SNOWTROOPER COMMANDER Newer and Improveder
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Stormtroopers of the Empire Set
Item No.: No. G1281
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #379
Includes: Blasters
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $49.99
Availability: September 2025
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back
Bio: Stormtroopers specialize in operations across the galaxy, from desert worlds to arctic conditions. Scout troopers patrol for the Empire with speeder bikes. (Taken from packaging.)
Image: Adam's photo lab.
Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!
Commentary: While many eyes have been rolled and pixels have been spilled on the whole "not my
Star Wars!" thing, I'm not going to lie to you - it has been
really nice getting stuff from the original trilogy era in 2025. Kenner-flavored Cantina aliens, Kenner-sculpted classic heroes, a Cantina, a Mos Eisley, new versions of Luke, Han, and Chewie... even a Snowtrooper army pack and
Snowtrooper Commander - as updates - are nice to have. I don't dislike the new era, necessarily, but the further you get away from "Empires vs. Rebels vs. Space Gangsters" I'm realizing my interest starts to wane. When I was a kid there weren't many people with lightsabers, and even in that first MMO Jedi were a special rarity. It's kind of nice to see
Star Wars items that are recognizably from highly-watched (or played, or read) materials and I'm going to have few complaints about toys from
The Empire Strikes Back.
Hasbro has done versions of the Snowtrooper Commander before, and it's kind of amazing that there are any shared parts with the regular Snowtrooper. For this 3-pack version, Hasbro flipped the shoulder armor, changed the entire torso, made a different boots, and different forearms, and also a unique belt, and a distinctive mask. I think the upper arms, upper legs, and possibly lower torso are the same.
The last figure of this guy was about ten years ago, and this one is glossier in all the right spots. The colors are a little more vibrant, with separately molded shoulder armor and a cloth (rather than plastic) lower coat. He stands well, the blaster fits in the holster, but the lower torso armor sort of gets in the way of his legs. Luckily, this figure will probably spend most of his time standing. The ball-jointed hips and rocker ankles will help with those action poses, but nothing's going to help the fact that you will probably wish you could buy a few more of these. At least the standard rank-and-file were sold in a four pack.
While we've got a few of this guy, I can't say it's not an improvement. While I am a little over Clones (and am hitting my limit on Stormtroopers with new spot colors), Snowtroopers are not exactly abundant and a new fan hasn't had a crack at this guy for a while. I'd prefer single versions so you can stock up on the ones you want - but $50 for 3 guys isn't terrible for an opener in 2025. If I get a crack at these guys at a discount I'll probably buy more. There's a lot of new tooling here.
Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse, It has come in and out of availability several times during its pre-order window.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 3,292: November 11, 2025
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