Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,836: FN-2187 (Finn Stormtrooper, The Force Awakens)

FN-2187 Finn
The Force Awakens Desert and Snow Figures
Item No.: Asst. B3963 No. B6339
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: "Combine" gun, blaster, helmet
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: January 2016
Appearances: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Bio: After his first taste of combat during a brutal First Order night assault on a Jakku village, stormtooper FN-2187 defects from Kylo Ren's forces, becoming a fugitive.. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I sat on FN-2187 for quite some time - well, it hung on a peg over my desk since 2016. Which is a shame, it's a good figure and probably should have been the first figure released in the line. It would've been a good Sneak Preview figure, had Hasbro still done those things. It's kind of fun to look at these figures later, with decent quality figures and a few oddball decisions that look even weirder in context.

The body is fundamentally the same as all the 3 3/4-inch First Order stormtroopers, which means it stands well, sits well, has a place to plug a blaster in the thigh, but can't sit. The legs don't swing forward all the way, so it's a rotten vehicle pilot - but if you need someone to stand at a cannon, he's great. The arms have no problems swinging forward, and the ball-jointed head is just the right size so the helmet slips on without too much friction. Having reviewed thousands of these things, it's kind of surprising to know that every figure you buy is something of a coin toss as to if the accessories will fit, or if the legs can be positioned in a way to fit in the vehicles. Kenner pretty much hit them out of the park in the 1970s and most of the 1980s, although I will say there's no question that the sculpting is a lot better on these newer guys.

The Finn head likeness is good, and the blaster is a little loose in the plug - if you knock it, it'll fall out. Thankfully the helmet is more or less perfect, and if you just want a cool figure to stand on your desk - or stay on the card - it's amazing. The big cannon accessory is kind of dopey, and looking back on it, they're especially maddening. We got charged extra for these things. Sometimes less is more, but Hasbro was probably also wise to sell a figure at a higher price point at the time because the mania in 2015 was so high that people would likely have paid $10 just to get something new. That's one of the things I don't much love about the hobby - the prices seem to be somewhat fluid based on hype and availability. It wasn't a great impulse price point at the time, but when you can convince fans to line up at midnight to buy toys, such things really don't matter a whole heck of a lot. It's a great figure. It's no the best toy.

One of my go-to tests for "is this a good toy?" has been "can it pilot an old Kenner Landspeeder?" and in this case, the answer is "barely." I just fit him in the MTV-7 Mini-Rig I keep on my desk, and he can pilot it - but he's leaning back a lot. The figure ticks the boxes of what you need for a good action figure, but I think with better hips it would be superb. As it is, it's just OK - but since it's from the new trilogy, you're probably not going to care about this figure for another ten, maybe fifteen years as the kids who grew up on this trilogy may later decide to collect these things.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,836: July 8, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,784: Captain Cardinal (The Black Series 6-Inch)

CAPTAIN CARDINAL (Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Trading Outpost)
The Black Series Galaxy's Edge Trading Outpost Exclusive Action Figure
Item No.: No. E9700
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Pistol, rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $24.99
Availability: August 2020
Appearances: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and some novels
Bio: Served as Armitage Hux's personal guard, as he was among the orphans that Brendol Hux took in to create the First Order from. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Timing is everything. The rapid-pace drop of new films in the sequel trilogy plus the endless barrage of new publishing, theme park attractions, and the declaration of everything being canon to the point where it could well be sarcastic made the debut of a lot of things - like Captain Cardinal kind of underwhelming. Then again, maybe it's me - if we got a red Stormtrooper with a cape in 1992 I'd probably be doing cartwheels. A $5 upcharge for a flimsy cape on a trooper mold I've been sold a dozen times after Hasbro got its investment back is, to say the least, underwhelming in an era where other aspects of the franchise are quite popular. This isn't to say it is a bad figure - it's just a curious choice to release this as part of a theme park line, when I have no idea if the character appeared at the theme park, but I do know I haven't read any of the novels featuring him. It's a curious thing of which to make a figure, but also an exclusive Hasbro helmet for a hundred bucks.

There were no visible improvements on the figure over its source material from 2015. Having been released in an individual box multiple times with varying accessories, pauldrons, or other elements, the First Order Stormtrooper is a proven seller. The articulation here is the same as what you got for The Force Awakens with a pointy mouth from The Last Jedi redesign. It has the vent on the helmet. You can plug the blasters in the thigh slot, which is a cool feature. I even rather like the shade of red they used here.

