Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,253: Sandtrooper Sergeant (The Black Series 6-Inch)

SANDTROOPER SERGEANT Take 3
The Force Awakens The Black Series 6-Inch Figure Entertainment Earth Exclusive Set
Item No.:   No.  B4007
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 3 blasters, 3 more figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $99.99
Availability: November 2015
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Imperial Sandtroopers carry out the will of the Emperor in the harsh, arid environments of the galaxy's desert worlds.  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Commentary:  This is the third take on this particular trooper in this scale, but the first 6-inch one to sport a white pauldron. Sandtrooper Sergeant figures are a repaint of the very first Sandtrooper way back from 2003, but with a white shoulder pad and different dirt.  Other than that?  It's pretty much the same thing.

There are multiple flavors of Sandtrooper, so "building an army" is a little more interesting with this figure than a plain white Stormtrooper - you can get a little more variety on your shelf, and odds are you won't have to ask "Hey... do I already have this one?"  The sarge is often seen riding a Dewback and I still hope we'll get a 6-inch hairy lizard at some point down the road.   (Insert giggles here.)  The weapons are the same as the other figures, and so is the mold - but you'll notice some alterations on the weapons, like a silver mark on the Stormtrooper blaster and a different level of deco on the rifle.  The grenade launcher isn't really all that different, but the deco on the armor shows signs of improvement. Due to how the figure is painted, earlier ones had more pronounced brown smears next to perfectly clean white areas - the jokes write themselves.  While there are still some dark brown dirt spots, they seem a little more accidental - like maybe this is where the guy got pelted with some sand, rather than this is where the paint job went wrong.  Mine even has some dark stuff on the bottom of the shoe, which I find to be delightful.

Depending on your Sandtrooper needs, this is skippable or a must-buy.  If you only need one Sandtrooper, this one isn't going to change the world - it's an improvement in terms of mud distribution but as far as engineering and his weapons?  It's not a heck of a lot different, but it's different enough to be interesting and it was something on my list of variations that seemed essential in the near term.   Plus I really can't get enough of the Stormtrooper mold, even if I've now got something like eight troopers based on the buck.   And I'll buy more if they make them.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.  I also work there. 

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,253: December 7, 2015