SHADOW SCOUT with Speeder Bike
30th Anniversary Collection StarWarsShop.com Exclusive
Item No.: No. 87452
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Pistol, black Speeder Bike
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $25.00
Availability: July 2007
Appearances: n/a

Bio: Shadow scout troopers (a.k.a. storm commandos) are trained for missions of deep infiltration. They uncover plots hatched by shadows in dark corners, and they dig up deadly secrets that can be used to make enemies cooperate. Their speeder bikes are designed for silence and speed, with a trideflective energy shield that prevents detection. (Taken from the figure's box.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy room, standing with some Shadow Stormtroopers.

Commentary: The Shadow Scout is both awesome and maddening all at once. It's cool because, well, it looks neat. It's a black repaint of the very popular super-articulated Scout Trooper mold we've been offered time and again, and it loosely matches a design in the Dark Horse Rogue Leader comic book series. Key word: loosely. Aside from the fact it has some black on it, the other markings and accessories don't match the comic at all, which is a pity because we as fans tend to be much more accepting of non-movie toy concepts if they come from some existing fiction source. (Why, who knows, but it's true.) The figure looks good, has a working holster, and has all the articulation you could hope for. This is good, because at the asking price, it's a fairly rotten item. If you're a fan of black repaints, weird troopers, or non-movie designs, this is a can't-miss item. Just try to get it on sale if you can swing it.

Collector's Notes: This was a bad concept on many levels as a product. It looks neat, and it has lovely packaging, but it failed. Why? Well, it's a $7 figure and a (at best) $5 ship with an asking price of $25.00. ShopStarWars.com did not sell through it at Comic-Con 2007, and is currently selling them at a discounted price of $18.99, which is closer to fair but after you figure in shipping and possibly tax, it's still not a very good deal. You can probably get one on eBay for less than it would cost you at StarWarsShop.com. So what's the lesson learned here? Overpriced Internet exclusives will not sell well and will not sell out for a while. Even though it's neat and a vehicle, it's pretty sad that a 25-year-old ship mold and a new figure are seeing this sort of ridiculous pricing given that the item, all things considered, is a pretty lazy repaint. Yes, I'm bitter about the price-- I don't have a lot of goodwill for items that feel overly expensive, especially given Toys "R" Us had an exclusive set for $20 which had the bike in a different color with five figures in 2004.

Day 639: February 4, 2008