Figure of the Day: Day 148: Deluxe Hoth Rebel Soldier

HOTH REBEL SOLIDER Anti-Vehicle Laser Cannon
Power of the Force Deluxe Collection
Item No.: Asst. 69610 No. 69744
Number: n/a
Includes: Anti-Vehicle Laser Cannon, projectile
Action Feature: Exploding action, firing projectile
Retail: $9.99
Availability: Summer 1997
Appearances: Empire Strikes Back

Bio: The Alliance suffered a devastating defeat on Hoth when one of their main bases, Echo Base, was overrun by Darth Vader's forces, but eventually managed to mass a fleet to destroy the second Death Star in the Battle of Endor, where both the Emperor and Vader were killed. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: The top of the toy shelves of Adam Pawlus. Note the end-of-the-line Energon boxes he has yet to bust open.

Commentary: In 1997, Hasbro decided to make the Deluxe Action Figures something special-- of course, they were Kenner back then, and the Hoth Rebel Solider received a much needed upgrade. The standard version of the figure looked like Han in a beard, but this deluxe version had a new sculpt, was a little smaller, was a little more generic, and had a big giant radar laser cannon-- a revised version of the toy from the 1980s that would explode and fire a rocket. It's a quality toy. The figure itself has the standard six points of articulation and, sadly, no handheld weapon. This figure is arguably superior to the 2004 version, and has a slightly less wonky action-oriented pose. It has good paint, feels "expensive" (for lack of a better term), and despite its muted colors is about as perfect as Hasbro has made with modern Hoth Rebels. The quilting patterns, the holstered guns, the weird yellow goggles... this figure has it all.

Collector's Notes: I can say without hyperbole that this is one of the best figures of 1997. Keep in mind it came out at about the same time as the Rebel Fleet Trooper-- which aged very poorly-- and it's shocking to look at this figure 9 years later and say "well, Kenner pretty much nailed it." This is a quality figure and Hoth fans need one or two. I'm not kidding, go buy one of these, they can be had, with shipping from eBay, for less than $10. It's a bargain, and it's a fairly generic offering that I don't expect Hasbro to revisit in the very near future, so do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

Day 148: October 1, 2006