The shot lasts maybe two seconds. A black-armored Death Trooper on the shores of Scarif pulls a spherical device from his belt, twists the top, and hurls it toward the rebel position. An explosion rips through the landing pad. Bodhi Rook goes down. Baze Malbus follows. Most viewers barely register the object — just another piece of Imperial hardware in a film crammed with them. But for prop builders, RPG game masters, and collectors who spend their weekends scouring Etsy listings and 3D-print forums, that small black sphere is the C-25 fragmentation grenade, and it has quietly become one of the most sought-after replica ordnance pieces in the entire Star Wars franchise.
The C-25 does not carry the cultural weight of a lightsaber or the instant recognition of a thermal detonator. That is precisely why collectors want it. It occupies a niche — the unsung, utilitarian, infantry-grade weapon that feels real in a way that flashier sci-fi gadgets often do not. This article breaks down everything worth knowing about the C-25: its in-universe engineering, its screen time, its stats across RPG systems, and the surprisingly active market for physical and digital replicas.
What the C-25 Actually Is (In-Universe Engineering)
The C-25 fragmentation grenade was manufactured by Merr-Sonn Munitions, Inc., one of the major arms contractors supplying the Galactic Empire. Merr-Sonn's catalog also included the SE-14r blaster pistol and various concussion munitions, but the C-25 became their most visible product thanks to its association with Imperial special forces.
The device itself consists of a sphere of baradium-impregnated detonite encased in a conductive outer shell. Activation is straightforward: the user twists the top hemisphere, which arms the internal fuse and initiates a configurable countdown timer. The timer can be set to detonate anywhere within 20 rounds of activation — in real-time translation, roughly equivalent to a adjustable delay of several seconds up to approximately two minutes, depending on the combat tempo. This flexibility let Death Troopers use the C-25 as both a thrown anti-personnel weapon and a planted charge for demolition or booby-trapping.
Upon detonation, the baradium-detonite core produces a fragmentation pattern designed to saturate a lethal radius with high-velocity shrapnel. In the West End Games D6 RPG system, the blast zones are graded into three concentric rings:
- 0–2 meters: 5D damage (lethal to any unarmored humanoid)
- 4 meters: 4D damage
- 6 meters: 3D damage
- 10 meters: 2D damage (still capable of wounding)
The second RPG system — also from the D6 lineage but published under a later supplement — assigns a slightly different profile: 8D/7D/6D damage across blast radii of 1/2/3 meters respectively, with a listed price of 420 credits and restricted availability (rated 2, X — meaning export-restricted). The earlier version prices it at 300 credits with a slightly wider availability rating. These discrepancies between sourcebooks are common in the D6 line and reflect edition-level rebalancing rather than contradictions in canon.
"Sphere of baradium-impregnated detonite encased in conductive shell. Activated with a twist." — Equipment listing, Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game sourcebook (West End Games), later reprinted in Rogue One: Ultimate Visual Guide (Dorling Kindersley, 2016).
The conductive shell serves a dual purpose. Beyond containing the explosive filler, it interfaces with the Death Trooper's armored gloves, which contain embedded activation contacts. This means the twist-to-arm mechanism is not purely mechanical — it requires a conductive handshake between the grenade's shell and the trooper's gauntlet. In theory, this acts as a rudimentary biometric lock: an unarmored rebel picking up a live C-25 cannot easily trigger or reset the timer. Whether this detail holds up under scrutiny is debatable (Bodhi Rook handles grenades in Rogue One without issue), but it adds a layer of design fiction that prop makers have gone to considerable lengths to replicate.
Screen Appearances: Where You Have Actually Seen It
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
The C-25's primary screen debut is Rogue One. Death Troopers — the black-armored Imperial intelligence operatives assigned to Director Krennic — carry the grenades in clusters of three, mounted on their utility belts. The grenades are visible in several sequences:
- The opening flashback on Lah'mu, where Death Troopers escort Krennic to the Erso homestead.
- The Battle of Scarif, particularly the ground-level fighting around the data vault and landing pads.
- The killing of Bodhi Rook — a C-25 is thrown into the rebel position on the Scarif landing pad, ending the pilot's life mid-transmission.
- The death of Baze Malbus, who takes shrapnel from a C-25 blast moments later.
