The Star Wars saga is well known for its heroic archetypes, lovable rogues, sassy droids, and its evil overlords, but it’s almost just as well known for its vehicles. War machines like the AT-AT, the X-Wing Fighter, and the TIE-Fighter have been ubiquitous parts of the American pop-cultural landscape for decades, and it’s virtually impossible to even think about the Star Wars movies without some, if not all, of these iconic vehicles coming to mind. And when it comes to Star Wars toys, the vehicles are every bit as important as the action figures.
That’s why it’s such a welcome sight to see Hasbro dipping their big toe in the Star Wars vehicle pool for their 6-inch Black Series figures.
While it seems highly unlikely we’ll ever see, say, an AT-AT for our 6-inch Rebels to take down, Hasbro has now made it abundantly clear that some of the smaller-scale vehicles can potentially be included in the 6-inch menu. And of all the myriad vehicles that exist in the Star Wars universe, the Imperial Speeder Bike is the perfect inaugural release for vehicles in 6-inch scale. So let’s take a closer look at this sweet baby of a ride!
Check out the below video for an articulation demonstration and some additional thoughts:
The packaging is as stark and basic as what we’ve seen with the standalone 6-inch figures. It’s basic and black, which serves to highlight the figure encased within. Like all Black Series releases, the artwork on the back gives us just a taste of the figure’s back story. The cool thing here is that the packaging doesn’t really have to “sell” this set. One look at the actual figure and bike and it’s an instant must-have. I love Hasbro’s approach to the Star Wars Black Series packaging as a whole. They know their target market knows these characters like the back of their hands already, so they simply let the product do the talking.
The set itself looks awesome outside of the packaging as well. Everything functions as it should, and the Biker Scout actually looks completely natural while mounted on the bike. There’s no awkward positioning, no “well, I guess that’ll do” when seating the Scout. And I appreciate the effort Hasbro put into making the bike look “weathered.” I mean, this isn’t 3A Toys levels of weathering or anything, but for a mass-market release, this looks pretty darn good.
Hasbro completely nailed the look of the Speeder Bike. It’s as authentic-looking as one could ever possibly expect from a Hasbro release. It’s doesn’t actually “do” much, however, apart from being just kind of a big accessory, though. It can be posed on the included stand in various flight poses, but that’s about it in terms of “functionality.” I remember the original Kenner Speeder Bike had an action feature that caused the bike to “explode,” but there’s nothing like that here. The front fork of the bike is removable (see video above), so, in a way, it’s possible to replicate that old action feature to an extent.
Apart from that, though, the bike doesn’t do much at all. The back panels can be raised and lowered to reveal turbines, but the handlebars and foot pedals don’t move and only serve to keep the Scout in place, which they do well, so I suppose that’s enough, right?
The Biker Scout’s design is faithful to his cinematic counterpart, and Hasbro added some light weathering effects to his armor like they did with the bike. When first removed from the package, he’s going to be a bit bow-legged, which is to be expected. Normally I’d correct this in about two seconds with a hair dryer, but in this case I’m choosing to let it be since I think it makes him easier to position on the bike. It looks weird when you have him posed just standing, but on the bike it works.
His boots and chest armor received the lion’s share of the weathering effects, which serve to make it look as though he’s been slogging through the mud, grass, and muck of Endor.
The Biker Scout’s articulation is standard Black Series fare. He’s easy to pose, and all his articulation is actually useful. His torso swivel/ab crunch-thing is hindered a bit by the gear he carries around his stomach, but it’s not too bad. The breakdown is as follows:
- Ball-jointed head
- Swivel and hinged shoulders
- Bicep swivel
- elbows
- Ball and swivel wrists
- Torso swivel
- Swivel and hinged hips
- Thigh cut
- Double-jointed knees
- Swivel and hinged ankles
Apart from the bike, his only accessory is a very small pistol that can be stored (poorly) in a holster on his boot. It fits in there very loosely, so be careful you don’t loose it. He can also hold it in his hand, of course, but beware — the finger guard will break (see pic above) if you try to place his finger on the trigger. I’ve already had to Superglue mine back together.
The Biker Scout is a great addition to the growing Imperial ranks, and he works as a nice halfway point between the grimy Sandtrooper and the pristine white Stormtrooper. And because this set is so darn cool, it’s going to be awfully tempting to army-build a fleet. I snagged two for myself and I’d like more, but at $40 it’s a pricey set, so true “army building” may be a bit tough for most.
Definitely pick up this set if you see it out in the wild. Or snag it from one of the fine retailers below:
