Review of Star Wars Black 40th Anniversary Death Squad Commander

Introduction

Since the Star Wars franchise turned forty this year, Hasbro, which has the most prolific lines of Star Wars action figure products, decided to tug at the heartstrings of sentimental fans by introducing a 40th Anniversary line of action figures. This legacy pack revisits the first twelve Star Wars action figures produced by Kenner back in 1977/1978. Although Hasbro's action figures are twelfth scale (i.e., about 6 inches in height), they are now mounted on the same type of cards that were used for the original Kenner line, complete with the same photos.

One of this lucky dozen is the Death Squad Commander. This is the fifth iteration of the character in small scale, but the first in twelfth scale (6"). In some ways the new product is an improvement on its predecessors (although it would be unfair to compare a 6-inch figure to a 3.75-inch one), while in others it falls prey to a remarkably consistent series of inaccuracies and oversights that have plagued this character's action figure representations from the start.

First, there is the character's name. The character is nothing more than an imperial guard, or more specifically imperial naval guard (although originally the look had been intended for imperial ground crewmen). These were seen in sentry duty and in navigation and communication roles on the Death Star, on Star Destroyers, and deployed in small numbers on Endor. The original Kenner 3.75" action figure from 1977/1978 was labeled, for whatever reason, Death Squad Commander, and presumably for the sake of history and sentiment, the new product has been released under that same misleading name. I should point out, that the character's second 3.75" release (1998), part of the hideous second Power of the Force line, was released under the slightly improved name Death Star Trooper (although these troopers were certainly not specific to the Death Star). The third 3.75" release (2006/2007) was also called Death Star Trooper, but featured improved and excellent articulation, as did the fourth 3.75" release (2012), which was renamed Imperial Navy Commander (although apart from a non-screen accurate rank cylinder on his uniform, there was nothing to suggest he was a commander). For a comparison of the various 3.75" and 6" versions of the character, see the last photo in this review.

I will cover the second problem, the character's appearance, under the Outfit category below.

Packaging - ***1/2
The packaging is attractive and historically significant, as it reproduces (adjusting for scale) the original Kenner action figure packaging from forty years ago. Indeed, the Kenner logo appears on the card, just as if these four decades had not elapsed. Similarly, the character photo from A New Hope remains unchanged from the original Kenner packaging, even though the present action figure portrays a differently-attired character (see further under Outfit below). The back of the card is also designed to convey the classic Kenner look, complete with a lineup the figures available from this 40th Anniversary line and the not-so-subtle urging to collect all 12. In fact, it is only the appearance of labels for 40th Anniversary and (on the back) Disney and Hasbro, that reminds us that this is not really a vintage product. The action figure itself comes in the old Kenner-style transparent plastic bubble, which has to be cut open to take it out. In other words, the packaging is the opposite of collector-friendly.

Sculpting - ***3/4
Since everything here is sculpted, this category technically applies to everything that comes in the package. The head is sculpted nicely but a bit too cleanly even for the relatively small scale; I can't help but feel that perhaps even 3.75" figures have occasionally had sharper head sculpts. Nevertheless, the hair is given some texture to make it look a bit more realistic, and the same is true for the parts of the outfit that are supposed to represent cloth. The hard helmet, on the other hand, has no such texture and fittingly appears a bit shinier (though you might have to wipe away the dust first). The gloves and boots are sculpted smoother than the uniform but less so than the helmet, which creates the desired intermediate effect. There are plenty of well-executed small details on the helmet, belt, holster, and even the little straps on the gloves. The blaster is also very nicely executed.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint application is quite basic, but generally very well done. The eyes are glossy, the eyebrows are painted very cleanly and sharply, and I did not notice any slop or bleed even with the hairline. The very simple paint and sculpt of the face give it a slightly cartoonish appearance, but it is nonetheless an excellent technical execution. The same cannot be said for the painting on the blaster or the belt, where the paint job is not nearly as exact (with black encroaching upon the silver or grey), although these problems tend to be located in secondary and not very ostentatious areas. The tiny buckles of the gloves are also painted silver -- a nice detail -- and fairly well, if not entirely perfectly. The worst paint offense is not accidental -- it is the imperial emblem painted on the left upper sleeve, where there should be no emblem at all (sharpie, paint, or black tape would fix the problem), but more on this mistake under Outfit below.

Articulation - ***1/2
Overall, the articulation is excellent. Hasbro has long done a good job with action figure articulation, giving even 3.75" action figures as many as 14 points of articulation -- until it took them away and reverted to Kenner's old 5 points of articulation. At that point I gave up on their 3.75" lines (rumor has it they will reintroduce "super-articulated" products in that scale in 2018, and I already came across a fully-articulated 3.75" Phasma), and kept collecting only products from the 6" line, where the 14 or more points of articulation survived. This is still the case here. The articulation at the neck, shoulders, knees, and ankles is excellent. I wish that the elbow articulation were a bit more extensive, but I realize that would have compromised the look of the sleeves. The wrists can rotate but cannot bend much, and the same can be said of the waist. The legs at the hips can move surprisingly far, given the skirts of the tunic over them, although it would be difficult to achieve a complete seated position. The action figure can stand very well without a stand, even in various action poses.

