Elite Praetorian Guard (with Heavy Blade) — Star Wars The Black Series

Overview

The Elite Praetorian Guard with Heavy Blade is a November 2017 Amazon exclusive at $24.99 — the third distinct Praetorian Guard design released in the Black Series 6” programme and the only one exclusive to Amazon. Shipped in a white Hasbro mailer box rather than standard retail packaging. The figure was reviewed and released before The Last Jedi hit cinemas, so accuracy to the final film design could not be confirmed at the time — the sculpt was described as a good representation of what Praetorian Guards look like based on available pre-release material.

The Praetorian Guard series in the Black Series covers three weapon configurations: the 4-pack (id=9030) with multiple variants, the single-card dual whip version (id=9031), and this Heavy Blade version — the heaviest melee loadout of the three.

Articulation — The Elbow Warning

19 joints — ball-jointed top neck, swivel lower neck, ball-jointed shoulders, swivel joints above and in the elbows (no ball-jointed wrists on this figure — an absence from the standard Phase 3 configuration), ball-jointed torso, ball-jointed hips, swivel thighs, swivel joints above and below both knees, ball-jointed ankles.

The elbow joints are the critical note. With enough patience it’s possible to bend each elbow by about 80 degrees, but they are very stiff and the source documentation issues a direct warning: don’t break off the arm. Force the elbows carefully and gradually — aggressive posing attempts risk joint damage. This is a meaningful display constraint: 80-degree elbow flex limits weapon-grip pose variety despite the figure’s overall stability.

The two removable shoulder bells plug into small holes on the shoulders. They move up and down slightly when arms are raised above 90 degrees, which allows a wider range of shoulder movement than hard-plastic bells typically permit — a specific engineering positive that partially compensates for the elbow limitation.

The Four Accessories

Heavy blade (staff) — the two-handed melee weapon that defines this variant. Fits well into the figure’s hands.

Sword — single-hand blade. Fits well in the hands.

Two removable shoulder bells — removable for display flexibility and functionally articulated to move with arm raises. They are the design detail that separates this tooling from fixed-bell equivalents.

Paint and Sculpt

The paint application was well applied, the armour appears shiny — a clean all-red finish with no dirt or weathering. The Praetorian Guard’s crimson armour is a display-statement piece precisely because of its clean, ornate surface; the absence of weathering is appropriate to the character’s role as ceremonial elite guard rather than field combatant. No balance issues.

The Praetorian Guard Variants

For collectors building a complete throne room display, the three 6” Praetorian Guard configurations cover different weapon types. This Heavy Blade version provides the pole weapon/staff pairing. The other releases cover dual whip and mixed configurations. All share the same all-crimson armour aesthetic with different accessory loadouts.

Secondary Market

Amazon exclusive, November 2017, Phase 3 Red Line, shipped in white Hasbro mailer box. Verify all four accessories: heavy blade, sword, two shoulder bells. The shoulder bells are the most easily separated components on a loose set.

Verdict

Elite Praetorian Guard with Heavy Blade is the heavy melee configuration in the Black Series Praetorian Guard series — the heavy blade staff and sword pairing with removable articulated shoulder bells make it a distinctive display variant from the standard and dual-whip releases. The 80-degree elbow limit with its explicit “don’t break it” caution is the practical posing constraint that every buyer should know about going in. The shiny clean armour finish is exactly right for this character class.

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Part of Star Wars The Black Series | Phase 3 Red Line. Related: First Order Stormtrooper with Extra Gear P3-EX-FOSG | Amazon Trooper 4-Pack P3-EX-4PK | Imperial Shadow Squadron P2-EX-ISS.