S.H. Figuarts Review | Praetorian Guard (Whip Staff) Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Thomas becomes Part of the Elite Guard with Supreme Leader Snoke’s Praetorian Guard (Whip Staff) figure from Tamashii Nations

Over the past three months, S.H. Figuarts has released all three different variations of Praetorian Guards – the Double Blade, Heavy Blade and Whip Staff. What changes with each figure is the helmet and the main weapon, otherwise, they all have the same accessories and the figure itself is the same.

The Double Blade has the twin vibro-arbir blades (one separated and one attached), the Heavy Blade has the vibro-voulge and this one has the electro bisento. The bilari electro-chain whip (in sword configuration and inarticulated configuration) are included in each figure with 3 pairs of hands (one with hands closed, one with hands to hold the weapons, and one with open hands). For the weapons, they are all nicely detailed and movie accurate. The chain whip in the articulated configuration is actually articulated, you can move it any way you want and it won’t break!

The design of the Praetorian Guards is one of the best designs of The Last Jedi. It’s reminiscent of the Imperial Royal Guards but it’s a more warrior-like version which I prefer and having seen the film, it really suits them as they have one epic action scene! I love how the armor is reminiscent of the Samurais, it feels ancient and “noble” and it has this powerful warrior feel. Each helmet has been designed to reflect this nobility with the Double Blade version being the my pick of the bunch but this one is a close second.

If you want to recreate Snoke’s complete Praetorian Guard group you’ll need two Double Blade guards, two Heavy Blade guards with the voulge and one with the chain whip, two Whip Staff guards using the bisento and one Whip Staff guard using the chain whip.

The Figure:

Figuarts got the character totally right. I love how they were able to make the armor shining like it is in the movie, it really feels like armor and what is under it is just a “normal” red, they got the contrasts right. I also appreciate the use of plastic for the long skirts, it feels more realistic than fabric at least in this case. The skirt is made of four pieces of plastic allowing the legs to move in different poses. Under the skirt, they have glossy armor boots and black pants, that’s probably the only piece of black these guards have in their outfit! The Praetorian Guards have 19 points of articulation but having an armor doesn’t allow the figure to have the same possibilities of articulation at the arms as the other figures, which makes sense. Despite that “flaw,” you can still get amazing poses for the figures.

Up Close:

Final Thoughts:

Honestly, I’m satisfied with what Figuarts has done with these Praetorian Guards, the sculpt is really impressive! I can definitely say I’ll be picking up more of them to complete my Snoke throne’s room scene!

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Thomas Storai is the Senior Collectables Correspondent for Future of the Force. He is passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and a wide range of movies. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasStorai where he uses the force frequently!

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