Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,365: Night Trooper (Gray Jaw, The Vintage Collection)

NIGHT TROOPER Gray Jaw
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. F9259
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: Blaster
Retail: $54.99
Availability: July 2024
Appearances: Ahsoka

Bio: The Night Troopers were stormtroopers who served Grand Admiral Thrawn during his exile on the extragalactic planet Peridea, comprising the majority of his forces. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: As I finish up reviewing the many (many) figures around my desk, which will never end, let's look at the third Night Trooper from 2024. This one has a gray jaw with a lot of red wrappings, and is the only trooper in the set to have an unwrapped chest. (Well, other than Enoch.) It's funny looking back on the set - and show - with a tinge of "Maybe George Lucas was right." In the 1990s, we got a lot of stories in comics and in video games, plus a few novels - there were no TV shows and only one single new movie. By keeping things tight, fans were always left wanting more and we were really never left wanting for a new monthly or bimonthly adventure of some sort since 1991. There was really no reason to compare the new stories to the old stuff, because the medium was different. Shadows of the Empire delighted a lot of new fans on their own terms, on a Nintendo 64 or PC, or at the book store, or comic shop. You could have a new story, and not have to worry too much about a budget or the potential of changing anyone's opinion on a legacy.

Ahsoka season one wrapped three years ago in October, and left me kind of cold. I liked the concepts, I liked the costume, I liked the toys. But Thrawn may be a better character for the page, and I can't help but think I might have had more fun swinging lightsabers at an Xbox or doing some sort of Jedi training under Ahsoka. As a passive observer we got an incomplete story, and it will have been nearly four years between seasons. The entire sequel trilogy wrapped in four years, and I may be alone in saying that while I appreciated visiting with Mon Mothma, C-3PO, Sabine, and of course Ahsoka, I get the same kind of warm fuzzies from a toy or a comic. No matter how good the show is, it makes more homework for new fans and Star Wars managed to do a lot with its coursework of three (or six) movies in terms of cultivating a massive, hungry fanbase.

But, like I said, we got some cool costumes. Hasbro mixed and matched its "mummy" Stormtrooper parts and pieces in this set, and it's a pity Enoch ate a slot - otherwise I might've bought a second to swap parts between figures. This one has a distinctive white helmet with gray jaw, plus lots of gold filler. The red wrapping exists on every limb, but not the upper torso. Some subtle red wrap exists above his belt, on both shins, on both forearms, on the upper left arm, and of course the upper right thigh. Hasbro did a nice job giving us an army builder set where no two figures are the exact same mold - but enough parts are mixed and matched that it's effectively two figures in unique configurations. I bet they could sell slightly different versions again, were they so inclined. The red wrap is nicely painted, and the gold looks good. I hope it lasts for the ages as some gold painted figures sort of molds with age, or at least, that's what I saw in Fisher-Price Adventure People's space lines.

This figure uses the same basic mold we've been getting for roughly a decade. It's the best super-articulated Stormtrooper we've had to date, with better bending elbows and crisp details - but it also has those older-style hip joints and I still hate those. They're bad for getting figures to sit, but they hold up well in a diorama. Which is more important? Well, I don't hear stories of kids buying figures and vehicles these days, so we're probably throttling what would've been a potential market with how the adult crew prefers things. Comparing this older mold to newer figures from competitors in the American market, Hasbro's figures are generally superior. (I can't speak to Hiya, I haven't been buying theirs.) I really love Mattel's daffy Jurassic World creations, but they're a little puffier. But, they're also cheaper and have great hip joints and wonderful vehicle compatibility. You can't have it all, I suppose.

