Star Wars Black Series Army Builders

Army building — collecting multiple copies of the same generic trooper figure to create a massed display — is one of the Black Series’ most visually impactful collecting approaches. A single Stormtrooper on a shelf is a solid figure; eight Stormtroopers flanking Darth Vader creates a genuine statement. The Star Wars Black Series has produced more than sixty distinct trooper, soldier, and warrior variants across all four phases, spanning the Imperial Army’s full visual history from the Clone Wars era through the First Order to the Mandalorian covert. This guide covers every meaningful army builder in the line, organised by faction, with recommendations for the best version of each type.

What Makes a Good Army Builder?

The best army builder figures share several qualities: a generic or masked design that doesn’t require a specific named character’s identity, structural quality that holds up to multiple purchases without visible production variance, a reasonable retail price relative to the visual impact of multiple copies, and ideally standard retail availability rather than exclusive distribution.

The Black Series has both excellent army builders and poor ones. A figure that meets all these criteria — the standard white Stormtrooper in Galaxy Collection format, the Phase I Clone Trooper, the First Order Stormtrooper — can anchor a large massed display convincingly. A figure with exclusive distribution and a $25 retail price that only appears in limited quantities is a poor army builder regardless of its design quality.

Imperial Stormtrooper Programme

The standard Stormtrooper is the ur-army builder of Star Wars collecting, and the Black Series has produced more Stormtrooper variants than any other character type across the line’s history.

Best standard Stormtrooper: The Galaxy Collection ANH sub-line Sandtrooper at ANH 12 (2025) and the 40th Anniversary Stormtrooper are both strong. For the standard non-desert ANH Stormtrooper, the 40th Anniversary 2017 version remains the primary recommendation for a Kenner-nostalgic display, while the ANH sub-line 2025 Sandtrooper covers the Tatooine patrol.

Specialist Imperial troopers: Scout Trooper, TIE Fighter Pilot (Blue Wave), AT-AT Driver (40th Anniversary), Imperial Snowtrooper (Hoth) (40th Anniversary), Death Star Trooper, Royal Guard (40th Anniversary).

Mandalorian-era Imperial remnant: Imperial Stormtrooper (Mandalorian), Remnant Stormtrooper, Incinerator Trooper, Artillery Stormtrooper, Imperial Armored Commando — all from The Mandalorian sub-line.

Inquisitorius support troops: Purge Trooper (Phase II Armor) (OWK sub-line), Electrostaff Purge Trooper (Gaming Greats), Scout Trooper (Fallen Order), Imperial Rocket Trooper, Flametrooper — all from Gaming Greats.

First Order Troopers

The sequel trilogy’s First Order provides a second Stormtrooper programme with its own visual vocabulary. First Order Stormtrooper (TFA) at TFA 03 is the primary Galaxy Collection army builder. Captain Phasma (Red Line) is the officer centrepiece. First Order specialist variants: Snowtrooper (Holiday), TIE Pilot (Gaming Greats Battlefront II Jet Trooper), and the Sith Trooper (Red Line) and Sith Jet Trooper (Red Line) for the TROS era.

Phase I and Phase II Clone Troopers

The clone army programme spans multiple sub-lines and eras, making it the most complex army builder programme in the Black Series.

Phase I base units: Phase I Clone Trooper at AOTC 02 (standard white), Clone Trooper (Kamino) at CW 01, Clone Trooper Lieutenant (yellow markings, Walgreens), Clone Trooper Sergeant (green, Blue Wave), Clone Trooper Captain (red, Blue Wave).

Phase I unit variants: 332nd Clone Trooper (Ahsoka orange markings, Walmart), Clone Trooper (212th Battalion) (orange, Walgreens), Clone Trooper (187th Battalion) (purple, Walgreens), ARC Trooper Fives (ARC designation, Walmart).

Phase II base units: Phase II Clone Trooper at CW 14 (standard white), Clone Commander Jesse (tattooed helmet, Walmart).

Republic Commando: Complete Delta Squad available in Gaming Greats — BOSS, SEV, Fixer, Scorch.

Mandalorian Warriors

The Mandalorian covert and the broader Mandalorian warrior programme is one of the Galaxy Collection era’s strongest army builder propositions.

Standard covert warriors: Mandalorian Nite Owl, Mandalorian Privateer, Mandalorian Shriek-Hawk — all three 2024 Mandalorian sub-line releases share a base body with distinct helmet configurations.

Named warriors for command anchors: Paz Vizsla with heavy blaster cannon, The Armorer as the covert leader, Bo-Katan Kryze with Darksaber.

Death Watch: Death Watch Mandalorian and Mandalorian Loyalist for the pre-Bo-Katan factions.

