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Part I: Hot Toys Star Wars Return of the Jedi Scout Trooper MMS611 Review and Comparison



For Part II, see HERE.




Introduction

As I was saying elsewhere, I love the world Lucas created with Star Wars, even if I have various issues with his stories, including the Original Trilogy.  Of its three components, Return of the Jedi is largely my least favorite, but it still belongs and it features plenty to love.  One of my favorite troopers were the Scout Troopers (AKA Biker Scouts), and Hot Toys just released their Return of the Jedi version of this trooper, following relatively quickly upon their Mandalorian version.  Naturally, there is relatively little difference between the two versions, but I will point them out below, along with some comparison to the earlier Sideshow version of the original scout trooper.  I also purchased the speeder bike, after receiving the figure, and will post a follow up with it.  I took a few too many photos, and relegated some of them to a separate topic to keep from making the page too slow, you can check them out HERE.



Packaging

The Scout Trooper comes in the familiar shoebox type container with removable lid featuring a nice image of the figure and enhanced with a cigar band with more texts and images running across the bottom.  Inside is a title card showing off the figure on the speeder bike companion piece (which I will be reviewing separately).  Below this is a single plastic trey with its transparent plastic lid, containing the figure and its accessories.  Everything is safe, snug, and collector friendly.  The bottom of the box features plenty of credits and warnings.



Sculpting

Like the Mandalorian version of the scout trooper, which had an almost identical sculpt, the sculpt is clean and sharp and source accurate.  Of course, there is no human likeness to worry about, just the armor, uniform, and weaponry.  The main difference in the sculpt is the upper body armor, which is substantially shorter on the Original Trilogy scout trooper than on the Mandalorian version, and the Return of the Jedi version features additional detail (four horizontal indents) on the back "hump" of the armor.  The incompletely closed helmet appears to be a carryover from the Mandalorian version, using the same mold.



Paint

The basic color scheme is simple enough, black and white, with just a few details in other colors. Like the Mandalorian version, but far more subtly, this one is given plenty of weathering effects, with worn or dirtied up parts of the armor and boots. The two weapons, especially the blaster rifle are also given some weathering, or rather wear and tear, and their lenses are given a nice gloss.  The main difference in paint between the two versions (amount and type of weathering apart) is the different coloring of the "frown" on the helmet.  The helmet's lenses are translucent green, although it is very difficult to notice or show this.



Accessories

The Scout Trooper comes with an attachable thermal detonator that clips over the belt at the back and, as usual, is difficult to place securely and tends to fall off while one handles the figure.  The small blaster pistol (EC-17) fits into the holster built into the right boot.  There is also a long targeting blaster rifle (DLT-19x) with a cloth sling.  I do not recall the rifle from the film, though it might have been featured in a game.  The thermal detonator that clips onto the back of the belt was mentioned before.  Hot Toys provided a number of spare parts, including, as usual, a pair of wrist pegs, and a total of four pairs of hands (a pair of relaxed hands, a pair of fists, a pair of steering grip hands, and two right gun grip hands for, respectively, the blaster rifle and the blaster pistol).  There is also the standard Hot Toys platformed crotch-grabber stand with the product's name and an optional card printed to resemble the surface of Endor.  There is a small leaflet (not shown) with warnings and instructions as to which gun grip hand goes with which weapon.



Articulation

It seems to be the same thing I keep saying every time I review a Hot Toys action figure.  In theory, the articulation is all there and excellent, but in practice, Hot Toys' insistence on inserting intrusive thick padded garments under the visible clothing and armor severely restricts it.  The soft material used for the upper parts of the boots, however, leaves the ankle articulation virtually unimpeded.  Almost as helpfully, the gloves and gauntlets are a two-part design, allowing for wrist articulation.  The figure is often difficult to pose as desired.  Neither weapon has any movable parts.



Outfit

Apart from the armor, the outfit is made up of a black body suit or overalls and collar, as well as the boots (hard plastic shoe with soft vinyl-like shaft closed with velcro at the back), and the gloves (hard plastic hands and softer plastic vambraces).  Articulation at the shoulder is helped by the fact that the shoulder bells of the armor are attached with velcro, and can be removed and replaced for posing.  Since the shorter upper body armor leaves more of the lower torso exposed, the cummerbund and bags on the Return of the Jedi version are broader/taller than those on the Mandalorian version.  This portion is a little darker and warmer in color than the armor, which is appropriate but possibly a little excessive in degree. The Return of the Jedi body suit or overalls is of a different design than that used for the Mandalorian.  Upper body armor apart, the placement of the otherwise more or less identical knee armor is reversed (flipped) between the two versions, accurate to their respective sources. 