I really like this set. Now that we're post-tariffs (I hope) it's worth noting that this is a good deal on the secondary market, often selling under $45 for four figures. Unless you demand cardbacks, this is actually a really good deal in the modern marketplace. I'd recommend picking one up this year before the show comes back and makes people go "Oh, I should buy that." That was how I did things in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and it worked nicely for me.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. But they're sold out, so use the Amazon sponsored link.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,365: July 23, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,357: Imperial Remnant Stormtrooper (Pauldron, The Vintage Collection)

IMPERIAL REMNANT STORMTROOPER (Pauldron)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Hasbro Pulse Exclusive 4-Pack
Item No.: No. G32115
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster pistol, blaster rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $67.99
Availability: April 2026
Appearances: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Bio: Figures inspired by the live-action Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu movie. (Taken from the web site description. They're really not trying hard for this movie.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: We've looked at two of the four figures in the Imperial Remnant Stormtrooper set - this one has shoulder armor. The black pauldron may sound like a Disney bomb from the 1980s, but it's an adornment over the figure's right shoulder. Otherwise, it's pretty similar to the other figures in the four-pack.

Now that we've seen The Mandalorian and Grogu we can all say that the Empire had very little to do after the first reel of the movie. After Mando finishes his first mission, we don't see a lot more troopers - and these guys basically just stood around and got shot. That's not out of the ordinary, and it was probably wise to release these figures before anyone saw the movie and went "Wait, were there Stormtroopers in that movie? I forgot."

For The Black Series, Hasbro merged the "ammo pouch trooper" and "pauldron trooper" together - you can configure it any way you want. Having seen the 6-inch one in person, I am happy to stick with the little guys. There's something about the white plastic that looks a little ghostly, and the added dirt does it no favors. There are also at least two single-box slots taken by Stormtroopers so far, as opposed to The Vintage Collection where Hasbro put four in a single $67 box. (That's a "savings" of about $12, or 15%, if these were single figures. I wonder if Hasbro would have sold more as a single trooper, though.)

So why is this 3 3/4-inch Remnant Trooper worth a look? Well, it's very similar to the other figures in the set. This means you still have the no-longer-exciting old hip joints, but the arms, knees, ankles, neck, and waist are all great. The wrists bend and swivel, making this a figure that takes a pose pretty well. For displays, dioramas, and miniature photography? Great figure. If you just want to play with this figure? It hates you, and you have to spend time massaging the hips in place rather than just having him bend and sit like the old days. I realize many collectors have matured beyond how they interacted with their toys when they were children, but I have decided that is not as much fun. Once I get this guy situated, I'll probably not touch it for years. That is no knock on the quality of the figure, because the sculpt (other than the hips) is excellent and the deco is some of Hasbro's best at any scale. I just have a lot less fun with toys if it's a challenge to put them in a stable pose. It can be done, but Retro is easier.

You get rifles and smaller, traditional blasters (without the added Rogue One greeblies) in this set. Offered without deco, they look fine and can be held reasonably well. The hands do their job well, and I haven't had a problem with anyone dropping anything since getting the set.

I like what Hasbro did here. By giving fans four troopers at once, they can easily army-build. Also, it probably means Hasbro is done with this trooper at this size and nobody is watching a livestream when another flavor of trooper gets announced as a 6-inch exclusive and groans. (The figures are generally very nice, but it has gotten a little monotonous.) If you like troopers, this is a very good set - and we've got one more of these guys to look at to go. I can't imagine Hasbro will do a superior weathered Stormtrooper this or even next year, so I'd recommend getting it. If it goes on sale? Buy two. I would not put it past Hasbro to want to sell one of these guys on a card later, and it'd probably sell. I don't think it's necessary, given the 4-pack is still available as I write this.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,357: June 25, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,349: Captain Enoch (The Vintage Collection)

CAPTAIN ENOCH Gold Face
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. F9259
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: Working holster
Retail: $54.99
Availability: July 2024
Appearances: Ahsoka

Bio: Enoch was Grand Admiral Thrawn's Captain of the Guard during his forces' exile from the galaxy on the planet Peridea. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: One of the reasons to buy the Night Trooper set was to get Captain Enoch, a figure that I'm rather surprised wasn't sold on a standard cardback first/instead. The boxed set has three very good trooper repaints with a couple of remolded parts each - and this guy, who has a new skirt/belt, helmet, and torso. The character doesn't have a heck of a lot to do. Heck, a lot of Ahsoka seemed to be more about pageantry than characterization as we've been seeing a lot of stories relying more on recognition than novelty. But that's not why this is an interesting figure. Even if you have a rather blah story on a gray planet where you don't get a lot of personality, that's not entirely a problem for action figures. For over 48 years fans were fascinated by the vibes and the amazing work of the creature shops and costume departments. We're not collecting characters so much as we're hoarding scaled-down replicas of the craftsmanship from Hollywood's finest. And that's OK, this is a pretty neat riff on a Stormtrooper.

