even after 25 years. Like the other Force Unleashed characters, it is not quit accurate to the game. In the game they are more of a greyish color and don't have robes. Just like the cardback, actually. But I am not complaining. I want the robes to match the red guards. And Hasbro can always release a version sans robes and I am sure I would get one. Or two.
