Darktrooper Moff Gideon VC Review

Sometimes you see a review of a figure and think to yourself: 

1. Why did I preorder this?! And..

2. This figure looks great! Why didn't I preorder this?!

Well, I did preorder this. And after reading reviews on JTA and BanthaSkull, I regretted not ordering more than one. I felt this had possibilities as a troop builder. Then I got this figure in and...my opinion and thoughts changed.  Big time. 

As you can see in the photo above, Darktrooper Gideon is slightly taller than the original Gideon. The big advantage the armored Gideon has is barbell hips, as the previous Gideon (this one is from The Rescue set) is basically a statue below the waist. The helmet isn't removable, and there is no extra Gideon head to swap on. That isn't a complaint. 

He's got the standard 17 POA, but I have only had issues with moving his knees. Sometimes it feels like the knees will pop off and break the figure. Fortunately, that hasn't happened. The sculpt and paint apps aren't too bad, but I personally would have wanted a brighter gloss on the armor paint, especially on the helmet. But when I flipped over the cape, I got disappointed. 

So basically, his chest armor is tied on. Why they didn't sculpt back armor is beyond me, and I don't have the Sixer version to compare with it. So I can't accurately say this was done to save money, or it's a way to screw over the VC (being sarcastic, chill out!). And this is where I became disappointed with this figure. On the front, he looks like a bad@$$. Flip up the cape, and he's got tied on armor. I mean, all Din Djarin or Bo Katan had to do was cut his back strap, and the armor would fall off his chest. 

Aside from my issues with the knees, the rest of Darktrooper Gideon is easy to move around. He can fit on Snoke's throne, and he's got great balance standing on his own. The first picture above shows that off. The rocker ankles come in handy here. 

Gideon only comes with a few accessories: a blaster pistol, staff, removable jetpack, and a small blaster. It's the same pistol that came with the basic Gideon figure. His staff has an electric effect which I haven't attempted to remove. But he can hold either weapon in both hands, although his right hand is best for the blaster. 

There is one annoying thing to this figure that frustrates me: the jetpack. It's got a hole in the cape so it can sit on top of the cape. However, the jetpack will easily fall out. So if you store it loose, you'll need to put it in a small bag (which I recommend using to store accessories). He can do a THWG with his staff, as you'll see below. 

Not related, but Hasbro needs to make a Din Djarin that can hold the Darksaber properly. It fell out his hand several times before I was able to get that shot. And the Din Djarin figure is also from The Rescue set, which came with the Beskar spear he has in the 2nd photo. I should have photographed Gideon fighting Bo Katan, but I had photographed another figure the day I shot this, so it isn't quite Mandalorian S3 accurate action scenes, but it accomplished what I needed it to do. 

Now, is this figure essential? No. If you're a Mandalorian completist, then you need him. I only got him because he looked cool, and still does. I don't regret getting him despite being disappointed in the figure, but I'm glad I didn't troop build him. I honestly debated on whether or not to review him despite the lack of enthusiasm I have for it, but sometimes it's best to constructively criticise Hasbro from time to time. I don't think this figure will ever be remade, so he's definitive. Sometimes a figure can look bad in a review but end up being a home run in hand. Here, the opposite was true. In pictures a home run, but in hand, it's like getting hit in a sensitive area by a pitch. So that's why I'm brief in the review. But, I have some other things to share: memes! 

I have another blog post coming up shortly! Thanks for reading! A special thanks to Chris and Nomad at BanthaSkull for allowing me to post this link in the comments section! Please share this link on your social media accounts so I can get more readers!