Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Figure of the Day: Day 291: Sandtrooper

SANDTROOPER Tatooine Patrol
Power of the Jedi Collection 1
Item No.:
Asst. 84445 No. 84579
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, backpack, binoculars
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99
Availability: 2001
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: For missions on arid planets such as Tatooine, the Empire sends in desert stormtroopers called sandtroopers. With rare exceptions, these Imperial soldiers are completely loyal to the Emperor, and are prepared to carry out their orders with ruthless efficiency. (Taken from the figure's Force File.)

Image: Adam's Transformers shelf. Long story.

Commentary: Many collectors considered this Sandtrooper to be the first truly acceptable modern Imperial trooper figure. With normal shoulders, good articulation, a decent pose, plenty of accessories, and above-par deco, what's not to like? Each figure has the basic six joints plus swivel elbows, and a special backpack that you can plug the binoculars and gun on. That's great on paper-- but the downside was that the accessories don't stay on too well. Still, they will stay on if you're patient.

There's not much to say other than it's very good, but not the best Sandtrooper. In 2005, Hasbro made a new sculpt for the Evolutions multi-packs, and those are super-crazy articulated figures with plenty of customization potential. So your best squad-building can be done by buying many different Sandtroopers and swapping weapons, accessories, and so forth. This release is a very good one, so be sure to get at least one if you're a fan of all things Imperial.

Collector's Notes: This figure was rereleased on a card in 2005 in the post-Original Trilogy Collection line, and was the rarest of the bunch. The same mold was repainted for a four figure mail-order exclusive set of Sandtroopers, each had a different color shoulder pad. Finally, the mold was reused for a few basic Stormtroopers-- they just left it white and left off the Sandtrooper-specific accessories. It's a good mold and Hasbro isn't afraid to use it.


Day 291: February 21, 2007

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