Emperor's Royal Guard & TIE Fighter Pilot (Carbonized 2-Pack) — Star Wars The Black Series

Overview

The Emperor’s Royal Guard & TIE Fighter Pilot Carbonized 2-Pack is a Spring 2023 Amazon exclusive released as part of Hasbro’s Return of the Jedi 40th anniversary celebration. Amazon exclusive at $69.99 for the pair. Both figures are presented in Kenner-style tribute packaging — a deliberate homage to the original Kenner Return of the Jedi toy line aesthetic. The set pairs two iconic Return of the Jedi Imperial character classes as Carbonized metallic repaints. Neither figure appeared with a shiny metallic finish in Return of the Jedi — the source documentation’s own summary is blunt: “if you are looking for a gimmicky figure which never appeared shiny like this in Return of the Jedi, then this figure is for you.”

That said, the Carbonized treatment lands differently on the two figures. The Royal Guard’s crimson-going-metallic is called out specifically as looking surprisingly good. The TIE Pilot’s black-going-metallic is more neutral.

Emperor’s Royal Guard (Carbonized)

The Royal Guard is a repaint of the 2017 Black Series Emperor’s Royal Guard (figure id=5976).

19 joints. Ball-jointed top neck, swivel lower neck, ball-jointed shoulders, elbows, and wrists, ball-jointed upper body, ball-jointed hips, swivel thighs, swivel joints above and below knees, ball-jointed ankles.

Three accessories: force pike, blaster, and a soft-goods robe. The force pike is the standout — it fits the hands well and the figure can be displayed at attention with the pike leaned against the shoulder, which is the canonical Imperial Guard parade-rest configuration. The blaster is too small for the hands but fits in the holster hidden beneath the robe. The soft-goods robe covers the entire body well but feels bulky and takes time to arrange properly. To remove the robe the head needs to be popped off — the head sits on a peg and comes off deliberately, not accidentally.

The Carbonized finish looks surprisingly good on this figure. The Royal Guard’s canonical crimson robes and armour translate to a deep metallic sheen that reads as genuinely striking against the sculpt. Of all the Carbonized releases in the Black Series sub-line, the Emperor’s Royal Guard is one of the more visually successful applications of the metallic treatment — the dark-red-going-chrome creates an otherworldly Imperial ceremonial look that has its own internal logic even if it’s not screen-accurate.

There is no head underneath the helmet. The figure stands securely without balancing issues.

TIE Fighter Pilot (Carbonized)

The TIE Fighter Pilot is a repaint of the 2014 Black Series TIE Fighter Pilot (figure id=2354).

19 joints. Ball-jointed neck, swivel neck, ball-jointed shoulders, elbows, and wrists, swivel waist, ball-jointed hips, swivel thighs, swivel joints above and below knees, ball-jointed ankles.

One accessory: a blaster. The blaster fits slightly too big for the holster but can be held well in either hand — right-hand trigger-finger engagement is possible. The chest box is permanently attached and can’t be removed. The two cables running from the chest box to the helmet can be detached from the helmet side but not from the chest box. The belt is its own separate sculpted piece but is not removable. No head underneath the helmet. No balancing issues even in dynamic poses.

The Carbonized finish on the TIE Pilot’s canonical black armour produces a dark metallic sheen. Less visually dramatic than the Royal Guard’s transformation, but consistent with the 2-pack’s aesthetic.

The ROTJ 40th Anniversary Context

This 2-pack is part of a broader 2023 Return of the Jedi 40th anniversary product programme from Hasbro. The Kenner-style tribute packaging — referencing the original 1983 Kenner Return of the Jedi card aesthetic — is the second distinct design element beyond the Carbonized finish. For collectors interested in the packaging as a display artefact alongside the figures, the Kenner homage cardback is a specific 40th anniversary collector detail.

The pairing of the Royal Guard and TIE Pilot is thematically coherent for the Return of the Jedi Imperial world — both are canonical throne-room-era Imperial character classes, and both were produced in the original 1983 Kenner line. The 2-pack is as much a collector tribute to the 40th anniversary framing as it is a figure release.

The $69.99 Value Question

At $69.99 for the pair, the implied per-figure cost is roughly $35 — above standard 2023 single-card Black Series pricing. You’re paying for the Carbonized novelty finish, the Kenner tribute packaging, and the Amazon exclusive 2-pack format. Neither figure includes engineering upgrades over their source releases. The Royal Guard’s 2017 source body and the TIE Pilot’s 2014 source body are both available in standard non-Carbonized releases at lower per-figure cost if screen-accurate canonical display is the priority.

Secondary Market

Amazon exclusive 2-pack in Kenner-style tribute packaging, Spring 2023. Available on the secondary market. Verify both figures — Royal Guard with force pike, blaster, and soft-goods robe; TIE Pilot with blaster. The force pike is the most easily separated component.

Verdict

The Emperor’s Royal Guard & TIE Fighter Pilot Carbonized 2-Pack delivers one of the more visually successful Carbonized applications in the sub-line alongside one of the more standard ones — the Royal Guard’s crimson-to-metallic transformation is called out as genuinely striking, the Kenner tribute packaging is a meaningful 40th anniversary collector touch, the force pike attention-pose is a clean canonical display configuration, and the 2-pack’s Return of the Jedi Imperial pairing has obvious thematic logic.

The Royal Guard’s bulky robe requires patience to arrange, the blasters on both figures are slightly wrong-sized (too small for the Guard, slightly too big for the Pilot’s holster), and both figures are explicitly screen-inaccurate novelties. Standard Carbonized caveats apply to both.

Buy this if you’re collecting the Return of the Jedi 40th anniversary releases and want the Amazon exclusive Carbonized pair, if the Kenner tribute packaging appeals as a display piece, or if the Royal Guard’s unusually successful Carbonized finish is specifically interesting. Skip if you want canonical Return of the Jedi Imperial display figures — the standard releases of both characters deliver that.

Two icons of the Imperial throne room in metallic Carbonized tribute to the Return of the Jedi 40th anniversary. The Royal Guard whose Carbonized finish looks surprisingly good, the TIE Pilot whose chest cables stay on, and Kenner packaging that tips its hat to 1983. Amazon exclusive 2-pack, Spring 2023.

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Part of Star Wars The Black Series | 40th Anniversary Collection | Carbonized Collection. Related: Han Solo Carbonite (40th Anniversary) P4-40A-CARB | Shoretrooper (Carbonized) P4-CARB-11 | Paz Vizsla (Carbonized) P4-CARB-10 | Emperor Palpatine (Archive) P4-ARC-EP.