Droids as Army Builders

Battle droids are the Separatist army’s equivalent of Stormtroopers, and the Black Series has produced several versions. Battle Droid (Red Line), Super Battle Droid (AOTC), B1 Battle Droid (Jedi: Survivor) (Gaming Greats), MagnaGuard (Clone Wars), Commando Droid (Clone Wars), and Droideka (TPM) give the Separatist faction more droids than any previous 6-inch format. The Dark Trooper as a droid design — Dark Trooper Deluxe — is the Mandalorian sub-line’s primary droid army builder.

Army Building on a Budget

Army building at 6-inch scale and $22–25 per figure adds up quickly — eight Stormtroopers is $180 before exclusives or secondary market premiums. Practical approaches: focus on one trooper type rather than multiple, prioritise standard retail releases over exclusives, and set a specific count target (four is enough to create a convincing flanking formation; eight creates a proper massed display). The standard white Clone Trooper and First Order Stormtrooper are the most cost-effective army builders given their standard mainline retail availability and large production runs.

Display Tips for Army Builders

Massed trooper displays work best with a command figure at the centre — Darth Vader commanding Imperial troops, Bo-Katan leading Mandalorian warriors, Moff Gideon over Imperial remnant troops. This hero-and-army structure mirrors the films’ visual language and creates a more impactful display than rows of identical figures without a focal character.

Trooper variants — mixing standard Stormtroopers with a Sandtrooper, or standard white Clones with a 332nd and a 212th variant — add visual variety without breaking the trooper aesthetic. The visual effect of uniform rows with selective variants is more effective than strict uniformity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best Stormtrooper Black Series figure? For standard ANH Stormtrooper, the 40th Anniversary Stormtrooper from 2017 remains strong. For the current Galaxy Collection era, the ANH 12 Sandtrooper is the 2025 recommendation.

What is the best Clone Trooper army builder? Phase I Clone Trooper at AOTC 02 for standard white. 332nd Clone Trooper for the most visually distinctive single variant.

How many of the same figure should I buy for army building? Four is a practical minimum for a flanking formation; eight creates a genuine mass display. More than twelve of the same figure starts to dominate shelf space significantly — most army builders cap at eight per specific variant.

Trooper Variants — Understanding the Full Range

The Black Series trooper programme has produced variants in four distinct visual registers that appeal to different collector aesthetics. Classic white Imperial/Clone troopers span the full timeline from Phase I Clone Wars through ANH Stormtrooper to ROTJ and Rogue One period — the most display-compatible across eras. The Dark Armour Inquisitorius-era troopers from Gaming Greats Fallen Order cover the pre-ANH Dark Times period. The Mandalorian-era Imperial remnant troopers in weathered grey and black cover the post-ROTJ period. The First Order white armour covers the sequel trilogy. Each register has its own visual coherence, and the most effective army builder displays typically stay within one register rather than mixing across all four.

The Best Army Builder Purchases by Budget

Under £25 (single figure): Standard Phase I Clone Trooper from the AOTC sub-line or First Order Stormtrooper from the TFA sub-line — both standard mainline retail, widely available, strong standard versions of their respective types.

£50–75 (two to three figures): Phase I Clone Trooper plus 332nd Clone Trooper for a Siege of Mandalore display kernel, or Mandalorian Nite Owl plus Mandalorian Privateer for a covert warrior pairing.

£100+ (four or more figures): Complete 332nd display (four 332nd troopers, Commander Jesse, Ahsoka Tano), complete Mandalorian covert (Nite Owl, Privateer, Shriek-Hawk, Paz Vizsla), or complete Imperial remnant shelf (Stormtrooper, Incinerator Trooper, Artillery Stormtrooper, Remnant Stormtrooper, Moff Gideon commanding).

Rebel and Resistance Soldiers

The Rebel and Resistance side of the army builder equation is thinner than the Imperial programme but has several strong entries. Rebel Trooper (Hoth) from the ESB Galaxy Collection sub-line is the primary Rebel army builder. Resistance Trooper from the Red Line covers the sequel-era Resistance foot soldier. Rebel Commando (Endor Deluxe) from the 40th Anniversary gives the Endor strike team its supporting soldier. Rebel Soldier (Hoth) from the 40th Anniversary ESB wave completes the Hoth defensive contingent. Rebel army builders are generally easier to find and less expensive than Imperial trooper variants, reflecting the collector tendency to skew toward the villains for army building purposes.

Bounty Hunter Displays — Not Army Builders but Close

The ESB bounty hunter lineup — Bossk, IG-88, Boba Fett, Dengar, 4-LOM, Zuckuss — is not an army builder in the strict sense (each figure is a distinct named character) but creates a massed display with a similar visual effect. Assembling all six bounty hunters from across the Blue Wave, Red Line, and 40th Anniversary sub-lines is one of the most satisfying achievement displays in the Black Series — see the Empire Strikes Back guide for sourcing details.

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Part of Star Wars The Black Series. Related: Factions | The Mandalorian | The Clone Wars | Gaming Greats | Collector Guide.