Okay, there I was, aimlessly wandering eBay when I come across what looks like a Star Wars Black Series Shadow Trooper. I love Shadow Troopers and I missed the Target set so I can’t help clicking it. Even if it’s a bootleg, I’m interested. But this doesn’t look like a bootleg, and it doesn’t look like the Target trooper…
Last night there were just a couple of regular auctions, no big deal. Today though there are 24 auctions, both regular and BIN. All with these pics:
At first I thought bootleg. But bootlegs usually have some articulation cut out. Hell, I just got a couple that were 5 POA. But no, as the pics show, this thing has full range, every point that the standard Stormtrooper has.
So then I thought, okay, this is another run of the Target exclusive Shadow Trooper set. But after looking at pics, the Shadow set was a Sandtrooper. And by now we should all know the difference between the Black Series Sandtrooper and Stormtrooper.
Ignore the pauldron, that is a separate piece and can be removed. The biggest differences are the left knee and the abs. Completely different sculpts. Like I said, the Target set is a Sandtrooper.
Our mystery Shadow Trooper here is most definitely a Stormtrooper.
Weirdest of all, there is packaging. A fancy box with an insert. Now, I’m not saying that bootlegs can’t have packaging, just that it always throws me off when it does.
UPDATE: I completely forgot about the S.H. Figuarts Shadow Trooper packaging, and this packaging is a match for that. But the figure is still a Black Series figure. Thanks to Twitter user Den-Obi-Wan Kenobi for the reminder!
It even comes with the same weapons as the original release of the Stormtrooper.
Now I’m not saying this is some official figure due for release later this year. It may very well be, and probably is, a knockoff. What I can say is that it looks like a very nice bootleg, if pictures are to be believed. And you all know me. Complete sucker for the Star Wars, and even more for the troopers, so I had to grab one with a Buy It Now. So now the long wait begins, along with anticipation and the hope that I don’t get screwed on this deal.
