STAR WARS Return of the Jedi Stormtrooper by Hot Toys review (updated with Part II - Deluxe)

In a group they look good, but a little odd on their own. Still happy with my Bandai.

CHEERS!

Those look great, and such a good idea!

Though I was almost too distracted by Vader to notice anything else...

Rogerbee wrote:In a group they look good, but a little odd on their own. Still happy with my Bandai

Thanks. I agree, not sure why, but they do look better as a group.

skywalkersaga wrote:Those look great, and such a good idea! Though I was almost too distracted by Vader to notice anything else...

Thank you. Too distracted by Vader? He only shows up once!

He’s just that beautiful .... ;’)

Part II - Deluxe Version

I received the deluxe version (MMS 515) of Hot Toys' Return of the Jedi Stormtrooper the other day, and here is the promised Deluxe addendum. The deluxe set comes in a box that has the same width and depth as the standard version, but is about 1.5 inches taller, reaching 16 inches. The imagery on the cover, the cigar band, and on the color card under the cover are different from what you get with the standard version.



Inside the box there are now two transparent plastic treys (each with its own cover of the same material) one of which fits over the other. The top trey contains the figure and its accessories, while the bottom trey contains the same stand as the standard version (this time correctly labeled "Stormtrooper") plus the backdrop exclusive to the deluxe version (the only additional item). That is intended to portray a Death Star wall panel with light apertures, and is designed so as to sit at the same level as the top of the action figure stand. It requires 3 AAA batteries (not included), which are placed into a compartment on the back, concealed behind a simple cardboard slip printed on one side with the image of a different Death Star wall panel. You have to unscrew a little screw to open the battery compartment and to close it; tiny JIS-type screwdrivers help, as usual.  



The quality of the light apertures panel is very good, although it is really a simple piece with minimal sculpting and a nice even paint application; the translucent white light cover looks and works great. The printed panel on the cardboard slip is fine but considerably less impressive.



While it looks quite nice, it does leave something to be desired. For one thing, it is barely enough background for one figure. For another, it really should have been designed so as to work both with and without the action figure stand (i.e., the backdrop's little base that elevates it to the level of the top of the action figure stand should be removable). There is also a missed opportunity with the cardboard slip -- perhaps they could have given us three of them, depicting the three most basic types of Death Star wall panels, or at the very least printed it with different panel imagery on both sides.



Is it worth an extra $50? Hard to tell, although there is plenty of good quality and basic electronics involved.



Articulation update
Like so often, I couldn't help myself and put together a reconstituted HT ROTJ Stormtrooper (i.e., I built it from parted out parts). In the process, I did not pick up and include the padding (among other things), and can confirm that simply removing that makes a significant enough difference with the articulation. Although the edges of the upper and lower leg armor still get in each other's way (something that perhaps can be avoided if using a longer body or longer ankle pegs), the stormtrooper can now sit decently well.



Hope this has been useful. What do you think?

Ah, wow, it does look really good. I especially love the reflection of the lights on the shiny floor!  Though of course you are right that it would have been better if it were wider and if the base were optional. Even so, it does make a very nice display stand, and your pics show it off very well. : )

Sitting, something little Babies learn before the Stormtroopers. Has there ever been any Stormtrooper sitting in the movies, not counting drivers? Worked out well!

And the base....I guess if you get all your friends and their Deluxe Stormtroopers together, one can have a very long Death Star floor full of troopers.

skywalkersaga wrote:Ah, wow, it does look really good. I especially love the reflection of the lights on the shiny floor!  Though of course you are right that it would have been better if it were wider and if the base were optional. Even so, it does make a very nice display stand, and your pics show it off very well. : )

Thanks. Well, the shiny floor doesn't come included (and has been pitted and smudged through overuse). The reflection of the lights is very cool, though truth be said, my printed white lights manage to cause almost as much of a reflection on it when the light bounces off of them. But of course, it is very cool to have real Death Star lights, even if just a little sliver of them...

Ovy wrote:Sitting, something little Babies learn before the Stormtroopers. Has there ever been any Stormtrooper sitting in the movies, not counting drivers? Worked out well!

And the base....I guess if you get all your friends and their Deluxe Stormtroopers together, one can have a very long Death Star floor full of troopers.

Like I've mentioned on other occasions, apparently most Stormtrooper actors on the set couldn't actually sit, although some could (Han in ANH, and I've seen some set photos), so the sitting problem is perhaps not a huge flaw with the figure. But it makes sense to make it as articulated as possible. And in this particular instance, the padding "garment" I didn't include was absolutely unnecessary.

So aptly put. I mean, who could army build at this cost!? And apart from this website, I don't know anyone who collects this sort of stuff, never mind who might pick up this particular figure...

Thanks for the review, Guv. I didn't go for the Deluxe myself, as I didn't think the extra backdrop justified the added expense, but I am glad I got one of these new Stormies.

Stryker2011 wrote:Thanks for the review, Guv. I didn't go for the Deluxe myself, as I didn't think the extra backdrop justified the added expense, but I am glad I got one of these new Stormies.

