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STAR WARS 2019 Imperials (stormtrooper, gunner, and tank commander) from Rogue One by Hasbro

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GubernatorFan

GubernatorFan
Founding Father
Introduction

It has been all Star Wars over the last week here, what with the Jabba Tatooine Skiff review (HERE) and the updated sixth-scale Sandtrooper (HERE).

To my delight, Hasbro has revisited "super" articulation in their "classic scale" (3.75") figures from their new
"Vintage Collection" (which was rebooted in 2018, after a hiatus since 2013). Among a large array of other figures, this year (2019) has seen the release of three imperial characters from Rogue One: Imperial Stormtrooper, a Death Star Gunner, and Imperial Assault Tank Commander.

starwars - STAR WARS 2019 Imperials (stormtrooper, gunner, and tank commander) from Rogue One by Hasbro Hcsi0110

Packaging: 4/4 stars
Each figure comes packaged in a transparent plastic bubble on a classic-style card, complete with nice color photos of each character from the film and a blatantly nostalgia-exploiting "Kenner" label on it. For all of its obviousness, I do like and appreciate the packaging.

starwars - STAR WARS 2019 Imperials (stormtrooper, gunner, and tank commander) from Rogue One by Hasbro Hcsi0210

Sculpting: 4/4 stars Stormtrooper and Tank Commander; 3.5/4 stars Gunner
The sculpting appears to be excellent on all three characters, taking advantage of the apparent new techniques and possibilities developed over the period when the Vintage Collection was on hiatus. The Tank Commander and Stormtrooper are particularly well done; the proportions of the Gunner might be just a little bit off, with the helmet probably just a bit undersized, while its antenna looks far too thick, but would probably have been impossible to supply otherwise. Nevertheless, this figure features the same excellent complexity of detail as the other two, with the natural folds of the jumpsuit, the ribbed segments of the top, and the (possibly too subtle) patterning on the armor.

starwars - STAR WARS 2019 Imperials (stormtrooper, gunner, and tank commander) from Rogue One by Hasbro Hcsi0710

Paint: 3.5/4 stars Stormtrooper and Gunner; 2.5 stars Tank Commander
Overall, the paint work is really impressive, given the small size of the figures (just 3.75"). The Stormtrooper is actually surprisingly well-painted, though I realize I might have gotten lucky, and someone else might get a misaligned paint application; here the imperfections on mine are limited to a few specs of white (or exposed underlying paint at the joints?) on the black body suit below the armor. On the Gunner one can find just a little bit of silverish paint bleed on the belt, but again, given the size of the thing, this is still a very good quality application; the imperial "cog" crest on the helmet's forehead is applied flawlessly. When it comes to paint, the Tank Commander is the most complex and arguably most poorly executed figure of the three. Both the movie character and the figure are given a lot of weathering and dirt, perhaps inexplicably much. But it just does not translate as well on a figure this small, as opposed to what you might get in 1:1 or even 1:6 scale; this is most obvious on the helmet, where the weathering ought to have highlighted (or actually tarnished) the recessed lines, but does nothing of the sort, thereby reducing the likeness to the film appearance. On the other hand, the parts that should have received a precise and clean paint application on the Tank Commander are executed very well indeed.

starwars - STAR WARS 2019 Imperials (stormtrooper, gunner, and tank commander) from Rogue One by Hasbro Hcsi0410

Articulation: 4/4 stars
Each of the three figures features an excellent 16+ points of articulation (ball-jointed neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, upper body, hips, knees, ankles, and swivel thighs. The joints are relatively well hidden and work very well, allowing for pretty much any pose one might want to recreate. The figures appear well-balanced and relatively easy to stand and pose. This is what action figures should be like when it comes to functionality, in any scale.

starwars - STAR WARS 2019 Imperials (stormtrooper, gunner, and tank commander) from Rogue One by Hasbro Hcsi0810

Accessories: 3/4 stars
Considering what we see the characters use on screen, the limited accessories we get (one blaster each) are adequate or more than adequate (we don't see the Gunners or Tank Commanders handle blasters -- I think). For what it is worth, each of the blasters features some nice painted detail (clean in the case of the Stormtrooper and Gunner, and very weathered in the case of the Tank Commander). That said, they are rather limited, although I suppose it would have been too much to ask to get a control panel background or cannon station with the Gunner, or an Assault Tank with the Tank Commander (though the tank is available separately!). I do not recall if regular Stomtroopers are seen with long blaster rivals or other alternative weaponry in Rogue One. Some of Hasbro's older figures (including Gunners/Englineers and Stormtroopers/Spacetroopers) had featured removable helmets, and their recent Han Solo in Stormtrooper disguise figure showed they could now make even the removable Stormtrooper helmet look as nicely sculpted, proportioned, and painted as the non-removable version we get here. (By removable helmet, here I mean one that fits over a separate sculpted head.) This might have been a relatively easy and sensible additional detail to which we are not treated. Hence the good but less than optimal rating in this category.