Enoch's limbs are the same as a standard Stormtrooper, with a newly-sculpted back piece featuring distinctive deco and greeblies that remind me a lot of the exterior of It's a Small World. It's mostly white with basic shapes and some gold, with little splashes of color - it seems to fit. I was delighted to see the gold patterns on the armor painted quite nicely, and the red fingers and body glove gave the figure a much different feel from an average trooper. Sure, the legs are mostly the same, but you have that whole new skirt which seems to riff on Jedi and bounty hunter elements. A working holster? With a new pistol? That's pretty exciting, too. The unique silhouette reminded me a bit of Captain Bacara (the Clone) too, but the gold keeps it fresh. Hopefully the gold paint ages well, because it looks really good now and you can see a lot of money was spent in painting this guy. And here we are, not even two years later, where one figure with as much (or less) paint costs us $19.99 when in 2024, this four pack was a mere $55.

Given it's a trooper from an army builder set, I had low expectations - but that new back piece and the paint are capped off by an all-new helmet. There's a sculpted humanoid face in there. It's painted gold, with black eyes! It looks a lot like the TV show, so the sculptor or whoever scanned it and adapted it for figures did a great job. The paint choices were smart, but I think we're once again seeing some limitations in what you can do at the size. The prop on the show had a sort of faded quality, and a texture that you just can't replicate on a head the size of a grape. The helmet detail is a little fuzzy, with the Imperial cogs feeling a bit less sharp. The gray painted-in boxes on the back of the helmet are off by a couple of millimeters. If it was the front, it'd be a problem - but here, it's fine. The gold detailing looks good too. It also looks a little too fresh, which frequently happens with budgets for toys in this day and age. Wear and tear make Star Wars feel like Star Wars, and Hasbro did a great job including the patch jobs with the gold paint. But the grit, the texture, that wasn't replicated on this one. (I also assume it'd add $10 to the set if they did it.)

I still feel that if you get a figure (or figure set) for a price that feels fair, it's a good figure. This is a good figure. Figures were closer to $17 when the set came out, and I'd have happily paid it just for this one captain - the fact that he had there buddies makes it a better deal. While his skirt does get in the way of leg mobility, so do the older leg joints which just feel older and older after a dozen or so trooper figures. Hasbro has shown us they can do better, and hopefully they'll take the initiative to make new hips for the next new Stormtrooper variant because these aren't so great. In the context of this figure's release, they were good enough and we were charged accordingly. With just a few parts, Hasbro made an old mold feel like a new figure and that's the kind of smart budgeting that makes this line interesting and, as we seem to be treading water in a stream of trooper and droid repaints, kind of exhausting. But I would have made this same figure, this same way, were I given any sort of project management control at its time of release and I hope Hasbro brings it back to stores (key word: to stores) so fans can buy it when Ahsoka season two hits digital airwaves.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. But they're sold out, so use the ">Amazon sponsored link as the price was even more reasonable as I write this.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,349: May 28, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,346: Imperial Remnant Stormtrooper (Standard, The Vintage Collection)

IMPERIAL REMNANT STORMTROOPER (Unenhanced)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Hasbro Pulse Exclusive 4-Pack
Item No.: No. G3211
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster pistol, blaster rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $67.99
Availability: April 2026
Appearances: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Bio: Figures inspired by the live-action Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu movie. (Taken from the web site description. They're really not trying hard for this movie.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: In the four-pack there are always guaranteed to be a plainer version of a trooper, like the Imperial Remnant Stormtrooper you see here. Other ones add unique armor or other adornments and this one is your basic fellow. It still reuses that body that's increasingly long in the tooth, but it's also the very best one we have at this size. I was surprised I was able to get some pretty amusing poses out of it still, especially given restrictions on the hips and shoulders.