These are not glamorous hero moments. The C-25 appears in the context of brutal, ground-level infantry combat — precisely the tonal register that Rogue One aimed for. The grenade's visual design is deliberately understated: a matte black sphere roughly the size of a regulation baseball (approximately 75mm in diameter based on prop scaling), with subtle surface detailing that reads on camera as industrial rather than decorative.
Beyond Rogue One
The C-25 has since appeared or been referenced in expanded Star Wars media. The VeVe digital collectible platform released it as part of their "Imperial Special Forces Gear" collection, describing the grenades as "screen-inspired" replicas carried by Death Troopers. In the Star Wars Battlefront II video game, the community pushed hard for the C-25 to replace the Death Trooper's default Sonic Imploder ability, arguing that the fragmentation grenade was more lore-accurate and visually consistent with the unit's Rogue One loadout. DICE eventually incorporated more traditional explosive equipment for Death Trooper variants, though the exact C-25 designation remained primarily tied to Rogue One and RPG sourcebooks rather than becoming a mainstream game mechanic.
The C-25 also shows up in fan-fiction and roleplay communities — particularly on platforms like SpaceBattles forums and Garry's Mod Star Wars RP servers, where equipment manifests routinely list "C-25 Fragmentation Grenade x2" as standard Death Trooper or Imperial special forces loadout. These communities have, in many ways, kept the C-25's identity alive between film releases.
C-25 vs. Thermal Detonator: What Separates Them
Collectors and fans regularly confuse the C-25 with the more famous thermal detonator. They are different weapons with different roles, different manufacturers, and very different screen histories. Here is a direct comparison:
| Attribute | C-25 Fragmentation Grenade | Thermal Detonator |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Merr-Sonn Munitions, Inc. | Various (BlasTech, Prax, others) |
| Type | Fragmentation (shrapnel-based) | Thermal energy (heat/plasma burst) |
| Primary User | Imperial Death Troopers | Boba Fett, stormtroopers, bounty hunters |
| Activation | Twist top, configurable timer (up to 20 rounds) | Button press, fixed short delay |
| Shape | Sphere, ~75mm diameter | Cylinder with rounded caps, ~100mm length |
| RPG Damage (D6 system) | 5D to 8D (sourcebook-dependent) | 10D to 16D |
| RPG Price | 300–420 credits | 1,000–2,000 credits |
| Screen Debut | Rogue One (2016) | Return of the Jedi (1983) |
| Replica Availability | Niche — primarily 3D printed | Widely available — multiple manufacturers |
The thermal detonator is the heavier hitter — it deals more damage, costs more in-universe, and has decades of screen history. The C-25 is the infantryman's tool: cheaper, less destructive, but tactically flexible thanks to its adjustable timer. For collectors, the thermal detonator is the obvious first purchase. The C-25 is what you buy when you have already filled that slot and want something that signals deeper franchise knowledge.
The Replica Market: Physical Props and 3D-Printed Builds
If you type "C-25 grenade" into Etsy or eBay right now, you will find anywhere from 15 to 40 active listings at any given time. The market breaks down into three rough tiers:
Tier 1: Basic 3D-Printed Static Models ($15–$40)
These are FDM or resin prints, typically in black or dark grey PLA, with minimal post-processing. Sellers on Etsy and Thingiverse offer STL files for as little as $3–$8, while finished prints run $15 to $40. The Props3DPro Thingiverse upload (thing:5265917) is one of the most downloaded C-25 models — listed as a "static model, really easy to print and make" with optional electronics for those who want to add LED effects. At this tier, surface detail is layer-line visible, and the conductive-shell texturing is simplified.
Tier 2: Painted and Weathered Replicas ($50–$120)
Mid-range replicas add hand-painted weathering, surface texturing (stippling, sanding, filler priming), and sometimes functional twist-to-arm mechanisms. Sellers like Custom Made Fast describe their C-25 as "inspired by the gear carried by Imperial Death Troopers" and market them as desk display pieces and cosplay accessories. These tend to run 75mm to 85mm in diameter — roughly 1:1 scale relative to the screen props. The better examples use cast resin rather than FDM prints, which eliminates layer lines entirely and produces a surface finish close to injection-molded quality.