Comparison to other Scout Trooper figures

Excluding the upper body armor, cummerbund, and knee armor, Hot Toys' Return of the Jedi scout trooper is virtually identical with their Mandalorian scout trooper, paint apart.  Both are unusually tall for Hot Toys figures (12.25 inches = 31.1 cm), and in fact taller than the Sideshow version.  Since they are based on the same source, the Hot Toys and Sideshow Return of the Jedi scout troopers are very similar in appearance, although the Sideshow version looks squatter.  It also does not benefit from the wrist and ankle articulation of the Hot Toys figures.



Fun Factor

Good articulation (which would be excellent if the padding is removed), proportions, accessories (up to and including the speeder bike), and figures to interact with (Hot Toys has made Return of the Jedi Stormtroopers, Emperor, Leia and Ewok) all guarantee that this figure can be fun to display or play with.

I placed a number of additional images with other figures HERE, so as to avoid overburdening this topic with too many photos.



Value

Retailing at nearly $230, this is not a particularly cheap set, especially considering the limited number of accessories; then again, it is not nearly as expensive as some of Hot Toys' other sets these days.  The deluxe set including both this and the speeder bike costs a little over $500.  On the whole, the figure is excellent, with very minor shortcomings from an accuracy point of view.  It is probably unlikely that we would get any better scout troopers anytime soon.



Overall

Hot Toys' Return of the Jedi Scout Trooper is a very good rendition of one of my favorite trooper types.  While the reuse of the Mandalorian scout trooper helmet has introduced a technical discrepancy in the accuracy of the appearance, the overall look and proportions of the figure are great, and in my view preferable to those of its predecessors.  I enjoyed the figure and plan on reconstituting one without the padding, so as to take fuller advantage of the articulation potential.

For more photos, see HERE.


For Part II, see HERE.

Where to Buy

You can still find them here (or search eBay):

Timewalker Toys

Big Bad Toy Store (still preorder)

Cotswold Collectibles

Monkey Depot

Sideshow

Other recent or relevant reviews:

Mr Toys MT2021-08 Slave Princess set (and Huttlslayer Leia customs)

World Box AT030 Body

Hot Toys Star Wars Rogue One Assault Tank Commander

Hot Toys Star Wars Rogue One Director Krennic

Premier Toys PT0001 Wasteland Gladiator

Toys Headquarters Vol 003 Fighter

TBLeague Ramesses the Great

Figure Masters Vamp Lou

LDDoll Seamless Figure Body

SooSoo Toys Frozen Man

SooSoo Toys Mr Butcher

Sideshow and Hot Toys Star Wars Scout Troopers (comparison)

Thunder Toys Hell Detective

Hot Toys Star Wars Emperor Palpatine

TBLeague Barbarian Soul

Hot Toys Star Wars Return of the Jedi Stormtrooper

ADD Toys War Wolves Back (muscle version)

World Box AT027 body

Hot Toys Star Wars Solo Mudtrooper

Sideshow Star Wars TIE Fighter Pilot

Woo Toys WO-004 Fat Thor

HH HY Rome Infantry

HH HY Rome Centurion

Mr Toys Barbarian Set B (He-Man)

Mr Toys Barbarian Set B (Conan the Barbarian)

Dragon and TBLeague Alexander the Great (comparison)

Kautic Plastik Roman Infantry 2019

JX Toys Peggy Carter

TBLeague 1:12 seamless male bodies

Hasbro Star Wars Rogue One Imperial Combat Assault Tank

Hasbro Star Wars imperials 2019

Hasbro Star Wars Jabba's Tatooine Skiff

CC Toys Unexplored Nate (summer version)

Jiaou Doll Boss Chair

Hot Toys Star Wars Solo Patrol Trooper

China Toys Teutonic Knight

Star Ace 300 Queen Gorgo

Black Box Toys Spectre Girl (Madeleine Swann)

Hot Toys Star Wars Royal Guard

VS Toys Bathroom

Coomodel Vikings Vanquisher Viking Ship

Coomodel Vikings Vanquisher Valhalla (double set)

TBLeague M36 body

Chinese wooden chairs and table sets A and B

HY Toys Armchair

TBLeague M35 body

Sideshow Jack Burton

Disney Star Wars Director Orson Krennic

TBLeague Spartan Goddess of War

AR Toys Hellman

Dragon Men in Black 3 Agent K 1969

I hope this has been useful.

For more photos, see HERE.