Like the other troopers in the set, it has very impressive weathering. Whenever I see the 6-inch version of this trooper from The Black Series I marvel at just how much better the deco and the plastic on the 3 3/4-inch one turned out to be. Good for us, I say. Deco is really clean, except where it's filthy. Every bit of white armor looks like someone never, ever bothered to run it through a car wash. I love that. The black body suit and soles of his shoes are painted black, with lenses that look black or at least, very dark gray.

This is not a flashy trooper - but it's one I wish they sold individually. It's subtle, and every element looks perfectly fine. You're not getting the most modern articulation. I wish it could be a hair cheaper, but at least it's a sturdy figure with some of the best paint Hasbro has given us for a filthy post-Death Stars Stormtrooper. I've previously recommended the set, and I still do - until Hasbro makes a better base Stormtrooper mold.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,346: May 19, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,340: Imperial Remnant Stormtrooper (Replaced shin and shoulder, The Vintage Collection)

IMPERIAL REMNANT STORMTROOPER (Shoretrooper Shin)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Hasbro Pulse Exclusive 4-Pack
Item No.: No. G3211
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster pistol, blaster rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $67.99
Availability: April 2026
Appearances: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Bio: Figures inspired by the live-action Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu movie. (Taken from the web site description. They're really not trying hard for this movie.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I wanted to grouse about the Imperial Remnant Stormtrooper four-pack, mostly because it only has one new body part and still has those same, old, tired hip joints and not the newer, better style we see on other figures. We've seen this mold reused for numerous movie troopers, video game troopers, TV troopers, and I would like to think that Hasbro would splurge for some retooling to make it perfect. Well, no dice. It's still very good, and for a standing-around figure it'll do. At $67.99 for four, though, you won't feel like you're getting a good deal anymore.

But, it is a good figure. I think these are wasted on being exclusives on a web site - ramshackle, mismatched troopers are the kind of thing you want to see in a store, on a card, with minor changes so you can buy a new one whenever you see one. Each one in the set has at least one distinctive armor element, so we'll look at them all in depth starting with this shoretrooper leg guy. He scrounged a brown bit of armor from the Rogue One era of trooper molds, while the rest of the figure stays more or less the same mold as previous releases. This is the best Hasbro 3 3/4-inch Stormtrooper mold you can get right now, and as far as I can tell, will continue to be for a while. It has the old, annoying hip joints (rather than the ball-and-socket ones) so you have to kind of dig in there to get it to pose or move. Everything else is more or less modern, with rocker ankles and bend-and-swivel wrists. The shoulders have a very good range of motion, and I was able to finagle a "walking/aiming" pose out of this guy without the use of a display stand. It's still a versatile mold, but it could be better. Other than including a holster, the figure's look is as good as we're going to get for a while - I'd just like to see better joints.

The helmet looks incredible, thanks in part to a very good level of filth. The dirt deco isn't just off-white, it feels like it went through some grime and the trooper didn't spend a lot of time polishing it. Clearly, the Imperial Remnant has never heard that you can wipe dirt off hard, smooth services and water spots on your faucets quite handily with used dryer softener sheets. (Thanks for the tip, Bobbi.) The fine detailing on the helmet is good, with black outlines that help the mouth pop. Maybe we'll see finer detailing someday, but at this size? Their heads are as good as we've ever seen, and the extra paint makes them feel so real I want to buy another set of these. The belt, the belly, each part pops nicely - but weirdly, that brown shin armor is pretty clean. This trooper also has a flourish on his shoulder, as you can see a little band there. I'm not sure if it's a mark of a prosthetic or just a scrounged droid part. Maybe we'll find out in the movie!

The set has six blasters - four more-or-less typical Stormtrooper blasters plus two long rifles. You can assign/lose as you see fit. I have this guy one regular blaster, and it lacks the silver paint mark or the scope we saw on some other variations. He looks great holding it, and the multi-jointed neck allows the figure to tilt his gaze down the scope. It's really nice.