starwars - STAR WARS 2019 Imperials (stormtrooper, gunner, and tank commander) from Rogue One by Hasbro Hcsi1010

Outfit: 4/4 stars
Since everything is sculpted, this is about general appearance. As I noted above about the Gunner, the clothing elements are nicely sculpted and include plenty of detail, like ribbing on the Gunner's top and the tiny segmented (ribbed) surface of the Stormtrooper's black body suit. It should be noted, again, that these figures are based on the unit types' appearance in Rogue One. Thus, the Stormtrooper sports a rectangular side button on his abdominal armor, and has a little indent running along the top of the protruding section on his upper back. The Gunner's top does not feature the imperial "cog" emblem on the sides of his upper arms at the shoulders, which were there on both the ribbed top and on the underlying jumpsuit in the Original Trilogy. While I don't think these changes from the Original Trilogy look were advisable, those were questionable choices on the part of the filmmakers, not Hasbro, and the figures are accurate to their stated source, Rogue One.

starwars - STAR WARS 2019 Imperials (stormtrooper, gunner, and tank commander) from Rogue One by Hasbro Hcsi0310

Fun Factor: 4/4 stars
With their good proportions, faithful detail, and excellent articulation, the new imperial figures from Hasbro lend themselves to plenty of fun display options; and we should not forget that although they are bound to appeal to collectors, these are actually toys for children. With Hasbro seeming to produce more sets and vehicles (in this instance, most pertinently, the Assault Tank), there should be additional possibilities for playing with or displaying the figures.

starwars - STAR WARS 2019 Imperials (stormtrooper, gunner, and tank commander) from Rogue One by Hasbro Hcsi0510

Value: 3/4 stars
While the figures are awesome for adult collectors, they are also supposed to be mass-produced toys for children. That is where the cost of about $15 (USD) per figure is not exactly cheap, although the product quality in appearance and articulation has improved over preceding versions (if any) in every way, and product costs in action figures have been rising across the board. It is a rather tolerable price compared to the larger-scale figures we might look to (e.g., those in 1:12 scale).

starwars - STAR WARS 2019 Imperials (stormtrooper, gunner, and tank commander) from Rogue One by Hasbro Hcsi0610

Overall: 3.6/4 stars
For action figures in the 3.75" line, these little guys are almost perfect and I think better than any previous iterations. I had previously showcased a simple kitbash to produce a perfect or near perfect Stormtrooper in this scale (using the Rogue One under-articulated figure's fine helmet and the older Vintage Collection's Spacetrooper body, HERE), but you no longer need to do that to get an even more perfect Stormtrooper: you can simply pick up the new Vintage Collection Rogue One version. Similarly, despite the unfortunate design changes (as to imperial emblem at the shoulders) in Rogue One, this is the best articulated Gunner we have gotten.

starwars - STAR WARS 2019 Imperials (stormtrooper, gunner, and tank commander) from Rogue One by Hasbro Hcsi0310

Things to watch out for
Since these are technically intended for children, they are relatively safe and cause little concern. The blasters are small enough to lose or misplace easily, so keep an eye out for that. I imagine that, if carelessly stored, the antenna on the Gunner's helmet might end up bending in an unfortunate manner.

starwars - STAR WARS 2019 Imperials (stormtrooper, gunner, and tank commander) from Rogue One by Hasbro Hcsi0910

Where to Buy
Some of these are already widely available in the States, while others (the Stormtrooper) appear to be at the pre-order stage at most places. You can look on eBay or Amazon or here (for example) :

Big Bad Toy Store for $15-16

Entertainment Earth for $14 (Stormtrooper)

Atomic Universe for $14.25 (Stormtrooper)

Hope this was helpful. What do you think?

#starwars #classic #vintagecollection #hasbro #galacticempire #stormtrooper #deathstar #gunner #assaulttank #commander


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skywalkersaga

skywalkersaga
Aw, they look great! And your photos actually DO capture them well — I think the fully armoured/helmeted figures often do photograph better (as opposed to the ones with faces) at this scale.

