Figure of the Day: Day 356: Sandtrooper

SANDTROOPER Yes, the box says Stormtrooper
Revenge of the Sith Evolutions
Item No.: Asst. 85553 No. 87050
Number: n/a
Includes: Pauldron, backpack, belt, rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: Fall 2005
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: The evolution of the galaxy's most powerful army is captured in these figures! The clone troopers fight for the Republic, to try and save the galaxy from chaos. But secret plans change their loyalties, and they help the evil forces of the Sith to take control! No longer known as clone troopers, they are now stormtroopers, the loyal soldiers of the Emperor, enforcing his harsh will throughout the galaxy! (Taken from the figure's box.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: This Sandtrooper is a great figure-- and yes, it's called a "Stormtrooper" on the box. But it's a Sandtrooper, and a good one-- Hasbro took special care to make sure it wasn't merely a Stormtrooper with sand crap on it, but rather a brand new sculpt with a new pose and a new helmet. You see, Stormtroopers' lenses are usually convex-- they're rounded. Sandtroopers are typically given flatter lenses, and this figure tries to capture this distinction. I give big points for this, because in 2006, we got a Sandtrooper that was merely a Stormtrooper with crap thrown on it, and in 2007, one of our Stormtroopers was this Sandtrooper, but without the gunk and gear. So Hasbro is fully aware of how to do these figures right, and this is an example of that.

The figure is almost super-poseable. There's no waist joint, but everything else is as perfect as you might expect. His hands are a little small for his giant gun, though. Still, just look at this guy-- he's filthy! He's the dirtiest trooper yet, and as such, that's a solid reason to track down a few. If it had a waist joint, it'd be as close as we'll likely ever get to perfection-- but as it is, you owe it to yourself to buy one. It's fun, it looks good, and it's about as good looking as a figure like this can get.

Collector's Notes: This is the second release of this mold-- the first had an orange shoulder pad and shipped in two different "dirt" deco variants. Custom-happy fans can also use the various Sandtroopers from 2005-2007 to easily swap parts, making your own unique combinations of rank and dirt and so on. All you gotta do is pop off the head, and blammo, instant army. This figure is supposed to be rereleased in the Saga Legends line this year-- the first version should look exactly like this one, and the second should be, according to Hasbro, less dirty.

Day 356: April 27, 2007