I wish Hasbro could have kept the price down given they have more than made their money back on these molds, and the soft rubber outerpants weren't glued down on mine. They're gorgeous figures, and you'd probably pay a customizer more to dirty up your plain troopers at home. They're better than the previous Remnant dirty repaints by a fair margin, and the added new bits on 3 of the 4 figures make it interesting. I would not pout if Hasbro released these carded to big box stores if only to meet what I assume is a lot of quiet demand. People are going to want to buy these one or two at a time, and I assume they're less of an impulse buy at $68. Get these if you have the inclination, they're gorgeous and I love the specialized armor bits here.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,340: April 28, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,336 Imperial Remnant Snowtrooper (The Vintage Collection)

IMPERIAL REMNANT SNOWTROOPER Single-Masking
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch single figure
Item No.: Asst. G2786 No. G2621
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #389
Includes: Blaster pistol, blaster rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: March 2026
Appearances: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Bio: The Mandalorian and his young apprentice, Grogu, embark on a thrilling adventure as they travel the galaxy. (Taken from the cardback, signifying nothing.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: At some point Hasbro decided "we're going to do all the troopers!" I would have loved this about 20 years ago, and now it goes between "this is neat" and "oh no, not this again!" Squarely in the middle is the Imperial Remnant Snowtrooper, which is basically a partially unmasked 2025 Snowtrooper [FOTD #3,305]. Is it good and accurate? Yes. It has a new helmet sculpt, revised deco, and two blasters. That's good! But, it does get a little boring when in under six months you get a single Snowtrooper, a 4-pack, a commanding officer (twice), an AT-RT driver, and this guy all sharing a lot of the same parts. It makes the line feel a little less varied, even if all the figures are actually pretty good.

What's good? The sculpting and accessories, for one. Hasbro opted to include the Disney-era blaster revisions, which means it has that extra greeblie on the barrel. I can't see it on the cardback photo - but hey, whatever, it looks fine. The long blaster seems to be the same as the one from last year, but in a lighter gray plastic. Again, it's a nice accessory. His backpack has been redecorated, changing up some of the silver and adding a red stripe over the top. It's not a huge change, but it's nice that Hasbro took the time to make any revisions at all.

The sculpt is still really good, with an excellent range of movement on the armor. Hasbro is getting its investment out of this guy, with the requisite articulation expected from this line these days. He can hold a blaster with two hands. The shoulder armor does't get in the way of swinging his arms forward. He has rocker ankles. Nothing here comes up short, with shiny plastic armor over a faux cloth plastic body suit. The subtle texture over the thighs is particularly impressive. The silver painted elements and red lights are all very small, and very cleanly painted.

Where the deco comes up short is, unsurprisingly, weathering. I assume this was a cost-cutting initiative. I wouldn't be surprised if this figure was developed at a $16.99 price point, but after the price increases last year, Hasbro couldn't pivot to add weathering. At least you can add it yourself if you want. The blaster also lacks the silver highlights shown on the cardback photo, which Hasbro sometimes chooses to include. Otherwise, deco is great.

I like the new helmet. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm looking at. I assume it's either a new mask, or just the old mask with the face ripped off because the Empire's budget can no longer afford shower curtains for the lower jaw. It would make sense if, canonically, this is how they looked in The Empire Strikes Back if you ripped their faces off. A prop replica of the old mask just stopped under the nose, so as far as I know the original costumes didn't include these. Similar facial nozzles and circles were in the concept art Snowtroopers, though, so it makes sense they're here today. The plastic is nice and shiny, and his coloring matches the still. Hopefully Hasbro keeps shipping them so we can get more, but who are we kidding - Hasbro stopped carrying The Vintage Collection forward, and I think that's a mistake on their part. Some figures need more than one shot at retail.

I don't find this figure exciting because I was pretty Snowtroopered out last year. It is a good figure, though - it's great to see post-Death Star troopers and whatever evolution (or devolution) comes as as result. Hasbro did a good job capturing the movie line and I have to wonder if they made the Imperial Snowtrooper in 2025 with this guy in mind. Most of the new movie figures seem to make use of existing assets, so I could see it going either way. If you're still buying "new show" or "new movie" stuff, I'd recommend giving this guy a look. It's not like you couldn't use another Snowtrooper, and I don't have any real reason to hate on it. I wouldn't mind seeing it ship again, but I also don't think I want to see any more Snowtrooper-based figures taking away any "new figure" slots for a while. I'm good, this is good, we're all good here. Thank you. How are you?