Cardinal has no problems holding his blaster, and he stands well. The cloth cape is supremely thin, but hangs nicely. The flimsy black sheet has a painted silver stripe, and if you don't look at it too closely you could say it's one of the better ones. At a bit of distance, it hangs nicely and is a decent enough thickness where you can understand why they opted to go this route rather than a more expensive solution, like retooling Phasma's plastic cape. (They could have probably also just sold us a red Phasma.) The figure lacks the shoulder enhancements we saw for The Rise of Skywalker's newer toys, but hey, it's a trooper. It looks cool. Unless you're a fan of the "canon" outside the stuff that appears on the screen, this character probably means nothing to you. It's just a nifty addition to your First Order ranks that will probably be best known as a Target exclusive. It's on-brand, after all, being red and everything.

For the completist or hardcore collector, it's a pretty decent figure. But $25 could also get you The Horrors records, or Walmart's much more interesting 2020 The Clone Wars redeco and retooled exclusives. It's almost a shame that Hasbro has completely dropped the retailer branding on exclusive products in the wake of the death of Toys R Us - a Target logo on the box would arguably make this a much more fun figure, just as a store mascot. Well, there's always hope for more - maybe we can get Red Bumblebee or something to go with Red Wing and presumably some sort of Crimson Guard at some point.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,784: March 8, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,684: Sith Jet Trooper (The Black Series 6-Inch)

SITH JET TROOPER Red Repaint
The Black Series   6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. E4071 No. E9320
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #106
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: March 2020
Appearances: The Rise of Skywalker and/or Battlefront

Bio: In its ultimate push toward galactic conquest, the First Order readies an army of elite soldiers that draw inspiration from a dark and ancient legacy.  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I don't know if the Sith Jet Trooper is accurate or not.  How's that for an intro?   As I write this I haven't got the tech to zoom in film frames to check to see if Hasbro's decision to redecorate its white Jet Trooper in red is sufficient or not.   Guide books, Battlefront, and even the photo on the 3 3/4-inch The Vintage Collection figure match this 6-inch release.  However, the 3 3/4-inch figure itself, and the Pop! Funko figure, and a few others have these nifty grooves in the helmet, shins, thighs, and shoulders.  The 6-inch figure lacks these distinctive elements.  So one of the two is probably wrong - or maybe, there's a tiny chance that there's two versions in the movie and we haven't gone over enough behind-the-scenes material thanks to the secrecy behind these movies.   So maybe this figure is correct - and maybe it isn't.  If nothing else, it's true to Battlefront.

It's a nice figure but not as impressive as some other late 2019 and early 2020 releases.   It doesn't have the extra shoulder movement of the Sith Trooper, but it does have articulated jets on the jet pack as well as extra deco that the 3 3/4-inch figure is missing.   You still get double-jointed knees, rocking ankles, and excellent articulation allowing the figure to grip and aim the blaster easily.  The leg articulation is a bit more restricted, while there is movement it doesn't seem like it would be as good sitting in a vehicle, were a vehicle made for such a purpose.

The figure has no problems standing or being posed in a number of action poses, and I'm impressed by how stable it is.   It's shiny and red, and it looks cool.   The blaster plugs in the thigh without a fuss, and I would say this is a worthwhile purchase if you can find it at a fair price.  It seems to match the portrait on the box, so let's say it's good enough until we find out otherwise.  As time goes on, our access to better stills, or the props themselves at a museum, we and Hasbro start to ask for better improvements on these figures.   For now, as far as I can tell, this is good enough.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,684: April 23, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,677: First Order Snowtrooper (The Black Series 6-Inch)

FIRST ORDER SNOWTROOPER First of Many
The Force Awakens The Black Series 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. B3834 No. B4045
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #12
Includes: Rifle, backpack
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: September 2015
Appearances: The Force Awakens

Bio: The latest generation of cold weather assault Stormtroopers, Snowtroopers wear advanced insulated armor and helmets that reduce the glare of icy terrain.   (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: When I started writing this column something like 14 years ago, I wanted to do a lot more "whatever happened to" reviews - and now we can, since this First Order Snowtrooper was a 2015 release.  It came out around the same time as the once-impossible-to-find Hux and Asty, which were rerun (you're welcome) before you realized just how low the run really was.   In that wave - and carried forward - was this trooper.  It's a cool trooper!  Hasbro made a bepauldroned version as an exclusive for Toys R Us in 2015, and a caped one for Target in 2019.  You could build an army by being a completist!  The Snowtrooper did start to linger, especially since this version lacks the bells and whistles, and capes, of the other ones.   It's the least desirable of the lot, but it's cheap.