#starwars #returnofthejedi #rotj #scouttrooper #bikerscout #galacticempire #scifi #male #military #hottoys

Introduction
Rogue One stands out from the other new Star Wars movies in providing a new look at the original, unsullied Star Wars universe that we first encountered and enjoyed all those decades ago. In that, it is arguably the best Star Wars film since The Return of the Jedi, if not since The Empire Strikes Back. And I know I'm not alone in that opinion. However, we should not overstate how good it was. It suffers from the facility and simplicity of the Star Wars universe, and further reflection has reminded me how many plot holes and inconsistencies occur in it (which is not to say that the Original Trilogy was entirely devoid of those). Nor am I necessarily in love with the new trooper types (even the Shore Troopers and Death Troopers) and ships to which we were treated, but it would not be a Star Wars movie without such expansion. Whatever the merits of Rogue One, this installment in the franchise has contributed to the appearance of plenty of Star Wars collectibles in various scales by various companies. The "classic" scale (1:18) put out by Hasbro has featured various characters from the movie, both before and after the return to "super" articulation for the action figures (mostly in the Vintage Collection, restarted in 2018). Hasbro has now released the Imperial Combat Assault Tank from Rogue One, which can supplement (or be supplemented by) their Assault Tank commander and driver figures, as well as the stormtroopers based on the film.



Packaging
The Combat Assault Tank comes in a basic cardboard box, amply illustrated with colorful images of the product showing off some of the features and how it "goes" with action figures in this scale. There is some assembly required (but not very much) and everything is neatly stored in the box (you do need to cut a few plastic restraints). One of the odd things about the box is that the illustrations feature older stormtrooper figures by Hasbro, which are visually different and inferior to the ones just released and are not in fact based on Rogue One; even if the new "super" articulated stormtroopers were not available for the photos, they could have used the excellently-sculpted underarticulated ones they already had instead. But anyway...



Sculpt
The tank is gorgeously sculpted in minute detail that is quite impressive for this scale. I have not had the chance to research this in any great detail, but everything seems done very accurately. The parts of the interior that are visible are given a possibly imaginary treatment, which greatly enhances the level of detail and the sense of realism.



Paint
For a mass-produced toy, the Assault Tank is very well painted and weathered, looking like a fairly realistic piece of hard-wearing military equipment. There are various applications of color to suggest dirt, grime, and wear. Even the normally hidden elements are treated to some paint to suggest metallic machinery and grit. This detailing is extended to the three large containers accommodated on the back of the tank. A close look would reveal some imperfection or repetition, but on the whole the paint application is very good.





Articulation
The Assault Tank features several points of articulation and/or openable or removable sections. In terms of real articulation, the side guns can rotate around their axis, while the front gun can be aimed sideways (left to right); the hatch covers over the left-seated driver and the commander can be opened or closed; the continuous tracks can rotate around the wheels (although the wheels themselves do not appear to rotate); the left-seated driver's steering "wheel" can be moved a little, but it does not control or trigger any other function. Removable sections include that over the two drivers, and a portion of the tank's roof just to the right of the commander's perch. The three large containers stored in the back are removable, opening space for loading troops or other items, which can also be closed (forming a flat bed) with two doors that are otherwise stored on the inside sides of the cargo area.











Accessories
I suppose the three large orange containers that come with the tank and fit into the grooves of the cargo area on its back can be considered accessories. They are painted in an orange color and given some detailing and weathering. All three have removable sides. One of the three also can be opened up along its top half, exposing a three sections of the interior, each containing three round holes into which are fitted cylindrical canisters. The canisters in the top section can be removed, and in fact can be opened up to expose the crystal bits contained within. This is pretty elaborate detail for a toy in this scale.





Fun Factor
The Assault Tank is a fairly sturdy, yet elaborately detailed collectible with plenty of articulated or removable pieces and a lot of interactive potential -- from placing in the drivers and commander to transporting or escorting stormtroopers and loading or unloading containers or what not. It works well as both a toy and a collectible. It appears to be at once decently scaled and conveniently compact.



Overall and Value
Hasbro seems to be on a roll with their new vehicles. There are plenty I would not touch, either because I cannot justify getting a new version or because they are derived from franchise installments that I consider uncanonical (or outright anathema). But if we can judge by Jabba's Sail Barge (which I don't own), the Jabba palace playset (with parts of the Han in Carbonite chamber), and the Skiff, Hasbro's new (or reissued) vehicles are characterized by improved design, increased realism, and intricate detail (whether replicating the real thing or supplying imaginary details in areas that were never shown on film). The Assault Tank clearly belongs in this category with its detailed sculpt and paint work, and its plethora of interactive features and aspects. The price varies widely depending on venues and sales, ranging from about $24 to $80. The answer to "is it worth it" is bound to depend on the individual and on the price. If you want one of these in this scale, however, chances are that you will not be disappointed with this one.