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,336: April 14, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,332: Imperial Remnant AT-RT Driver (The Vintage Collection)

IMPERIAL REMNANT AT-RT DRIVER Cold Character
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch vehicle pack-in
Item No.: No. G2536
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #396
Includes: Blaster, AT-RT, display stand, blast effect
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $67.99
Availability: March 2026
Appearances: The Mandalorian and Grogu

Bio: The Mandalorian and his young apprentice, Grogu, embark on a thrilling adventure as they travel the galaxy. (Taken from the cardback, in six languages, presumably because somebody refused to speak up and say "Hey boss, how about we just say AT-RT Drivers are part of the dwindling Empire's ground troops? No? OK boss, let's waste 15% of the cardback on nothing.")

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Let's get this out of the way - is it good? Yes, it's very good. This set is not one where you will use the term "value." The AT-RT is a small toy for the price. Your pilot is what appears to be a kitbashed Imperial Remnant AT-RT Driver. $68 is a lot for a $20 figure and, if we're being generous, a $28-$35-ish vehicle with a truly exceptional-for-the-size paint job. Hasbro probably started with a price point and gave fans the most premium experience possible while not passing any saving along to you. To reiterate: it's beautiful. The paint job on the walker is as good as most HasLab ships. But to pay for that level of subtle deco, Hasbro could probably drop about half of the paint and you'd never miss it. In the 1980s, you'd probably get an unpainted walker with a couple stickers and say "this is great!" That's where we're at now: the most expensive collectibles possible, without much of a push to grow the audience (assuming such a thing is still even a possibility.)

This is a premium purchase that will make your wallet wince. I know we're never going back to the good old days of appealing to people who aren't in their 40s, but Hasbro may be better served to drop some of the vehicle deco. Because let me tell you, this is some ridiculously fancy vehicle deco that you probably won't even notice. Subtle gray splatter on the gray plastic feet will likely go unnoticed by many fans. Each of the three jointed leg segments have painted silver pistons or other greeblies, real metal rivets, and no gaps to fill. (Ask your Transformers collecting friends about the phenomenon of fan-made unlicensed gap fillers.) There are painted silver bits and Imperial cogs and multiple painted color switches on the controls. And a driver's screen. And another screen. You're probably getting double or triple the deco of a vehicle from 10-20 years ago.

But how is that figure? As far as I can tell, it's a mix of new and old sculpts. The arms and legs are nearly identical to The Vintage Collection Snowtrooper, with different paint. Less paint, actually, there's not much dirt or anything... but they have the same great range of movement and provide a consistent look among the Imperial armed forces. They are put in what appears to be a new torso with a new belt and waist coat, and a helmet that matches your Shoretroopers. The arms don't feel like they're quite set properly in the torso, so I assume we're dealing with parts from two separate figures as the arms seem large and hang a little lower than all the other troopers on my desk. Given the idea of the Imperial Remnant as an increasingly slapdash bunch of goofs barely hanging on to their armor polish, I guess I can carve out a reason for these guys to look like something is wrong with their uniforms.

As a standing-around figure, he's not particularly striking - but he's a perfect pilot figure for the vehicle. It's rare to get a figure who can sit in his seat, with the hands on the handlebars and the feet on the pedals. But he can do it! His waist coat is split in the back so he can sit more easily in the driver's seat. I have got to wonder if the reason we got this vehicle and figure was a partially reused figure combined with a vehicle that - for all I know - could have been tooled up for The Clone Wars or The Bad Batch and went unreleased until now, with its Imperial livery.

The set comes with a big clear stand with a jointed arm and a ball which can be jammed in the AT-RT's backside socket. It seems to do a good job supporting the vehicle, but my experience with other clear stands snapping have me wary. Be careful with this one. There's also a red blast effect that plugs in the barrels of the cannons, and also looks great. These have been a relative rarity since being introduced in the line since 2002, so it's nice to see here where Hasbro had some budget to play with.