The figure is the same core figure as all three releases, each of which has barely different paint.  It's a white armored soldier with a distinctive helmet and about 26 points of articulation.  Hasbro did a good job with the sculpt thanks to Disney not being stingy with the reference files, and the figure has a pretty good range of movement despite the single-joint style of elbows.  I love the glossy "hard" elements of the uniform on the helmet, shoulders, and chest, while the vinyl kama around the waist just sort of gets in the way.  It's not like this is a really "action"-oriented figure when you take a look at the entire sequel trilogy, and this figure is kind of a good metaphor for the new saga.  It's shiny, it looks like it should turn into something really amazing... and it's fine.  It's probably not going to have the impact on my life that the original gangsta Snowtrooper had back in the day, but maybe it'll influence some kids and a new series of fans when it's time to contemplate raiding what's left of Ralph McQuarrie's sketchbook and swiping frames from other Japanese movies in 2040 when they release Episode X.  Or so I am guessing.

It's a sturdy if stiff trooper with a nifty blaster that's also indicative of its era.  I have little doubt that Disney and Lucasfilm Licensing put their thumbs on the design scale to make the blaster white, so it'd be easier to sell as a toy unlike black blasters.   Toy guns are tough to do these days, even pistol-like phasers from Star Trek Discovery were prototyped and while demand existed, you couldn't sell them in states like California due to gun laws.   And now you've got white blasters on your stormtroopers.   If you're an older fan, this figure is destined to sit on your shelf, possibly in its box, unlikely to be played with and loved like your childhood toys.   Since the free market has brought the price down, go ahead and get this version if you want one of the three First Order Snowtroopers.  It's cheap! Or it was.  I don't know when you'll read this.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Amazon.  

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,677: March 31, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,665: First Order Elite Snowtrooper (The Black Series 6-Inch)

FIRST ORDER ELITE SNOWTROOPER with or without mystery box
The Black Series 6-Inch Target Exclusive Action Figure
Item No.: No. E7205
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, Backpack, Cloak, "Collector Mystery Box" includes the same boxed figure plus enamel pin, knit Final Order beanie, and a Star Wars Allegiance #1 comic book
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $24.99, Collector Mystery Box Edition $39.99
Availability: October 2019
Appearances: The Rise of Skywalker

Bio: The  latest generation of cold weather assault Stormtroopers, Snowtroopers wear advanced insulated armor and helmets that reduce the glare of icy terrain.  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I've been writing about toys on the internet for almost 25 years and The Rise of Skywalker is the first line that's delivered more ambivalence than excitement.   The third figure to use this mold is this 2019 First Order Elite Stormtrooper, another "just different enough to make you mad" exclusive.  I never got around to reviewing - or opening - the basic 2015 version, but I did look at the First Order Snowtrooper Officer [FOTD #2,238].  As I write this I opened the two new-to-me versions... and they're all the same, but different.  The core action figure is virtually identical except for deco.

If you don't have any versions of this figure in this scale, get the 2019 First Order Elite Snowtrooper version - it has more interesting paint applications and cloth parts.  It also costs a lot more, which is unfortunate as the previous basic version was clearance fodder/worthless/use your nasty words here.   What makes the core Elite Snowtrooper stand out in terms of deco are some red markings - you'll note a little more color on the chest greeblies as well as on the left side of the backpack.   Everything else is pretty much the same - the waistcoat is a little wrinkled for some reason, but I see no obvious sculpt changes.  It just costs a lot more, which was the case on most of the 2019 exclusives, which is bizarre and unfortunate.  If the clearance price sticks and future fans can get it at or under $20, it's pretty sharp.