Tier 3: Screen-Accurate or "Hero" Replicas ($150–$350+)
At the top end, specialist prop makers produce replicas that attempt to match the exact surface detail, weight, and color of the on-screen grenades. These may include internal electronics (LEDs, sound modules), metal hardware (actual threaded twist mechanisms), and screen-matched paint formulas. Some incorporate magnetic mounting points for belt display as part of full Death Trooper costumes. eBay listing #376371873198 advertises a "1:1 scale C-25 Fragmentation Grenade" as a "Rogue One Shadow Prop" — these listings push toward the $200–$350 range depending on finishing level.
For context, screen-used props from Rogue One are exceptionally rare on the open market. Profiles in History and similar auction houses have sold Star Wars props in the hundreds of thousands — a screen-used lightsaber from The Empire Strikes Back realized $450,000 at auction in 2024, and Darth Vader's lightsaber was valued at up to $3 million ahead of a 2025 auction. A C-25 hero prop, if one surfaced, would likely land in the $5,000–$20,000 range based on comparable "secondary weapon" prop sales, though no verified screen-used C-25 has appeared at major auction as of mid-2026.
Building One Yourself: What the Community Recommends
The 3D printing and cosplay communities have produced extensive build guides for the C-25. The typical recommended workflow for a screen-quality replica runs something like this:
- Print: Resin (SLA/DLP) at 0.05mm layer height for best surface quality. FDM works but requires significant sanding.
- Clean and prime: Wash in IPA, cure fully, then apply 2–3 coats of filler primer (Tamiya Surface Primer is the community consensus).
- Detail: Scribe panel lines and surface texturing with a hobby knife. The C-25's shell has subtle segmentation grooves that most base STL files understate.
- Paint: Base coat in matte black (Tamiya TS-29 or equivalent). Dry-brush with gunmetal or dark steel for the conductive shell effect. Some builders add a very faint olive drab wash to suggest field use.
- Weathering: Chipping effects with a silver paint pen on edges. Optional: subtle orange-brown rust streaking around the twist seam.
- Electronics (optional): 3mm red LED in the twist seam, activated by a tilt switch or reed switch, powered by a CR2032 coin cell.
The 501st Legion — the international Star Wars costuming organization with over 14,000 active members across 70+ garrisons worldwide — includes Death Trooper as an approved costume category. Members pursuing "screen-accurate" or "hero tier" certification for their Death Trooper builds frequently cite the C-25 grenades as one of the more fiddly components. The belt mounts alone require careful engineering: the grenades need to sit in groups of three, held securely enough for convention wear but removable for display.
Digital Collectibles: The VeVe Release
In 2025, VeVe — the digital collectible platform licensed by Disney and Lucasfilm — released the C-25 Fragmentation Grenade as part of their Imperial Special Forces Gear series. The VeVe listing describes the grenades as "screen-inspired" and notes that Death Troopers carry them in clusters of three. Digital collectibles on VeVe typically sell for $9.99 to $14.99 at initial release, with aftermarket prices on the VeVe secondary market fluctuating based on rarity tier and edition size.
The VeVe release is notable because it represents the first time the C-25 received official merchandise treatment as a standalone item rather than a component of a larger Death Trooper figure. Previous Star Wars merchandise — action figures, model kits, Hasbro role-play lines — either omitted the grenades entirely or included them as small, low-detail accessories molded onto a Death Trooper figure's belt. The VeVe collectible, rendered in full 3D and viewable in AR, gives the C-25 its own spotlight and arguably introduced it to a broader collector audience beyond the prop-building community.
Why Grenade Replicas Occupy a Unique Collector Niche
There is something about sci-fi grenade replicas that sits differently in a collection than blasters or helmets. They are small. They are self-contained. They do not require a display stand or a mannequin. A C-25 replica sits on a desk the way a paperweight does — unassuming, tactile, easy to pick up and turn over in your hands. For many collectors, that physical interaction is the entire point.
The broader sci-fi prop replica market has grown substantially since 2020, driven by three converging trends:
- Desktop SLA printers dropping below $300. Resin printers like the Elegoo Mars and Anycubic Photon series made screen-quality surface finishes achievable in a home workshop. Before this, only professional prop shops could produce cast-resin quality.
- Streaming-era franchise density. The Mandalorian, Andor, Ahsoka, and other Disney+ Star Wars series kept visual reference material flowing year-round, sustaining demand for new replica categories.