Accessories - ***
Counting the detachable helmet and the blaster, the Death Squad Commander comes with exactly two accessories. They are well scaled and executed, and fit where they should perfectly -- the helmet on the head, the blaster in the holster hanging over the right leg. In truth we did not see this type of troopers with much in the way of accessories in the films, so the limited number of accessories is neither surprising nor inappropriate. But it can hardly be described as contributing to any sort of Wow factor.

Outfit - n/a

Since everything is sculpted, I have technically covered this under Sculpting above. But here I will take the opportunity to discuss the character's appearance in its various action figure iterations. The original (1977/1978) figure had a poorly shaped helmet, grey tunic and pants, and an officer's rank badge. This was intended to portray an aged background character seen at the controls of the first Death Star, who apparently had a small speaking part that was cut from the final movie and is now not even among the deleted scenes. A close up from that scene did survive, and it has been used as the photograph accompanying most of the iterations of the character. But the original release was the only one that actually portrayed that specific character. Apart from the poor sculpting of the helmet, the figure made the uniform too grey (should have been olive green, although Lucas' constant futzing with the colors has caused understandable confusion), introduced a non-existent officer badge, and ignored the massive headphone and mic set under the helmet. Then again, it was one of the very first Star Wars action figures ever produced.

The second (1998) release brought with it a removable helmet, with the headset sculpted onto the head itself, but transferred the look to the more familiar black tunic-wearing naval guards (whom we have not seen with a headset). Worse, it placed imperial emblem badges atop the tunic's upper sleeves just under the shoulder, and twisted the body into an extreme action pose. The third release (2006/2007) is the only one so far to get a version of the character correctly -- a black tunic-wearing trooper with no headset or emblem badges. The fourth release (2012) featured an aged head sculpt apparently intended to portray the facial appearance of the command room character that had inspired the original Kenner figure, but transferred, again, to a black tunic-wearing trooper without a headset. Worse, the imperial emblem badge reappeared, though only on one upper sleeve (the left one) -- as if Hasbro was uncertain whether the badge should be there and decided to play it safe, applying it to only one sleeve.

This unfortunate Solomonic decision is applied to the present 6-inch figure (2017). Why unfortunate? Because it is blatantly incorrect. The imperial emblem badges never appeared on any tunics, including the black tunics worn by imperial naval guards. They only appeared on black and grey imperial jumpsuits (and then always on both upper sleeves). The confusion stems from the fact that black imperial jumpsuits were also worn by imperial guards (two in A New Hope and all but one in Return of the Jedi). But a black jumpsuit is not the same thing as a black tunic, not to mention that the image on the card portrays neither of these looks, but the same grey tunic- and headset-wearing character that was featured and portrayed in the very first action figure from forty years ago. Rumor has it that Hasbro wanted to recreate the appearance of the original Kenner figure, but was kept from doing so by Lucasfilm/Disney. In general, that decision seems reasonable to me -- imperial naval guards in black tunics are certainly the more recognizable look and therefore the more useful figure. And still they did not get that quite right.

Fun Factor - ****
Unlike the high-end sixth-scale action figures I usually review, this is designed to be as much a child's toy as a collectible. Given the generally excellent execution and articulation of the product, and its representation of an iconic character, children and adult collectors alike are likely to have plenty of fun posing and displaying these action figures alongside the other ones already produced by Hasbro in that scale.

Value - ***
At $20-25 each, depending on where you find them, these action figures are not particularly cheap, while at the same time not unreasonably expensive. They are also a very-well executed product, sturdy and versatile, and usable in plenty of scenes and scenarios. In other words, they are worth collecting. And, believe it or not, it seems that after the passage of a little time these action figures become rare and both difficult and expensive to acquire. In fact, I had to cancel my preorder at one venue, because I was informed that Hasbro had not produced enough figures to meet the high demand and that most of this venue's orders would remain unfilled.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing, although I expect some of the joints will get looser with wear. If you give the action figure to a child, keep in mind that the gun and helmet would qualify as those dangerous "small parts" that can find their way where they are not supposed to go.

Overall - ***1/2
These have always been among my favorite imperial troopers and I am very happy to have added a couple of them to my 6" collection. And while I am disappointed with the rather obvious mistake (the imperial emblem on the upper left sleeve) and noticed a few minor imperfections and limitations (in paint and articulation), I remain quite pleased with the overall product. I would not say that about each and every Hasbro 6" Star Wars release (for example, I disliked their Stormtroopers, yet loved their Sandtroopers), so I suppose this means I really like the new Death Squad Commander.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ***3/4
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***
Fun Factor - ****
Value - ***
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
Mass market retailers like Target are your best bet, but you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Michael has already reviewed Hasbro's Black Series 40th Anniversary Leia and, among previous Black Series releases, the Hovertank Pilot, Han and Bossk, Yoda and TIE-Fighter Pilot, Vader and Jedi Luke, Chewbacca and Sandtrooper, Biker Scout, Bespin Luke, Stormtrooper, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Slave Leia and Boba Fett, Greedo and Han, X-Wing Luke and R2-D2.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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