What really makes this figure nice is the bonus set of cloth parts.   The figure has a surprisingly great white cloak with black lining - there are strings to secure it to the arms, and a nice hood.  It may be the new very-best-cloth-parts Hasbro has ever added to an action figure.  There's also a blanket wrapped around the backpack for reasons I don't entirely understand, but hey, it makes the figure look different.  That matters when you're using and re-using the same mold for multiple exclusives, hoping completists will deem them worthy of a second, third, or further look.

The Black Series came a long way from 2015 to 2019, so these figures - which were still figuring out the best way to articulate all of the joints - aren't the best molds.  Giving it an added top-notch cloak was a nice bonus, but the $5 upcharge is silly given Walmart got an exclusive Luke with a new head, new deco, a new plastic vest, and a new blaster to go with the new cloak.   It's no wonder this figure hit the clearance skids quickly, but the designers did a fair job coming up with a way to dress up "more of the same" as something interesting.  If the price is right, I'd advise you to pick it up.  At a premium, I wouldn't get it unless you don't have any other First Order Snowtrooper figures.  I drove out of my way to get one on clearance, but found the prospect of paying $25 for an accessorized $20 figure that is currently worth $5-$10 seemed like a poor use of my hard-earned and unwisely-spent cash.

Collector's Mystery Box: The figure showed up in October in a "Collector's Mystery Box" for $39.99.  This included a Final Order knit beanie from Bioworld, a The First Order Dark Side 10-04 2019 pin with a Stormtrooper helmet showing no manufacturer markings, and a Marvel Star Wars Allegiance comic book.  If you want all of this stuff, it's a pretty good value - I wish they did it with The Mandalorian too/instead.   Given the "crate of loot" is less desirable these days it's kind of amazing that something like this got made.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target.  It went on clearance the day after Christmas.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,665: February 18, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,657: First Order Stormtrooper (2019 TLJ, The Black Series 6-Inch)

FIRST ORDER STORMTROOPER The Last Jedi Redux
The Black Series 6-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E4071 No. E7519
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #97
Includes: Riot shield, riot baton, blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: October 2019
Appearances: The Last Jedi

Bio: The first order’s Infantry units are trained from birth, given unit designations instead of names and fed a steady diet of first order propaganda to ensure absolute loyalty   (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: This is my unhappy face.  Figures like this particular First Order Stormtrooper make me sad - because it doesn't need to exist.  It's a pared-down version of the Amazon exclusive Stormtrooper from a couple years back which is a decent accessory pack/tweak.  If you have that one, you don't need this one - but if you need more troopers, this one is fine.  You can steal his weapons for other figures.

The core figure is the very nice 2015 SDCC First Order Stormtrooper [FOTD #2,162] which itself was tweaked for a similar Riot Control First Order Stormtrooper [FOTD #2,235] mere weeks later.   This figure is also slightly different from that last one.  There's a revised The Last Jedi trooper helmet with a sharper mouth, and there's a revised batom that has rotating clubs on the tip of it.   Other than that?  It's pretty much the same great figure with one fewer weapon - the normal, larger blaster has been dropped in favor of the smaller pistol.  You get the tiny pistol here, you get a baton, and you get a shield.  You get a perfectly nice trooper with rocker ankles and what seem to be slightly better elbows.   It's still basically the same trooper though - do you need more?  Well, here you go.

I'm glad it's a trooper and not Rey again under a new number, but I still would've loved to see a nickel spent on some blast damage on the shield, or perhaps some scorch marks on the baton.   It's OK.  It's fine.  There's nothing wrong with it.  It's just that there's not much new here.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,657: January 21, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,646: Jet Trooper (Galaxy of Adventures 5-Inch)

JET TROOPER Action Packed
Galaxy of Adventures   5-Inch
Item No.: Asst. E3016 No. E6706
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: Quick Draw Blaster
Retail: $9.99
Availability: October 2019
Appearances: The Rise of Skywalker

Bio: Rocket troopers also known as Jet troopers were a stormtrooper variant in the Stormtrooper Corps of the First Order.   (Stolen from Wookieepedia. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Good figure, iffy feature.  The Jet Trooper and most of the armored releases in the 5-inch Galaxy of Adventures line are great. The exaggerated boots and helmet improve the look a bit, as some of the arms of the normal releases are a bit skinny - these guys are just a bit bulked up, but retain the coloring and shine of the realistic movie figures.  It's stylized in a pleasant way that makes me want to demand Boba Fett, but what wouldn't?