- Cosplay convention growth. Dragon Con, Star Wars Celebration, and regional fan conventions continued expanding post-pandemic, driving costume builders to source ever-more-accurate accessory props.
The C-25 benefits from all three. It is achievable on a budget (a basic print costs less than a takeout dinner), it ties directly to one of the most beloved Star Wars films, and it completes a Death Trooper costume in a way that no other accessory does.
The C-35 and Other Variants
Worth noting: the C-25 is not the only Merr-Sonn fragmentation grenade in the Star Wars universe. The C-35 fragmentation grenade is a related design that also appeared in expanded lore, with its own Wookieepedia entry and prop references. Merr-Sonn's naming convention suggests a product line progression — the C-25 and C-35 share the same baradium-detonite technology but differ in casing geometry and intended user. YouTube prop channels like those covering the "Merr Sonn C-35 frag grenade" have noted the visual similarities and differences, with some builders producing both as a matched set.
For collectors assembling an "Imperial Ordnance" display — a growing sub-genre of Star Wars collecting — having both the C-25 and C-35 alongside a thermal detonator and an impact grenade creates a representative survey of Imperial infantry weapons that tells a more complete story than any single piece alone.
Common Questions About the C-25 Fragmentation Grenade
Is the C-25 fragmentation grenade canon or Legends?
Both. The C-25 originated in West End Games' D6 Star Wars RPG sourcebooks, which are now classified under the Legends continuity. However, its appearance in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and subsequent references in canon-adjacent materials like the Rogue One: Ultimate Visual Guide (Dorling Kindersley, 2016) established its canon status as well. The physical props used on screen are canon by definition, regardless of the RPG sourcebook lineage.
What is the actual size of a C-25 grenade?
Based on prop scaling and comparison with Death Trooper armor (which is built to approximately human proportions), the C-25 measures roughly 75mm to 85mm in diameter — comparable to a regulation baseball (73–76mm) or slightly larger. Replica makers generally produce at 1:1 scale in this range. The VeVe digital collectible lists screen-inspired proportions consistent with this estimate.
Who gets killed by a C-25 grenade in Rogue One?
Two named characters die from C-25 blasts during the Battle of Scarif: Bodhi Rook (the defected Imperial cargo pilot) and Baze Malbus (the heavy weapons specialist and former Guardian of the Whills). Both deaths occur on the Scarif landing pad during the final ground engagement.
Can I 3D print a C-25 grenade at home?
Yes. Multiple STL files are available on Thingiverse, Yeggi, and Cults3D. The Props3DPro model (Thingiverse thing:5265917) is one of the most popular. Basic FDM prints take 2–4 hours on a standard printer. Resin prints produce better surface quality but require post-processing (washing, curing, priming). Files typically cost $3–$10; finished prints from Etsy sellers run $15–$120 depending on finishing quality.
How does the C-25 compare to a real-world fragmentation grenade?
The C-25's in-universe damage profile (5D–8D in D6 system terms) and blast radius of up to 10 meters places it in a similar tactical category to real-world defensive fragmentation grenades like the M67 (U.S. military), which has a casualty radius of approximately 15 meters and a lethal radius of about 5 meters. The C-25's twist-to-arm mechanism and adjustable timer have no direct real-world equivalent — modern grenades use a pin-and-spoon safety with a fixed pyrotechnic delay fuse, typically 4–5 seconds.
Where can I buy a finished C-25 replica?
Active listings appear regularly on Etsy (search "C-25 grenade" or "Death Trooper grenade"), eBay (search "C-25 fragmentation grenade"), and specialist prop shops like Custom Made Fast, 3DPrintProp, and BallWool. Prices range from approximately $15 for a basic unpainted print to $350+ for a screen-accurate, weathered, electronics-equipped build. Availability fluctuates — these are mostly small-batch or made-to-order operations, not mass manufacturers.
The C-25 fragmentation grenade is not the most famous weapon in Star Wars. It will never anchor a movie poster or inspire a theme park ride. But it represents something that the franchise does better than almost any other fictional universe: it makes its infantry feel equipped, not just costumed. Every belt pouch, every grenade clip, every scuffed piece of armor tells you that someone — on-screen and behind the scenes — thought about how this soldier carries their gear. That is why collectors chase it. Not because it is flashy. Because it is right.
