IMPERIAL ENGINEER Star Wars: Battlefront IIThe Legacy Collection Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 87535 No. 89606
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #BD22
Includes: Helmet, armor, blaster, droid piece
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: September 2008
Appearances: Star Wars: Battlefront II
Image: Adam Pawlus' TV tray.
Bio: Architects of combat, Imperial engineers establish defenses and use various weapons and tools to destroy Rebellion emplacements. They employ devastating detpacks - remotely detonated explosives - to destroy heavy machinery and enemy positions. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)
Commentary: Greatness is tough to find in a repaint wave, because all the really good ideas tend to be obvious. Clone Troopers are easy repaints, as are droids. But Imperials? There's not much in the way of opportunity, so sometimes Hasbro cranks out a really dull figure like the Imperial Engineer, which you will probably buy just because you want its droid part and/or a complete collection. In and of itself, it isn't a bad figure, it's just that it's not much new. Based on a previously released Death Star Gunner, the figure has the same 12 points of articulation, same armor, and same holster you've seen before. Heck, his helmet, armor, gloves, boots, and holster are essentially the same as the original figure. The big change is that the black body suit is now grey. That's it-- there's nothing else new or different here beyond this one slight tweak and the placement of a shoulder logo.
The one truly interesting thing about the figure is its blaster. It's the basic Stormtrooper blaster, but in silver with black markings. It isn't exactly true to the film or the game, but at least it looks different than the previous guns I've bought. When this figure was announced and I saw the first photo, I thought it was just a Gunner with a new name-- which is of course extremely lame. Unfortunately the reality of the situation wasn't all that far off, so while I wouldn't advise fans go out and buy this, well, there you have it. It's as good as the Gunner, just slightly different. Pick up at your own risk.
Collector's Notes: A new release, this figure is one of the slower sellers of his repaint wave. No doubt, this has to do with the fact that the figure really doesn't look all that different from the Death Star Gunner of 2006, of which fans were able to buy plenty.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 878: October 24, 2008
PASS. The least they could've done was include some detonator accessories, right? I would like a different blaster, but then the holster would be pointless.
ReplyDeleteThough this guy is a little on the dull side, I believe he's "just different enough," as you like to say, Adam. Battlefront could be a trove of easy repaints -- personally I'd like to see the Rebel Commando in his blue/grey 'urban' camo.
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