Like the others, he has about 23 points of articulation.  You get the double-neck, the rocker ankles, the swivel wrists, and of course, the quick-draw shoulders.  In this case you get two - and I don't much love it.  Both hands fling up well together, but I just want one going up - getting both hands on the rifle and going up at the same time is kind of tricky.  He's easy to pose though, with arms that click in place as needed and hands that can grip the gun.  I like the strange helmet, the jetpack/vest looks good, and the design makes for a good figure.  The leg articulation is exceptionally good, and I wish there were vehicles or playsets to use with these guys.

A white figure with a few black and red elements, it's a simple figure and you can see why it's ten bucks.  (Actually, it's pretty good for ten bucks.)  If you stumble on one I'd say picking one up is a worthwhile pursuit.  It's not like  you've got a lot of 3 3/4-inch choices these days.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,646: December 12, 2019

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,627: First Order Driver (Galaxy of Adventures 5-Inch)

FIRST ORDER DRIVER with Treadspeeder
Galaxy of Adventures   5-Inch Vehicle Pack-in
Item No.: No. E3030
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, projectile, Treadspeeder with pop-off panels
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: October 2019
Appearances: The Rise of Skywalker

Bio: No bio on the box - that must be why it looks so good. Let's say The First Order Drivers are pretty good at their job.  They start learning their craft at an early age, as a baby driver.  Unfortunately that has been used as a name for a movie already, so we will not see a Star Wars Baby Driver movie.

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Behold, the lost promise of the 1990s.  When I first saw this upsized Galaxy of Adventures line-up, I saw things that seemingly didn't make it out - but the First Order Driver and this new 5-inch scale is pretty fantastic.  The only thing it has going against it is that you've already got dozens, hundreds, or maybe thousands of figures in other formats.  If Hasbro sticks to its guns and makes this a new "kid format," I think it has a lot of potential - but we've also seen limited tenacity with most new toy expressions.

Since and including 2005, Hasbro has had tons of formats in circulation.  Unleashed (7-inch), Unleashed (2-inch), 3 3/4-inch (basic, vintage, Titanium, and so forth), 12-inch Titan Hero Series, Galactic Heroes, Jedi Force, the new line called Galactic Heroes that used to be called Jedi Force, MicroMachines, 6-inch Black Series, 6-inch basic/value, and more - plus more from other manufacturers.  Any new format probably results in collectors clenching their backsides, squinting, untrusting of a new format.  And rightly so - even The Black Series was greeted with derision before achieving significant popularity around wave 3, at which point the old guard hated it.  You can't succeed for winning, I guess.

At press time I managed to get my mitts on this 5-inch not-a-Stormtrooper early... and I hate myself for liking it.  Back in the 1990s, action figure fans generally loved Kenner's 4 1/2-inch-ish  Batman and other lines as well as Playmates' then-transcendent 4 1/2-inch Star Trek lines.  For $5-$6 you got a good figure with a gaggle of accessories, possibly a display stand, and maybe a trading card on nice packaging.   Kenner went with a smaller format, which seemed disappointing given other companies gave you more plastic for less money.   Hasbro has been giving you less plastic for more money ever since, with 3 3/4-inch figures seemingly selling at a premium mark-up.  These new guys are about $10 with 10 or more points of articulation - this trooper has 23 points of articulation, and a vehicle.  I can't help but feeling I was hornswaggled in the other formats.  Hasbro gives you a figure with decent deco and frankly superb articulation at a price I can't complain about.

The mostly white figure has a few markings, and is basically a sort of Scout and Trooper hybrid. There's a double-neck joint barbell piece, so there's superb range of movement there.  You have wrist joints, rocker ankles, a waist joint, elbows, knees, lateral hip movement... it's dang near perfect and better than most 3 3/4-inch figures we've had over the last 41 years.  You might not like the stylized proportions, but I don't notice them on this trooper.  The only things I didn't love on the figure itself were the quick-draw mechanism (it works, but there's no way to lock it or turn it off) and the fact the blaster can't plug into the figure's hip. An extra groove in a thigh and an extra tab on the gun don't cost more money - Hasbro could've done this easily and at no added cost.