From a purely play perspective, the toy once again takes a Republic-era ship and slaps the Imperial cog on it. If Hasbro were still playing with its old vehicle molds, we'd probably see more things like this. Back in the day, we got Imperial V-Wings and Darth Vader's Sith Starfighter. Sure, they were easy repaints, but they were clever and told little pieces of story about time passing in the Star Wars galaxy.

If Ross gets it on clearance I'll buy another one. This is for old people with money, as future generations may recognize that it's about six or seven hours' pay from a minimum wage job (if your state has a high minimum wage.) I hesitate to call it an essential purchase given just how many versions of the AT-RT we've had since Revenge of the Sith, but here it is, it's as good as these get, and one or two nuts out there are probably going to build a snow diorama packed with them too. I'd recommend this item with reservations around $50-$55. At $30, buy as many as you can find. At $68, I'll buy one and then look over at my Cantina or Barge or Ghost and feel much, much better about those purchases.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. As of my writing this, he's a Fan Channel / Amazon exclusive. I'm hoping they put him into wider release for the anniversary next year.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,332: March 31, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,324: Night Trooper (All-White Helmet, The Vintage Collection)

NIGHT TROOPER All-white helmet
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. F9259
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: Blaster
Retail: $54.99
Availability: July 2024
Appearances: Ahsoka

Bio: The Night Troopers were stormtroopers who served Grand Admiral Thrawn during his exile on the extragalactic planet Peridea, comprising the majority of his forces. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I looked at one of the Night Trooper in 2024 and have been meaning to get back to it. This seems like a good time! Ahsoka season two is allegedly coming this year, but I'd honestly expect them to kick it back a bit with Maul: Shadow Lord and a new movie on deck. I also haven't heard any whispers of merch yet, but things have been light on new series and/or secretive in general. But I digress, we're here to talk about this figure from a set that came out about 19 months ago. It's worth less than SRP now, which is a trend on a lot of items. It's not a bad item - Hasbro (and/or partners) just overestimated the market demand for what is actually a pretty decent set of troopers.

Thanks to Hasbro's rapid improvements of its 3 3/4-inch collector line, this guy hasn't aged well. The ball-and-socket jointed hips we've been getting on new figures are so good that it makes these awkward rotating hip joints that are built like a shoulder swivel seem old-hat. They're pretty sturdy, but they're not fun. You have to actively manipulate them to achieve a pose, and it requires a lot of fidgeting. I know a lot of you hate "old" Kenner figures, but their swivel legs went from "stand" to "sit" with no ambiguity without any actual thought. Hasbro continues to use the thighs on this Night Trooper with its 2025 Sandtrooper, and I'd very much like to see them go away.

Aside from that, the figure gets the job done. The joints are all basically as good as they get, with tilty ankles and bend-and-swivel wrists, plus that double barbell beck. Everything works fairly well - minus the hips - with tight joints that retail the pose pretty well. I haven't had a lot of problems with this guy's ankles, either. Things just more or less clicked in place, which I suppose is an overall win for a figure I will likely not play with very much. His destiny is to stand, or to be stored. Maybe that will change with the second season of Ahsoka, but I'm not so sure. I feel the rapid release of Star Wars programming has taken away any desire to play with (or even think about) most new stories after airing given product drops off fast and there might be multiple shows starting and ending before we get back to these guys again. To put things in perspective, Ahsoka wrapped in October of 2023 - how much time have you spent thinking about the show? That's not a knock against the show. We've also watched Andor season 2, The Acolyte, and Skeleton Crew since the Night Troopers returned to "our" galaxy with Grand Admiral Thrawn. And then we're told two new movies are coming, and cartoons too - so playing around with the toys from that show hasn't been on my mind much, even though they are pretty slick.

The sculpt shares parts with other troopers. Hasbro cleverly configured these troopers with different "wrapped" limbs, so the three in the set all look different. If you buy multiple sets, you can swap limbs (well, maybe with boiling water) and make up some new and unique designs. This one has no gray paint on their helmet, but he does have some gold filling in his cracks and some red ribbons. It's a nice figure, as a more or less immortal zombie of some sort. Hasbro really got a lot of mileage out of its new body parts, and could probably easily make another different crew with slightly different paint that we'd all happily buy. I do not expect this to happen, unless everybody is keeping super duper secret about new season toys. After the light showing for Andor season two, I'm not placing bets.