I agree with you -- it is nice, but not essential, and of dubious worth at this price point. It's just that I don't like to pre-order, so I was holding back until I saw they were selling out. And my usual go to play had only Deluxe sets left for pre-order, so I bit the bullet and pre-ordered one. Then I found the regular sets elsewhere, with a discount to boot.

GubernatorFan wrote: Then I found the regular sets elsewhere, with a discount to boot.

I hate when that happens. Though I guess in your case, it probably worked out ok, since you love your Troopers.

That's how I ended up with the Deluxe Obi-Wan, lol. Though in that case I had a good idea of what I'd use some of the extras for from the start, so it was probably worth it.

Stryker2011 wrote:I hate when that happens. Though I guess in your case, it probably worked out ok, since you love your Troopers.

skywalkersaga wrote:That's how I ended up with the Deluxe Obi-Wan, lol. Though in that case I had a good idea of what I'd use some of the extras for from the start, so it was probably worth it.

Yes, it's alright. I'd rather buy a full squad of 9 troopers at $80 each (oh the good old days...; if Sideshow had only gotten them right back then!) than just 2 at $250, but high end license holders aren't going to make it easy on army builders. I was curious to get the backdrop, which, while limited in various ways (see above), is a little nicer than I expected (the light up part anyway). It's certainly not a bargain, but I can live easily enough with just one of these. It probably helps that over the years I have accumulated a number of stormtoopers (some of them kitbashed or reconstituted).

Very cool review all the way, those troopers are so iconic! Awesome idea for the bandai/hasbro mix, I had missed that part, very effective for army building! (that shot with vader and papa palpatine reviewing the troops!!!)

Great photography as well, it all lies in the posing and you realyl master that part, most of your casual shots could be "behind the scene" pictures of the stunts in armor having a beer or reading a mag... Top notch!

blackpool wrote:Very cool review all the way, those troopers are so iconic! Awesome idea for the bandai/hasbro mix, I had missed that part, very effective for army building! (that shot with vader and papa palpatine reviewing the troops!!!)

Great photography as well, it all lies in the posing and you realyl master that part, most of your casual shots could be "behind the scene" pictures of the stunts in armor having a beer or reading a mag... Top notch!

I'm glad you liked it and thank you very much for the kind words. I'm not terribly ambitious with these photos -- mostly intended to show off the figures in different poses and from different angles -- but I do try to provide a modicum of environment and context. Coming from you, this is all very flattering.

Many Thanks for that Review, Gube ! You save my Troopers life I like to do it in Your Hybrid style. Without Your Hybrid mod my bandai trooper is useless for me.
I really love this men in uniform Especially the light reflections on the armor in the dark hallways they walk. And You have so many of them

I always enjoy your Star Wars posts! It's a passion that has stayed with me since i was five years old and saw the original Star Wars!
These look really well made, and its also great to see not only the different varieties you have, but also all the different makes and models! Really, really enjoyed this one!

Slight confession, I do like Rex from the clone wars

Ephiane wrote:Many Thanks for that Review, Gube ! You save my Troopers life I like to do it in Your Hybrid style. Without Your Hybrid mod my bandai trooper is useless for me. I really love this men in uniform Especially the light reflections on the armor in the dark hallways they walk. And You have so many of them

You are very welcome, and I'm happy if it helped. One can never have too many stormtroopers! But, yes, I have a problem (addiction). I would suggest you get yourself at least two, to suggest plurality. While I do have a few boxed sets, most of my stormtroopers are "reconstituted" (using some or most of the parts parted out from specific sets -- either consistently or mixing and matching). The Bandai articulated models are excellent, and their articulation and accessories are arguably or potentially better than the Hot Toys ones -- except for that damn helmet. Because they were (relatively!) cheap (by comparison to the Hot Toys sets), I invested in several Bandai models and several Hasbro Interactech stromtroopers for the heads (even combining the costs, much less expensive than HT). That is how I built up the ranks. And, if needed, one could always use the nicely-sculpted if under-articulated Interactech bodies with the oversized Bandai helmets as out-of-focus background characters.

BAMComix wrote:I always enjoy your Star Wars posts! It's a passion that has stayed with me since i was five years old and saw the original Star Wars!
These look really well made, and its also great to see not only the different varieties you have, but also all the different makes and models! Really, really enjoyed this one! Slight confession, I do like Rex from the clone wars

Thank you very much! Sounds like we are in the same boat -- except for me being more addicted to these. If you would like a more systematic look and comparison/contrast between Hot Toys' Original Trilogy stormtroopers, take a look at this thread:
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t2194-star-wars-original-trilogy-stormtroopers-comparison

And if you want to see Rex (I do like clone troopers, too, just focus on the Original Trilogy) as you have never seen him before, check out this thread again, LOL:
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t3830-jiaou-doll-male-bodies-10a-11c-12d-and-tbleague-m30-m33-m35-comparison