The bike itself is perfectly fine, large and goofy with big treads and no on-board weapon storage.  (Yes, this is an issue for me.)  It's simple and looks like something Kenner would've come up with if its Mini-Rigs line continued another 2-3 years in The Power of the Force lines - either one, really.   The packaging is attractive with lots of dots, bright colors, and minimal plastic - it's impressive.  I wanted to hate this toy, and even not write about it.  But once I got it in my hands and played with it, I can only say that it's really good and I wish we lived in some miracle era where this could be a new standard for kids and collectors, rather than splitting the line, or that it were the line we got in the 1990s instead of POTF2.  It's good, it's priced fairly, and my only real complaint about the line as a whole is that it lacks cohesion so far.  I hope Hasbro sticks with it long enough to give us 100 or so of the best characters.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,627: October 8, 2019

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,626: Sith Trooper (SDCC Debut, The Black Series 6-Inch)

SITH TROOPER Convention Debut
The Black Series 6-Inch Figure - San Diego Comic-Con International
Item No.: No. E4073
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blasters and added gear
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $32.00
Availability: July 2019
Appearances: The Rise of Skywalker

Bio:  Sith troopers were a stormtrooper variant that served the First Order during its war against the Resistance. Named after the Sith, an ancient order of Force-users devoted to the dark side of the Force, these troopers were the next evolution of Imperial/First Order stormtroopers. They wore red-colored stormtrooper armor and wielded a type of black and red blaster rifle.[ (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability:  Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  Combining elements of various Stormtroopers and the Elite Praetorian Guard, this Sith Trooper came out as an SDCC-exclusive preview figure, as many have before it.   With no context, it's also only vaguely interesting, just like the others that come before it.  I and many others come to (and stay with) this hobby because we love Star Wars - and this isn't quite Star Wars yet.  It will be, but right now it's just another figure in a box that I don't have much emotional attachment with beyond "hey, new toy."   "New toy" wears pretty thin after a while, so it's good that hasbro made a worthwhile figure - even if it is somewhat packed with riddles.

It's not far off from the ridiculous goodie bag that was Amazon's First Order Stormtrooper a few years ago, as this one has two blaster rifles, a grabber of some sort, a sword, and what I assume is a grenade launcher or flame thrower.  I don't know weapons, and while it looks more or less like the released photographs there's not much we can say about its overall personality beyond "yup, it's a trooper, and it's pretty cool."  There's a camera-like dongle on the right shoulder, the helmet has a ton of grooves - as does the chest, and you can see influences from previous troopers everywhere.  The belt looks a bit like the First Order troopers and so does the "OII" on the back.  Heck the "O" looks a bit like a Death Star now, and for all I know that's significant to the plot as we know a crashed Death Star works into the new movie.  He also has asymmetrical knee armor, not unlike the original trooper.  There also seem to be more greeblies than usual, which reminds me of the Scout Trooper.  There isn't a ton of precedent for red Stormtroopers, but the Crimson Stormtrooepr [FOTD #2,249] comes to mind.

The engineering of this figure is great.  The elbows have a wonderful range of motion, and the hands can grip the weapons.  The knees are double-jointed, and Hasbro put in each point of articulation in an inconspicuous location.  The chest cut works.  The shoulders have added rubbery pads to hide the joints on the black body glove.  Hasbro even improved the hip joints, allowing the figure's limbs to swing forward without looking like the t-crotch vintage Kenner toys.

The accessories are a bit of a mystery - the two blasters are great, with black and silver highlights. They can plug into the trooper's thigh as with previous releases.  The blade doesn't seem to plug in anywhere, and it looks pretty sharp with a silver element to it.  This weapon looks cool, maybe it's significant to the movie like the riot baton was.   The grabber claw is also an oddity - the claws open, but why is it here?  To reach canned items on the top shelf?   To grab something burning with Sith magic?  Is it a discarded concept, a red herring?  That remains to be seen!   The big gun is a bit awkward, but he can get his hands on it and look like he's not a complete goofus carrying it around.  I think.  It really is a bit large.

The bonus accessories make for some added fun, probably, but I am unsure what role they play in the film yet.  I wouldn't say it's worth the $12 bonus cost - or more on the secondary market - but I'm glad to have them as I'm obsessive about such things.  I would recommend getting yourself a 6-inch Sith Trooper, even if it isn't the comic-con version.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro's San Diego Comic-Con 2019 booth shop.  One lighter on accessories should be in stores near you today if not tomorrow.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,626: October 3, 2019