Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,671: Hoth Rebel Trooper

REBEL TROOPER The Search for Luke Skywalker
The Legacy Collection Target Exclusive Gift Set
Item No.:
No. 33237
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Pistol, helmet, backpack, rifle, medical device, Han figure and Tauntaun
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $24.99
Availability: October 2011
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: The Rebels defend their base on Hoth with every available weapon in their arsenal. They know they can't defeat the Imperial forces attacking them, but they need to delay them long enough to evacuate the base. Rebel troopers blast the enemy from laser towers that ring the base, and fire anti-vehicle cannons and medium repeating blasters at the Snowtroopers and AT-ST walkers. (Taken from another version of the figure's packaging, as this one does not have any information specific to a trooper.)

Image: Adam's desk.

Commentary: I was debating on if this was or wasn't a new figure for a while. By how I treat Clone Troopers-- any change effectively makes it a new character, so I decided that the new medical scanner makes this Rebel Trooper different enough to make you mad. Since Han Solo from this set is extremely new, and the Tauntaun is cool, I figure you'll be buying this set anyway. Based on a 2009 body sculpt, this uses the less-frequently seen "masked" hat for the trooper with the also rarely-seen shaved face head. Hasbro didn't recolor the hair-- a shame, as that would have made this an easier call-- as it is, this is similar to a 2010 release with a new accessory, but I believe it's a medical or science accessory, which upgrades this to a new character in my book.

The main highlight here is the new accessory-- molded in silvery grey with some added silver highlights and a red window on the top which reminds me a lot of the old INT-4 mini-rigs vehicle. That's the main reason for anyone who already has EVERYTHING to be interested in this specific release. Aside from that, he has a great head sculpt, a cool helmet/hood/hat, and 14 points of articulation to sweeten the deal. Sadly he was not given ball-jointed hips, so he won't be riding the Tauntaun easily. Still, he's neat, he's worth picking up, and I'm glad that after his treatment in early 2009, he's finally getting a few extra shots at being made.

Collector's Notes: This set seems to be selling briskly at press time, so grab it if you can. The Search for Luke Skywalker gift set includes Han Solo, this Rebel, and a Tauntaun for $25 which is actually a really good deal, considering single figures are about $8 or $9 these days.

--Adam Pawlus


Day 1,671: November 9, 2011

2 comments:

WuJen said...

It's not a medical device. It's an artillery remote. Specifically for the Radar/Laser Cannon you see firing, and having no effect, on the AT-AT's. Which is good for the Defense of Hoth set new Radar/Laser Cannon.

scockery said...

Yeah, what WuJean said. The remote was shown in 2009 on cardbacks, with the then unreleased Rebel trooper. Ideally it should've been in the Defense of Hoth set.