The trooper's paint and general vibes are good. It was nicely executed, and now you can get it on Amazon or eBay for less than it cost when I got mine. It's funny to see that often - not always, but often - collector product based on the new shows seems to struggle a bit. The recent Mos Eisley Set allegedly sold out, which either means Hasbro right-sized the run, or we're going to see some fun drama unfold later. Regardless, the Night Trooper is a good figure and the goodly gnomes at Hasbro ensured enough were made for you to build armies at a discount. If you liked the show - or at least its production design - I'd recommend the set. I just haven't opened them despite them sitting at my desk for nearly two years. I'll probably liberate the next trooper after we hear a release date for the next season for the show. Until then, take advantage of the market and get one.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. But they're sold out, so use the ">Amazon sponsored link.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,324: March 3, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,314: Sandtrooper (Stormtroopers of the Empire, The Vintage Collection)

SANDTROOPER Re-revised
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Stormtroopers of the Empire Set
Item No.: No. G1281
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blasters x 3
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $49.99
Availability: September 2025
Appearances: Star Wars

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: As we eye a whopping, exhausting, confusing sixth decade of these action figures I have to wonder what's important. Is it fidelity to the films? Is it more important to deliver what we think we saw? Or is it better to make the best-possible toy? I'm sure some of you are going "yes, everything" and you're part of the problem as we look at this swell Sandtrooper figure from a 3-pack last year. I think it delivers the quintessential ideal of a Sandtrooper, with options. That's good!

In recent years we've seen licensees get more access to some archival materials, resulting in discoveries like some troopers having green lenses. This figure has black ones. What should it be? If you ask me, black is good because that is what people seem to remember seeing on-screen and with their other toys. I don't mind the idea of a variant or chase version, but after five decades I'm not necessarily interested in throwing out my old toys in the name of fidelity to the source material. And it feels about right - as far as I can tell Hasbro opted to make a specific splotched, orange-pauldron'd extra from StarWars.com. Hasbro's is a little less dirty, with lighter dirt on the figure that may look a little closer to the scenery. The helmet doesn't seem to be an exact match, which seems to be a thing Internet toy reviewers are expected to notice and be livid about, but it's close. The black band over the eyes is lower, like the photo. The mouth is more or less what you see.

The configuration is close. You'll notice there's an ammo pouch over the shoulder of the costume, but it was moved to the pauldron for the figure. It's close enough. The backpack is unique in that it uses shoulder straps rather than a peg to connect to the figure. I also need to note that the belt does not match exactly, as the black pouches from the movie are not replicated on the figure. I'm not dumping on Hasbro for this, they're modifying an existing trooper to do double-duty here and did a good job making something that gets the job done. With the abundant articulation and labor to build the figure, plus higher price points, you can't have everything - and I'm starting to wonder if I'd be OK with a slight reduction in articulation if it meant a bigger budget for more new tooling and deco. What would you rather have - a new belt, or rocker ankles and thigh swivels? Maybe there's a compromise to be had someday. If Hasbro made several troopers in various poses, I think I could live without them all needing to be super-articulated $20 (or higher) releases.

The backpack has good decoration with lots of painted bits. Hasbro did a great job matching the detail and painting the various white and gray bits, so I don't have much to complain about there. This would be a great figure to use for your "move along" scene dioramas, or any old desert dwelling scenario. I have many Sandtroopers and I would say this is one of Hasbro's very best - if you are so inclined, go get a set or three. Sure it's basically a tricked-out Stormtrooper with a unique belly region, but that's the best overall figure that we have right now. It's not perfect, but we know that he'll be back some day, because Hasbro will be revising these figures 'til I'm old and gray.

But how about blasters? We have a rifle with no paint. We have a grenade launcher with a painted strap. We also have a classic Stormtrooper blaster with a silver highlight. It's a pity and kind of a waste to give us army-building options in a set that is vaguely conducive to buying multiples. I can't speak for y'alls, but I don't need a ton of Scout Troopers or Snowtrooper Officers - but Sandtroopers? I could use more Sandtroopers. Anyway, it's a good three-pack.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,314: January 27, 2026