HAN SOLO (Imperial Stormtrooper Outfit)
The Retro Collection Target Exclusive 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. G1082
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: DLT-19 heavy blaster rifle, helmet, E-11 blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $59.99
Availability: April May 2025
Appearances: Star Wars
Bio: The Star Wars Retro Collection features design and detailing inspired by the original 1970s Star Wars figures and features original figure design and detailing! Continue your collection from a galaxy far, far away. (Stolen from the marketing copy. Packaging has no bio.)
Image: Adam's photo lab.
Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!
Click here to buy it at eBay now!
Commentary: The Retro Collection isn't for everybody. If you were a kid from 1977-1995, there's a good chance you owned some of the Kenner toys meant for children that we've all decided are serious adult things for some reason. Maybe you got them for your birthday, or at a garage sale, or at a comic shop, because these were the only toys around for quite some time. While other series have done it more accurately, that's not what Hasbro is selling here. Since 1995, some fans have been hoping to have that original line renewed and continued. It's not about wanting a collectible, or a tiny replica. It's about being sold the hope of getting to be a kid again, for a very short period of time. A Hot Toys figure, while amazing, is incapable of making middle-aged people feel that way. The slow-drip releases are kind of like being a kid again, in that you can't run to a store and spend all your money on Kenner figures. If you would like to buy 20 or 50 new figures, all you can get are 6. Maybe. They're probably out of stock.
This
Han Solo (Imperial Stormtrooper Outfit) is its first official release in Kenner style. I (and others) had customs in the 1980s and 1990s. The
Smith Lord Creations/Stan Solo sellers also had one in 2019-2022 [FOTD #2,960]... but it was a lot more expensive. I assume this official release was Hasbro trying to show them up. The quality is better at a lower price, and it has a bonus accessory. This isn't to say what the fan-produced figures delivered wasn't good or impressive. Hasbro's paint is better, with more gear, at a fraction of the price. Stan/Smith have sharper sculpts, but I would be lying if I said Hasbro's product weren't superior because his helmet fits nicer and, at least on my samples, Hasbro's paint is better.
The Luke Skywalker (Imperial Stormtrooper Outfit) was my second-to-last movie figure for my collection back in 1990. I hope they reissue it - but it was a little dumpy. For a 1985 release, it was fine, and the Han Trooper takes cues from that era. The black stripe around Luke's wrist is missing - it's missing on Han too. Luke's helmet is missing a some black marks next to the eyes of a standard Stormtrooper - Hasbro left them off Han's helmet too. Both Han and Luke have pin heads, which was part of how they got removable helmets to work back then. At a glance, both trooper disguise figures are similar in design decisions. The limbs all swing freely and sensibly, making this one feel like a legit toy. Han is oddly taller and wider than a standard Stormtrooper, and with the helmet on looks almost as big as Chewbacca. With the helmet off, he feels about the right size.
Han Trooper's stance is a little wider than standard Stormtroopers, but not as wide as Luke. His right arm is bent - it's cute to think that it's a signature Han figure thing for the first movie's Kenner figures. Both of his hands were tooled to better hold blasters. And I mean that - some figures can technically hold them, but both are extremely good here. I had no problem getting either hand to grip anything, and I hope Hasbro continues to improve old figures too and make them actually hold their stuff. It's important.
For a Retro figure to be truly interesting, it must be good in crappy ways and crappy in good ways. A lot of old Kenner figures had likenesses that were not even close. It doesn't look like Harrison Ford, but neither did the other massively-necked, weird-haired figures. For this figure you can see traces of the Han Solo hairstyle, downsized, diminished, and plastered to his tiny head. The sculpt is sharper than other retro figures, and it improves on the Luke Trooper by adding a working swivel neck. That makes this the only Kenner-style Stormtrooper that isn't a Sandtrooper with a swivel neck. (And honestly, Sandy don't swivel too good.)
Another interesting choice is the helmet. While it has the same deco as Luke's from 40 years ago, it also is made from a different material. The rubbery helmet is more in line with Boushh from 1983. It's squishy, it grips the head just enough, and it looks pretty natural on the body. It feels more or less like a real, old Kenner helmet from the 1980s.
I like this figure a lot. Maybe I'm biased because it feels like they did what I would want to do. Neck joint? Two blasters with gripping hands to match? Perfection. The sculpt is good and kind of weird, but it also feels right. The bent elbow was such a nice touch. I have no doubt fans will bemoan how the sculpting isn't as sharp as real old Kenner figures, but after seven years I am not expecting that. It's better. It's good. This figure in this costume was one of the most-missed figures in the old days, so Hasbro went back and corrected history. The next three movie guys on my wish list would be Wedge Antilles, Jabba's Prisoner Leia, and Dagobah Training Luke Skywalker. After Vlix.
Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target.
Author Notes: I started writing about toys on the internet 30 years ago tomorrow - and my first newsletters had to do with the then-new Kenner figure line from 1995 and the first weird rumor. Kellogg's Froot Loops had a Han Solo Stormtrooper mail-in figure, so that was my first big story - I wanted everybody to know it wasn't a hoax. And here we are today. From 1995 to roughly 2000, I wrote Adam's Star Wars Newsletter alongside stints at Go Figure! Magazine, Star Wars Galaxy Collector Magazine, Auction Universe, AOL's Star Wars Fan Club HoloCroN, features for Entertainment Earth's early catalogs, and other stuff. I also worked on Fandom Menace, Rebelscum, YakFace.com, ToyFare Magazine, and other outlets before landing at the world's leading supplier of Yahtzee score cards full-time by day and at Galactic Hunter by night. Thank you for reading. Thank you for telling a friend if you think they may care. Also if you're feeling generous, please kick in a dollar to our Patreon so I can pay for things like site hosting and domain renewals for 16bit.com and Galactic Hunter. And if you don't want to? Don't! I still love you all for reading. And if you have any Fisher-Price Adventure People needing a new home, call me. Thank you indulging for 30 years!
--Adam Pawlus
Oh, and here he is next to the Stan Solo/Smith Lord version. I think Hasbro did it better.
Day 3,263: July 31, 2025
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