I absolutely LOVE the Vintage Collection — though if I’m being honest, I was kind of glad it had been sort of put on hold in 2013, as it meant that I could search for figures from it without constantly having to worry about running into Sequels-era characters/spoilers (same with the 3.75” Clone Wars collection line which ran concurrently with the animated series from c. 2008-2013). When things like this get rebooted, I’m often extremely torn — because while I love it and I’m glad to see it back, it also means that it’s now a landline for me and full of ‘new’ figures I have to avoid. Just like everything else. ;-;

In light of that, your reviews of non-sequels figures like this are much appreciated. : )

GubernatorFan

GubernatorFan
Founding Father
skywalkersaga wrote:Aw, they look great! And your photos actually DO capture them well — I think the fully armoured/helmeted figures often do photograph better (as opposed to the ones with faces) at this scale.

Thank you very much! That did come to mind when I was putting together the review -- although I had taken the photos already. Glad you think they turned out ok. I think so too, although I remain amazed at how little depth is necessary for something to come out of focus. At any rate, I love this line (which is defined more by quality and articulation than the selection of source matter), even if one has to skirt around various non-Original Trilogy (plus Rogue One) characters -- they have included in it some Sequel Trilogy stuff too. But to each his/her own...


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skywalkersaga

skywalkersaga
GubernatorFan wrote:Thank you very much! That did come to mind when I was putting together the review -- although I had taken the photos already. Glad you think they turned out ok. I think so too, although I remain amazed at how little depth is necessary for something to come out of focus. At any rate, I love this line (which is defined more by quality and articulation than the selection of source matter), even if one has to skirt around various non-Original Trilogy (plus Rogue One) characters -- they have included in it some Sequel Trilogy stuff too. But to each his/her own...


Aw, indeed. I know the frustrations of photographing these small figures well, but you really did do a great job with these. Smile

I love the VC line too, and agree that it does tend to be fairly high in quality and attention to detail. The weathering on some of the above figures in your review is especially nice. The attractive packaging of this line doesn't hurt either, although the whole 'mint-on-card' thing does tend to drive prices up on the older figures, and thus I tend to purchase most of them 'loose' unless it's one that I don't mind leaving in the packaging. Razz

And yeah...my complaints re: all things sequels-related are of course down to my own personal issues. I try to keep the specifics of my negative thoughts about those films to myself, though sometimes I cannot help but vent my general frustrations. ;p

For the record, I absolutely loved Rogue One -- mainly because I felt it captured the spirit of Star Wars extremely well, and elaborated on many of the original saga's pre-existing story elements and themes. The entire plot was a literal illustration of one of my favourite quotes from the RotS novelization (aka, 'in the heart of its strength lies its weakness'). Not to mention said plot had already existed as part of the story from the very beginning... as early as the scrolling credits of A New Hope. :')

Overall, I have nothing against additional or new stories told in the SW universe, as long as they are respectful to the original saga and characters (I adored the Lucas-era TCW animated series, and didn't mind parts of its Disney-run successor, SW: Rebels). Rogue One managed to be respectful to all that came before it, as well as an enjoyable standalone film in its own right. Smile

ETA: Just noticed your new userpic, GF... excellent! Very Happy


_________________
"The happy ending of the fairy tale, the myth, and the divine comedy of the soul, is to be read,
not as a contradiction, but as a transcendence of the universal tragedy of man."

Ignoring current 'official' Star Wars content for my own sanity.

GubernatorFan

GubernatorFan
Founding Father
skywalkersaga wrote:I love the VC line too, and agree that it does tend to be fairly high in quality and attention to detail. The weathering on some of the above figures in your review is especially nice. The attractive packaging of this line doesn't hurt either, although the whole 'mint-on-card' thing does tend to drive prices up on the older figures, and thus I tend to purchase most of them 'loose' unless it's one that I don't mind leaving in the packaging. Razz

For the record, I absolutely loved Rogue One -- mainly because I felt it captured the spirit of Star Wars extremely well, and elaborated on many of the original saga's pre-existing story elements and themes.

ETA: Just noticed your new userpic, GF... excellent! Very Happy

Yes, I agree that they are exploiting nostalgia to sell products and to do so at a possibly higher cost, which is not quite cool, but what can one do. Getting loose figures is not a bad idea, especially if army-building.

And I completely agree on Rogue One -- especially in the sense that it managed to recapture much of the spirit of the Original Trilogy -- in a way that Solo failed to do (among other problems). Which is not to say the film doesn't have some issues, but hey, it's Star Wars after all.

Glad you like the new avatar -- it is excerpted from the updated and finalized Sandtrooper kitbash (HERE).


