Order 66 Tsui Choi & BARC Trooper
![]() Target is continuing their series of Order 66 figures this year. These tubed sets pair a Jedi with a clone trooper. I would assume the troopers are guards for Vader and Palpatine. As for the good Jedi, the troopers would be their assassins. I normally don’t comment on packaging, but feel compelled to do so here. The tubes these guys come in are a bit of a pain to get them out of. Neat display though, except it takes up more space than, say, the comic two packs. A word of advice, open the tube from the bottom. There is tape holding the insert in from that side. Also there is tape and a clear band holding the troopers gun in. Appearance:
So, that being said does he look like he should? Yeah. He’s got funky blue and cream lizard looking skin and Jedi robes. That’s about all we could ask for.
There a couple of things I really like about this guy. Number one, the head sculpt. The toothy grin is perfect, as are the little ridges on the side of his head. Number two, his robe has a little piece of wire sown into the bottom. This way you can situate it the way think it looks best on display. The downside isn’t horrible. They used dry brushing or something like it to get that natural look between the cream and blue. Some places it look good. Some it doesn’t. This is the only Tsui they had at my Target, but definitely check out the paint when making a Choi choice to purchase.
I’m not going to say much about the BARC Trooper. He’s okay. Not great, not bad, just meh. He’s pretty much generic trooper body with the BARC Trooper head. And to be honest. I don’t even know why this guy would need a special helmet. It’s so close to the standard helmet, it seems a waste. It almost looks like somebody tried to bootleg a clone trooper. If the Kashyyykk trooper’s helmet turned into the headgear of choice for biker scouts, then whey even make this version? The BARC trooper has the usual random smattering of grime. Oddly, he’s got more on his back than front. Almost looks like the troops behind him were slinging mud balls at him to make fun of his silly hat.
Fun:I’ll continue to pick on the BARC for a minute. I understand not every figure can be sculpted and articulated to sit well. But, shouldn’t the characters that actually sit in the film be able to do it? This guy can come no where near either kneeling or sitting thanks to his awful hips. Above the waist, not bad. Below the waist, bantha poodoo. Come on, Hasbro! I wish had a BARC speeder to tell you if he fits it, but I don’t. Sorry folks! UPDATE: Figrin Bran at Sir Steve’s Guide pointed out this figure will sit better and fit on a BARC speeder when I posted this review. I had to push his legs out to get them to go up farther. After working with them they got smoother as well. Thanks for the pointers! My last point of contention with this guy is his gun. I have to say I’m not a fan of the enormous cannons and multi barrel weapons that show up in comics these days. I wasn’t even a big fan of Roadblock carrying a 50 cal in the GI Joe comic. This weapon just looks ridiculous. If a single trooper couldn’t pick up and fire an E-Web on Hoth, there’s no way this guy could handle this thing. There’s no way to pose him with it that doesn’t look like a caricature. It will serve better in a hanger scene as something coming out of a gunship, rather than a personal piece of artillery. Alright, I’ll come down off the soapbox now. Tsui Choi fares much better. He’s got ball jointed shoulders to make those Jedi moves. Add to them cut wrists and ankles. I’m not sure why the ankles are needed, but I’ll never turn down a couple of nearly invisible points of articulation. The robe, as I mentioned above, has a piece of wire in it. Missing, however, is a hood. Now, maybe he just doesn’t have one. My guess is that making one to fit around that big melon was going to be a challenge to get right, so it got left off. Finally, he comes with ever Jedi’s best friend, his lightsaber. This one reminds me of some of the more generic sabers that came around with the various Jedi and accessory sets from Episode 2. Plain with rings around it. There is one slight problem with it. He can’t hold it. His hands are just not made in to hold a saber. So, keep that little rubber band that holds it on in the package. You’re going to need it to have him fight a battle. Overall:
I have to say Tsui Choi, even for being an EU character, is a worthy addition to the Jedi ranks. I imagine a number of these guys will be customized into podracers as well. I’d have probably rated him higher if he could hold his saber. The BARC trooper on the other hand is on the opposite end of the scale. I don’t see a mass run on army building this guy. Valuewise, if you consider that you are paying full figure price for Tsui and think of the BARC as a deluxe accessory, it might be an easier set to pick up. Engineernerd Scores:Tsui Choi: 90/100BARC Trooper: 70/100 |
Category: Star Wars, Toy Reviews