Where to Buy?
Look around in all the usual places (eBay, etc), or the following (for example) :

Amazon $24.40

Action Figure $70

Big Bad Toy Store $35 (pre-order)

Hope you found this useful. What do you think?

Some related threads:

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t2066-star-wars-2019-imperials-stormtrooper-gunner-and-tank-commander-from-rogue-one-by-hasbro

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t1359-perfect-little-stormtrooper-kitbash-tutorial-review

https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t2042-star-wars-jabba-s-tatooine-skiff-by-hasbro-review

#starwars #rogueone #assault #tank #galacticempire #imperial #hasbro #vehicle

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.



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.



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.



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.



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.



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.



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.



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.



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).



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.



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.



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

Introduction

There was precious little I liked about the Star Wars stand-alone film Solo, but despite the inherent silliness and redundancy, there was just something that made me love the look of the new Patrol Trooper (I cannot say the same about the Biker-Scouts-on-steroids or the "Mimban Stormtroopers," both of which I found completely redundant, although the so-called "Mud Troopers" appear to be a good enough try at generic imperial infantry -- think "AT-ST drivers" -- in combat gear). The Patrol Trooper's design is at once new and familiar; in fact it is as if a stormtrooper, scout trooper, and shore trooper came together in some unholy and magical union and produced the patrol trooper. Although I had some concerns about the size of the helmet in the promotional images, I eventually bit the bullet and preordered it. It is not a decision I regret.



Packaging: 4/4 stars

There is nothing really new or exciting about Hot Toys' traditional Star War packaging, apart from the colorful cigar box band attached to the bottom of the container, which showcases the product and its name in the same way we have seen with figures from Rogue One. When you open the lid, you find the now traditional card bearing a nice image of the action figure in action -- a nice but completely unnecessary luxury that is probably somehow intended to help justify the price. The box mercifully contains only a single plastic trey (with its cover) -- something that I have to point out as a blessing, having recently re-boxed my Hot Toys classic Superman (that thing had a positively heinous number of often unnecessary treys and covers). Of course that also means that the number of items and accessories is fairly limited. Everything is safe and collector-friendly.



Sculpting: 4/4 stars

I suppose not having a human likeness to get right helps, but the excellence of the sculpt seems impeccable. The detail is sharp and precise, both on larger and simpler surfaces, and in places that are densely crammed with it (like the recessed panel on the back of the armor). The same carries over to the weapons and hands. I no longer think the helmet is too oversized, although it does have the tendency to appear so in photographs (it looks fine in hand). The Patrol Trooper stands about 30 cm (12 inches) tall.



Paint: 4/4 stars

The basic paint job is simply black and white, with very little exception or nuance (like the green button on the chest armor and a few grey areas on the helmet and thermal detonator). However, Hot Toys gave the figure ample weathering (although this does not extend to the weapons). This is very well done (although I admit I prefer my troopers clean), pretty well balanced in terms of both intensity and distribution all over the figure's white armored elements. It is most pronounced on the boots, the helmet, and the inside parts of the gloved hands. The helmet's lenses are translucent green, even more noticeably so than usually. The white armor elements and the lens on the pistol are appropriately glossier than the rest of the surfaces.



Articulation: 3/4 stars

The underlying Hot Toys action figure body presumably has all the articulation you could possibly desire, and it appears that at least some of the joints are now lightly ratcheted (the elbows), presumably so as to hold poses better. The armor and outfit partly restrict this articulation, and some of this might have been possible to address. For example, if Hot Toys had not put the same movement-inhibiting heavy padded garment under the visible layers as it usually does these days, it might have given the hips much better and almost unrestricted articulation. As it is, sliding the utility belt upwards does help, but only to a point. There is a partial problem with the wrists -- here the rubbery armored sleeves press down gently on the hands and make them pop off a little too easily. The worst impact is on the waist, where there is virtually no possibility for lateral or crunch movement. Other than that, the figure's articulation is surprisingly good and it can stand well on its own thanks to the two-part design of the boots and the resulting good ankle articulation.



(Want to know the story behind this photo? Check out the photo story HERE.)

