Figure of the Day: Day 458: Rebel Trooper

REBEL TROOPER Capture of Tantive IV
30th Anniversary Collection Battle Packs
Item No.: Asst. 84205 No. 84367
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, removable helmet, 4 other figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: February 2007
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Though inexperienced in combat against trained and determined fighters like the Imperial stormtroopers that swarmed onto their ship, these troopers were utterly loyal to Princess Leia and the Rebel Alliance. They fought to the last man in defense of their ship. (Taken from the figure's box.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' figure shelves.

Commentary: Hasbro made a (for the time) great Rebel Trooper several years ago, and apparently Hasbro likes the mold so much, they just keep bringing it back. The figure you see here is one of six figures to share this body, with the old changes usually being just the head mold (with one exception). The figure takes the body with 12 iffy points of articulation, gives him a gun, and of course gives him a removable helmet (previously from Captain Antilles) and an all-new head. That's really all there is to it-- you probably will buy the battle pack with this figure for the Stormtroopers, and will get stuck with a lot of these guys. The head sculpt isn't bad, but the figure's body hasn't aged well. In 2001, the then-new knee joints allowed for some nifty poses which we hadn't seen before, as knee joints of any kind were fairly uncommon in Star Wars. Today, we've seen some really spiffy knee joints in this scale, from the ball joints on Clone Troopers to the double-knee joints on the most recent G.I. Joe action figures. The figure's arm articulation is quite limiting, and in 2007, is pretty awful. It's not that this is a bad figure, it's just that it's way past its prime and now when it's released in a box with two nearly perfect Stormtroopers, it really, really looks bad.

Collector's Notes: The figure is said to have a hair color variant which I have not had the good fortune of verifying myself-- does anyone have pictures? Apparently this figure and the other figure in the set swap hair colors.

Day 458: August 7, 2007