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skywalkersaga

skywalkersaga
GubernatorFan wrote:Yes, I agree that they are exploiting nostalgia to sell products and to do so at a possibly higher cost, which is not quite cool, but what can one do. Getting loose figures is not a bad idea, especially if army-building.


Yeah... I guess maybe one can get good deals if you snap up the new releases right away, but when it comes the MOC figures that have been out for a while, they can run at ridiculous costs on ebay. I've seen certain sought-after carded VC figures going for 200 USD or more, for instance. So, sometimes getting them loose is the only option.  Shocked

GubernatorFan wrote:And I completely agree on Rogue One -- especially in the sense that it managed to recapture much of the spirit of the Original Trilogy -- in a way that Solo failed to do (among other problems). Which is not to say the film doesn't have some issues...

I didn't see Solo, mainly cause I was against it being made at all as I didn't see the need for a movie like that whatsoever, so I can't comment on that, but sort of glad to know I wasn't missing much. ;p

And yeah, R1 was not necessarily perfect, but it had some wonderful moments, interesting characters, and absolutely gorgeous visuals. The Death Star as this almost alchemical 'Black Sun' hovering over Jedha was incredibly well done. Mads Mikkelsen as Galen Erso stole my heart and had me bawling my eyes out -- I loved the father-daughter theme that ran throughout, with Jyn's adopted father-figure being a mostly-cybernetic Rebel, and her real father being an imprisoned 'Imperial'....a fascinating mirror image of Leia with her adopted father Bail and her real father, of course, Vader.

And yes, many great nods and homages to the OT of course, but also to the Prequels (having the same actors for Mon Mothma and Bail Organa as in the PT films) and even the Clone Wars (the character of Saw Gerrera was originally from that series). That might not be important to some, but for me it was everything. I love you

GubernatorFan wrote:Glad you like the new avatar -- it is excerpted from the updated and finalized Sandtrooper kitbash (HERE).

Ah, yes, checking it out. Smile


_________________
"The happy ending of the fairy tale, the myth, and the divine comedy of the soul, is to be read,
not as a contradiction, but as a transcendence of the universal tragedy of man."

Ignoring current 'official' Star Wars content for my own sanity.

GubernatorFan

GubernatorFan
Founding Father
skywalkersaga wrote:Yeah... I guess maybe one can get good deals if you snap up the new releases right away, but when it comes the MOC figures that have been out for a while, they can run at ridiculous costs on ebay. I've seen certain sought-after carded VC figures going for 200 USD or more, for instance. So, sometimes getting them loose is the only option.  Shocked

Well, that is plain unfortunate, not to say ridiculous. If you are willing to gamble on something, they do love to re-release figures in this collection with or without some minor tinkering, so you might end up with something just as good, or possibly completely or partly better, if you wait. Though I suppose the basic price does rise, too, over time (though it should still be much less than the inflated secondary market prices for things that have become rare). For example, I just upgraded to the most recent Lando in Bounty Hunter disguise (or whatever it is called -- they even came up with an undercover name for him in that role). It is very much like the older figure, except with added knee articulation and the new photo-printing (?) paint application to the head (which is both a plus and a minus, in various ways -- I was just after the articulated knees). It is a better figure than before, and comes with a better vibro axe, but they forgot (?) to include the blaster (although there is a blaster holster to hold it, as before). And this wasn't just a one off, but common to the whole production line for this particular figure! Smile

Interesting analysis of the characters and their background in Rogue One vs Original Trilogy (and Prequel Trilogy), by the way; I hadn't thought of many of these aspects to it.


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skywalkersaga

skywalkersaga
GubernatorFan wrote: they do love to re-release figures in this collection with or without some minor tinkering, so you might end up with something just as good, or possibly completely or partly better, if you wait.


Good to know!

GubernatorFan wrote:For example, I just upgraded to the most recent Lando in Bounty Hunter disguise [...] It is a better figure than before, and comes with a better vibro axe, but they forgot (?) to include the blaster (although there is a blaster holster to hold it, as before). And this wasn't just a one off, but common to the whole production line for this particular figure! Smile

LOL, that sucks, but is also kind of hilarious. I guess you can always use the original one in place of it, though that only works for those who already have it. Razz

GubernatorFan wrote:Interesting analysis of the characters and their background in Rogue One vs Original Trilogy (and Prequel Trilogy), by the way; I hadn't thought of many of these aspects to it.

Thanks, glad you didn't mind my meta-ramblings. :'D


_________________
"The happy ending of the fairy tale, the myth, and the divine comedy of the soul, is to be read,
not as a contradiction, but as a transcendence of the universal tragedy of man."

Ignoring current 'official' Star Wars content for my own sanity.

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