Accessories: 3/4 stars

The accessories that come with the Patrol Trooper are very limited, although admittedly not unreasonably so. We get an action figure stand and some spare parts, as well as an instruction leaflet, which is not likely to tell you anything you could not figure out on your own. The figure comes wearing relaxed hands, which can be exchanged with the included pair of fist hands, pair of grip hands, and single left hand with outstretched "halt!" fingers (I wonder why we couldn't we get its right counterpart); this makes a total of seven hands. Then there are the two real accessories: the pistol and baton ("nightstick"). Neither of them features any articulation, but they are well sculpted and painted (in the gun's case, the lens is glossy; the baton has several silverish metallic elements); but there isn't much in the way of weathering on either weapon. The pistol looks like a slightly revised version of the Scout Trooper pistol from The Return of the Jedi. Now while this limited selection is appropriate for what we see on the screen, it is just not something to be really excited about. Perhaps a standard imperial blaster rifle would have been a nice thing to include; I am not naive enough to argue that they should have added his ride, which would probably have doubled or tripled the price. So I am possibly a little hard on this category, which might deserve another half star.



Light Feature: n/a

While there is no light feature included, light helps accentuate the green-tinted lenses of the Patrol Trooper's helmet. In some light you can actually tell they are green rather than black, and since there is no actual face under the helmet, in some poses the light would shine through, revealing both the color and transparency of the lenses. While this is not realistic in itself, it is very cool. Here is an exaggerated demonstration of this color and transparency.



Outfit: 3/4 stars

The sculpted armor has been commented upon in the sculpting and paint categories above. The rest of the outfit is made of soft(er) goods. This is slightly more complex than usual with such figures and consists of the following: real fabric straps seemingly holding together parts of the chest plate; black trousers with a white stripe on the outer side; armored sleeves (i.e., sleeves with attached armor plates); and leather-like top; all of this is worn atop an underlying padded suit. This last part was Hot Toy's effort to make sure the outer, visible clothing fills out, but as usual causes annoying partial restrictions in the articulation. The leather-like top looks great with its realistic, pitted texture. The armored sleeves are made of a ribbed rubbery material that in principle looks great, but folds in somewhat unsightly ways when you bend the arms at the elbows; more importantly, some have expressed concern that this part of the outfit would develop cracks after repeated bending and drying out. I am not too concerned, but it is possible, and I would have preferred the use of some ribbed fabric anyway.



Fun Factor: 4/4 stars

Despite his very limited screen time, the Patrol Trooper is a cool-looking character that lends himself to inclusion into a variety of custom Star Wars scenes and situations. With his good articulation, he should be a fun addition to any scene or collection. And I write this without any intention of combining him with any other Solo characters (even if I intend to pick up a "Mud Trooper").



Value: 3/4 stars

I am divided on this category. I pre-ordered this product for $210 (USD), but the common retail price now seems to be $220, and that does not include shipping. I thought the lower pre-order price comparatively decent, in line with other army-builder non-protagonists already produced by Hot Toys in the Star Wars franchise -- where $205-210 seems to be Hot Toy's rather twisted idea of a bargain. Seeing the new retail price makes me think twice about that conclusion (which was only relative anyway) and perhaps this category ought to lose another half star. But the figure itself is a great, if limited product, and the price is far lower than some of the egregious prices Hot Toys is asking for other, especially protagonist figures.



Things to watch out for

Not much. As mentioned, the hands tend to pop off a little too easily, so you might want to keep an eye on them in case something disappears. The baton slides into its holder with some difficulty, and I recommend trying to slide it in from the underside (contrary to instructions). The holder itself can come off the belt, but you can easily re-attach it.



Overall: 3.5/4 stars

I didn't know quite what to expect of this figure and wasn't sure how much I would like it, given how little I liked the film it was in and how much I resent the constant infusion of newer and ever sillier trooper types (at the expense of the established ones we know and love) even in what is supposed to be basically contemporary to the Original Trilogy. But I do like it: both as a design and as an action figure, with which I have very few gripes. The one real disappointment is the price, but that has to be what one expects of this company and license these days. Everything else about this product is passable at worst and great at best. Since these are troopers and they should come in plural (or at least dual) numbers, I was tempted to get one more, but given the (new and higher) price and the fact that we only see one on screen, I have for once managed to restrain myself.



Where to Buy

Apart from eBay, I can suggest these:

Big Bad Toy Store for $220
Cotswold Collectibles for $220
Timewalker Toys for $220



Shooting the photos for this review resulted in an impromptu photo story (the third this week!), which you can check out HERE.

Hope this was useful. What do you think?

#starwars #solo #hottoys #patroltrooper #galacticempire #imperial #military #fiction #scifi #male