Review of Poe Dameron, FO Riot Control Trooper Target Exclusive
Star Wars Black 6" Force Awakens action figures

Introduction

Hasbro has remained very committed to their Star Wars Black series of 6" action figures, and continue to announce - and release - quite a wide variety.  Different stores have picked up exclusives as well, including tonight's review: Poe Dameron and the First Order Riot Control Stormtrooper.  This guy is available at Targets for around $40, or you can order it through their online store.

I have no idea why Poe is facing off against a Riot Trooper. He must be all about the protests, although I wouldn't have pegged him as an intergalactic hippie. I have to say that Abrams and crew have done an amazing job of telling us all about the movie without actually telling us anything about the movie. I really, really want to see it...but I have no idea what it is I'm going to see.

Packaging - ***1/2
If you're a MIBer, you can display this box and show off the figures cleanly enough. It's also completely collector friendly, with no damage to the packaging necessary to remove the figures. It's also easy to store, thanks to its clean design and non-wasteful size.

I did dock them a half star this time, however. That's because they went for one of those extreme action stances with the characters in the plastic tray, and as is usually the case, didn't get the legs, arms and accessories situated cleanly.  That means bent elbow and knee joints, particularly on Poe.  Both legs came out of the package pretty wonky, and it took some work to get them reasonably straight again.

Sculpting - Poe ***; Riot Trooper ***1/2
While this Poe scored the same here as he did the first time, this is a better looking Poe.  I suspect this is 99% paint, however, and while I'm not quite convinced that this is the EXACT sculpt we got the first time (the hair line looks slightly different to me, and the face seems slightly wider), it's damn close. All the differences I'm seeing could conceivable be achieved through a better paint application.

His body is clothed in casual wear, at least when compared to the pilot suit he was wearing the first time around. Details are well sculpted, and proportions are good.  The elbows are pretty ugly, but more on that in the next section.

The Trooper is the same Trooper as the standard release. They've given him a couple extras and slapped an exclusive sticker on the box.  I don't have a problem with that, largely because I'm one of those people that believe you can never have too many Troopers, but if you were expecting an updated sculpt, you'll be disappointed. I've included a shot of the two next to each other so you can compare.

This is a 6" line of course, and both figures come in at about that height, matching up fine with the rest of the series.  It's possible Poe should have been slightly taller based on the actor's height, but I can live with the situation.

Paint - ***
The work is clean, but not exceptional. This trooper has about the same quality in this category as the standard release, with a little slop here and there around the black lines but nothing that's serious or deal breaking. The white still seems a smidge bluish to me, but again, no biggie.

Poe is an improvement here over his first release.  The clothing is decent but not the main area of improvement. There is a little mismatch between the colors of the sleeves and the jacket, but the details are clean and neat.

No, it's the head that makes the difference here. With better work in the beard and eyebrows, and much better eyes, they've improved on the quality of the underlying sculpt. It's still not a dead on representation of the actor or character, but considering the scale and price, it's well within expectations.

Articulation - ***
The Trooper has the same articulation as the standard version - that's because it is the standard version with a couple extra accessories. The majority of the joints work quite well, including the neck, chest, and ankles, which allow for some natural stances.

I didn't hit them hard enough the last time on the elbows, however.  These rotating hinge elbows have a very small range of movement, and I found them even more annoying when trying to work with the shield and baton accessories.  I suppose we should be glad we get elbow joints at all - think of the poor 4" scale collectors - but these could be much better designed.

The same holds true for Poe, who has lots of great joints...until you get to the elbows. His aren't only restricted, they're ugly to boot.

I had one other issue unique to this Trooper that's worth mentioning. The Troopers have a cut thigh joint that can be a little tricky to work with, since the armor can get in the way.  It worked well on the first release, but this time it was impossible to free up the right thigh, and the leg simply popped off the ball hip when I tried.  It didn't break, but freeing it up will take some unique effort, and you should take care when you are working with them.

Accessories - Poe ***; Riot Trooper ****
Poe gets shorted a bit this time, but the Trooper picks up a couple extras over the regular release.

Poe has a funky silver blaster, but this item also fell victim to the way the figure was packed inside the tray.  It came out pretty bent, and will require some hot water/cold water treatment to get it to remain straight. The sculpt and paint are good though, and it fits in the right hand nicely. The sculpted left hand is too tight to hold the 'stock', but you can get around it with some creativity.

He also has another pilot helmet, but this one looks a little more like the traditional X-Wing style.  It can fit over the head and he can wear it, even in his standard duds.  You can also add this to the earlier figure, if it turns out that it works with that pilot gear.  We'll have to wait for the movie to be sure on that one.

The Trooper comes with the same two blasters as the standard release, small and large. Both fit neatly in his hands, and both can attach to his hip thanks to a small slot and post.

He also has a funky baton, perfect for beating (and probably zapping) those pesky rioters. Unfortunately, they did not provide a different right hand sculpt and the gun grip design does not hold the handle on the baton tightly.

He also has a shield to push the rioters back and protect himself from rocks and other debris.  I'm not sure if it's going to do much good against a blaster shot from Poe's weapon, but perhaps it's sturdy enough to withstand it.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
With the added articulation (over the smaller standard series) and the better size, these are terrific action figures. We probably won't get a lot of vehicles, but with the release of the TIE Fighter (which is also on shelves right now) it's clear that Hasbro is willing to go that route if people are willing to buy.

Value - **1/2
This pair cost about $40, which makes sense since you're getting two complete figures that normally cost $20 each. Add in the exclusivity, and the re-use is less of an issue.

Things to Watch Out For -
Take a little care with the thigh/hip joints on the Trooper, since breaking them free could damage the hip ball. Otherwise, you should be good to go.

Overall - Poe ***; Riot Trooper ***1/2
While there are things about this pair that are improvements over the initial releases - Poe has a better paint job, while the Riot Trooper has more gear - it wasn't enough to improve the overall score for either.  Picking up the trooper is a good move if you like building an army, but it might be tougher to convince yourself on Poe.  I'm considering swapping this head onto the pilot suit body, and getting one decent version out of the mix, but whether that outfit or this one ends up my preference will depend heavily on his scenes in the film.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ****
Sculpting - Poe ***; Riot Trooper ***1/2
Paint - ***
Articulation - ***
Accessories - Poe ***; Riot Trooper ****
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - **1/2
Overall - Poe ***; Riot Trooper ***1/2

Where to Buy 
This is a Target exclusive, and they have just started to show up at stores nationwide. You can also search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've covered a number of the new Force Awakens 6" figures, including the first Poe, the basic FO Trooper (along with the Disney die cast version), and Captain Zuvio. Toys R Us has had their own exclusive with the FO Snowtrooper. I've covered a ton of the earlier Star Wars Black 6" figures as well, so ou should also hit the Search Reviews page to find them and in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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