#86: Star Wars The Black Series (Rogue One) - Baze Malbus

Unless Hasbro decides to at some point make a Bodhi or Saw figure, this is probably my last Rogue One figure. It's too bad Baze and Chirrut were so hard to find, since you probably wouldn't want one without the other. Like I did with Chirrut, I had to wait to find one online for a price I was willing to pay. Baze is a cool figure, but his giant cannon (it comes in three parts: gun, hose, and power pack) makes him back heavy.

#73: Star Wars The Black Series - Chirrut Imwe

Chirrut Imwe was one of the great new character additions from Rogue One. So of course this figure was impossible to find. Presumably some of them must have made it to stores, but I never saw one. I was only able to finally get one by paying slightly above retail and ordering online. And even that took a lot of patience. Chirrut turned out pretty well in action figure form. He's armed with his staff and bowcaster (?), and the lower parts of his robes are soft goods, which allows for more leg mobility than plastic robes would.

#34: Star Wars The Black Series - Imperial AT-ACT Driver

I haven't been able to find the Baze and Chirrut figures yet, but in the meantime there's the Target exclusive AT-ACT driver. I definitely remember the AT-ACTs in the movie, the AT-AT's weaker cousin, but not sure if any of the drivers appeared onscreen. Maybe somewhere in the background. Before I saw this figure, I would have assumed they looked more like an AT-AT driver. But they are just repainted Scarif sandtroopers. Go figure. At least they still look cool. The only accessory is a standard stormtrooper blaster.

#120: Star Wars The Black Series - Imperial Hovertank Pilot

Another new Stormtrooper variant from Rogue One, the Imperial Hovertank Pilot is a Toys R Us exclusive. Except for the paint and the helmet, it's basically the same figure as the shoretrooper. I guess the Death Troopers are the only new Imperial forces that care about protecting their thighs with armor. Oddly, of the new Imperial figures so far, this is the only one with the standard Stormtrooper blaster. I think we only actually see one of these troopers in the movie, so that makes him unique.

#111: Star Wars The Black Series - Scarif Stormtrooper Squad Leader

Part of the fun of a new Star Wars movie is getting new trooper variants. I already got the Death Trooper, and here is one of other new Stormtroopers, the shoretrooper. Interestingly, the squad leader is the regular retail version, while the standard Scarif Stormtrooper is a Wal-Mart exclusive. Perhaps I'll be getting one of those later. These troopers have a different style of helmet , and their upper legs aren't even armored. But what really sets them apart is their color: Shoretroopers are way more earth-toned than any other Imperial force. The squad leader has some extra touches of color, with the blue on the shoulders and chest. It's a different look, and I like it. The shoretrooper is armed with a blaster rifle that I think (so far) is unique to it.

#102: Star Wars The Black Series - Director Krennic

Krennic turned out to be an interesting antagonist because he's more of a banal evil than we usually get in Star Wars. More ambitious bureaucrat than evil despot, he's a perfect Imperial. And he wears a cape and has a personal squad of Death Trooper bodyguards, so he definitely looks cool. There was some supposition that he was a Grand Admiral based on his white costume, although that turned out not to be true. As the first Imperial officer in this scale, there is definitely some potential for repaints/retools in the future, and this is a good figure to base those on. The cape is removable, which is good because it definitely gets in the way of the arms. There have been some soft goods in this line, and I think this would have been a good opportunity to use them again. But it is a cool looking cape. Krennic's other accessory is a blaster, which can be holstered on his belt.

#98: Star Wars The Black Series - Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha)

I would have bought the Jyn figure on Force Friday, but I had pre-ordered it from Amazon because it was cheaper than retail. Then they didn't get around to sending it until after Force Friday. Then the postal service had trouble delivering it to the Amazon locker, so it got returned to Amazon and they had to send a replacement figure. My first impression of the figure is how small it is. I don't have a Leia figure yet to compare it to, but I do like that Hasbro is willing to vary the height of figures based on the actors. It's not a great likeness of Felicity Jones, but with the costume is easily recognizable as Jyn. Jyn includes a blaster, and her scarf is removable.

One of the big topics of discussion before Rogue One was released was the apparently massive re-shoots that were done for the movie. One interesting way that shows is on the bio on the back of the box: "A highly skilled soldier in the Rebel Alliance, Jyn Erso is an impetuous, defiant warrior eager to bring the battle to the Empire. Jyn has little patience for debate within Alliance High Command, enough so that she takes matters into her own hands." Having already seen the movie, it's like they're describing an early draft version of Jyn. Hopefully the special features on the Blu-ray go into more detail about the earlier version of the story.

#89: Star Wars The Black Series - Death Trooper

My last Rogue One purchase from Force Friday is the new Stormtrooper variant, the Death Trooper. The Death Trooper was one of the earliest images revealed from the movie, although there was some confusion at the time whether it was even legit. Fortunately, it was because this is a cool trooper design. The all black armor is reminiscent of shadow troopers, and  the redesigned helmet and general sleeker appearance makes them look more intimidating than the standard Stormtrooper. The Death Trooper is armed with a blaster rifle and a blaster pistol. Instead of a holster, there is a loop on the belt that one of the blasters can fit in. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing these guys in action in a few days.

#88: Star Wars The Black Series - K-2SO

Next up from Rogue One is the droid K-2S0. Apparently he is a re-programmed Imperial droid, and it sounds like he might have something of the gleefully homicidal personality that made HK-47 so fun. He's very tall, and although somewhat top heavy he stands up well. I really dig the look, it's a pretty unusual design that stands out. There aren't any accessories which is probably fair enough. Droids don't usually get any unless they use blasters. Or they're Artoo.

#87: Star Wars The Black Series - Captain Cassian Andor (Eadu)

To show you how far behind I am, we are now just getting to my Force Friday acquisitions. Force Friday, which was over two months ago. Anyway, first up from Rogue One is Captain Cassian Andor (Eadu). I'm guessing Eadu is cold, because he looks like he's wearing a similar outfit to what Han Solo wore on Hoth. I guess that's Rebel cold weather chic. That this figure is given the (Eadu) designation leads me to suspect at least one more version of him will be forthcoming. I'm pretty sure he's one of the main characters, so hopefully this won't be a Constable Zuvio situation. Cassian includes a blaster and a blaster pistol, which can be fit in a holster on his side. Overall, this is a nice enough figure, and hopefully I like the character enough in the movie to be glad I bought him.