Hot Toys Star Wars Royal Guard Review

shovelchop81 wrote:Yeah well they've been cashing in big time on those overpriced nostalgia oversized figures... although if they are solid then that's actually a lot of plastic!

I have no idea... there must be people buying them, otherwise they'd stop. To me they seem like a cruel joke. These were passable, indeed fine back in the days of the original Kenner production run and size (3.75 inches). But then Hasbro's more articulated and detailed 3.75 inch figures made them look almost obsolete... until Hasbro scaled back on both articulation and choice of figures, with their job incomplete... They have come back to some of that with their current nostalgically-carded figures (and not just the 6 inch ones), but unfortunately those seem to be of the new characters that too few people care about to buy. So even in the 3.75 inch size these would be under-articulated for my taste, never mind at 12 inches. I spend enough money on action figures as it is, not going to even consider this personally. But to each his own...

GubernatorFan wrote:

shovelchop81 wrote:Yeah well they've been cashing in big time on those overpriced nostalgia oversized figures... although if they are solid then that's actually a lot of plastic!

I have no idea... there must be people buying them, otherwise they'd stop. To me they seem like a cruel joke. These were passable, indeed fine back in the days of the original Kenner production run and size (3.75 inches). But then Hasbro's more articulated and detailed 3.75 inch figures made them look almost obsolete... until Hasbro scaled back on both articulation and choice of figures, with their job incomplete... They have come back to some of that with their current nostalgically-carded figures (and not just the 6 inch ones), but unfortunately those seem to be of the new characters that too few people care about to buy. So even in the 3.75 inch size these would be under-articulated for my taste, never mind at 12 inches. I spend enough money on action figures as it is, not going to even consider this personally. But to each his own...

I didn't say I liked them myself but there are a lot of collectors like Transformers G1 fans who just want larger versions of their toys from when they were kids for nostalgia reasons (and they themselves are bigger). In fact the Transformers Master Piece figures (the elite G1 and now G2 figures) are designed to look just like the basic cartoon characters from the early 80's so very simple although they do have complex transformations with high quality paint and materials. Not my thing either, I like the more complex looking 3rd party and movieverse Transformers as they intrigue my mechanic's and designer's interests far more plus I didn't grow up with the cartoons.

Nice review, love the photos!

It's interesting that they took the approach to have more robes under their robes, instead of armour like the Black Series guard has.

I mean, I get it, it'd be a lot cheaper to produce, but to me the armour underneath has a lot more application.

PickleMunkey wrote:Nice review, love the photos! It's interesting that they took the approach to have more robes under their robes, instead of armour like the Black Series guard has. I mean, I get it, it'd be a lot cheaper to produce, but to me the armour underneath has a lot more application.

Thanks, PickleMunkey, glad you liked them.
And you make a very interesting point. I forgot all about the Hasbro 6 inch Black Series figures (of which I also have a couple) and what they did with them. It is certainly a more interesting look, although, as you say it would have been costlier to produce and might possibly have limited some of the articulation. Moreover, they might argue that to do that look, they would be departing from the known (if not visible) costume in the actual film. That said, I wonder if the armor on the 6 inch Black Series is based on any specific graphic novels or games (it is not the same as what they did for the 2012 3.75 inch figure, which was based on Crimson Empire).

Great Review !!
I don´t want to mess with Star Wars Fans and i like the old Guard style more than the new.... but with the old helmet you cant turn your head. Very bad for a Sword fight

Ephiane wrote:Great Review !!
I don´t want to mess with Star Wars Fans and i like the old Guard style more than the new.... but with the old helmet you cant turn your head. Very bad for a Sword fight

Thanks, Ephiane! And I agree... the old helmets are not really practical from a physical point of view.

Did you ever get the Emperor to go with these guys, Guv? Curious to know what you think about him. I'm sort of on the fence with that one... not sure he's really one that I want (plus, I'd commit blasphemy and put him in the Jabba throne room dio I'm thinking about putting together...).

Stryker2011 wrote:Did you ever get the Emperor to go with these guys, Guv? Curious to know what you think about him. I'm sort of on the fence with that one... not sure he's really one that I want (plus, I'd commit blasphemy and put him in the Jabba throne room dio I'm thinking about putting together...).

Yes, he arrived yesterday and the review is already under way.

Awesome. Looking forward to it.

Great review!

However, for me the whole concept of the helmet was a mistake by Lucasfilm. It seems to be a great helm and gorget fused into one. Not very practical for combat!

As for HT's version, it is simply a soft red plastic and it looks like red plastic. They should have made it in hard plastic of a darker shade and defined it more sharply so that it doesn't look like a gelatine veil covering something else.

It also might have benefitted from a head underneath with the eyes visible through the visor. There is a pic online that seems to show that is how it looked in the movie.

For the price they are asking, I think it is not value for money, but I know when a gap needs to be filled, the wallet can scream all it wants!

JohnByng wrote:Great review! However, for me the whole concept of the helmet was a mistake by Lucasfilm. It seems to be a great helm and gorget fused into one. Not very practical for combat! As for HT's version, it is simply a soft red plastic and it looks like red plastic. They should have made it in hard plastic of a darker shade and defined it more sharply so that it doesn't look like a gelatine veil covering something else.
It also might have benefitted from a head underneath with the eyes visible through the visor. There is a pic online that seems to show that is how it looked in the movie. For the price they are asking, I think it is not value for money, but I know when a gap needs to be filled, the wallet can scream all it wants!

Thank you very much, John. I do agree that the helmet is not practical for combat (perhaps the idea is that the emperor is so secure or these guys are so superior to any foe that they can get away with it) -- I do know part of the design decision was to make it anonymous (like most imperial troopers, so it can be easier to dehumanize and hate them), sleek, colorful (to offset the traditional imperial monochrome and the dull look of the emperor himself), and possibly alien (hence the long narrow shape). Perhaps we were meant to believe that the material is somehow flexible (it wasn't, and there was concern that the actors could not turn their heads in it). But you are wrong about the plastic -- HT's royal guards have a hard plastic red helmet, and the red is just as it was in the film (the robes, however, may have come out a bit duller and darker, as I note in the review). As for the eyes behind the visor, I don't think we ever see a hint of that onscreen, but Hasbro made their 12" royal guards that way, using a visor that was more translucent and a lighter green color (if I recall correctly -- gave those figures to a friend when I was moving). It was a very neat effect, but I wanted it to look more screen accurate to I had repainted them black.

I think folks are putting a little too much “responsibility” on the shoulders of guys who are really nothing more than Ceremonial or Honor Guards. Their only reason for existing is to add weight to the authority of the Emperor. They’re not meant to be fighters; their “flag holders” — I wouldn’t rely on a Color Guard to turn the tide of battle over trained infantry. These guys are meant to be little more than self-motivating (as in able to move without assistance) mannequins. Besides, it’s not like someone as powerful as The Emperor really needs bodyguards — the shriveled up old prune can take care of himself.

Well... mostly.