SHOCK TROOPER Skirmish in the Senate
The Saga Collection Target Exclusive Battle Packs; Saga Legends
Item No.: Asst. 85770 No. 87084
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster Pistol and/or Rifle, antenna
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99-$19.99
Availability: Spring 2006, Summer 2007+
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: Palpatine's Shock Troopers are ordered to search the senate in hopes of finding and destroying Jedi Master Yoda. (Taken from the figure's Battle Pack box.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: What's the best way to get fans to re-buy stuff they bought before? Battle Packs. In 2006, Target and Hasbro teamed up to squeeze money out of our wallets with the awesome Shock Trooper figures in the Skirmish in the Senate battle packs. In it, you get two Shock Troopers based on the ever-popular Super Articulated III-41 mold of Clone Trooper, a newly sculpted Senate Pod (available here for the first time ever), a Yoda, and a Palpatine. Yoda and Palpatine were nothing new and available in several other configurations, so those were basically junk drawer fodder. The troopers, though, those were exciting-- you get your usual 14 points of articulation, removable antenna, and all-new (for the mold) deco with the kind of articulation you've come to love. These squeaky clean troopers are great, and fans bought multiples of the packs just to bolster their army-- and ended up with unwanted figures as a result. In a way, it's good for Hasbro, but in another, more accurate way it's a waste of resources when the set could have just as easily been 4 Shock Troopers that wouldn't have been somewhat wasteful by comparison. The entire package is a great set for kids, but it's unlikely any collector bought this and was genuinely excited to get one more Yoda and one more Palpatine.

Collector's Notes: Originally released as part of a Battle Pack in 2006, individually carded versions of this figure were sold in 2007. The pattern of the red paint is slightly different, but it's so slight it really doesn't warrant the word "variation." The figure examined here is not the same mold as the version sold in 2005 and 2006 on individual cards, as this figure does not feature quick-draw action. The 2007 Saga Legends release is unique in that it includes a coin from Episode III as well as the pistol-- not the rifle. The Battle Pack included one pistol and one rifle, so you could have both. At this time, despite two unique versions, there are no "battle damaged" or "dented" Shock Troopers... even though that's how they look in the movie and on the packaging. Maybe next year?

Day 558: November 15, 2007