Imperial Stormtrooper - 1:6 Scale Figures

A brutal and repressive regime, the Galactic Empire maintains control of its innumerable worlds through fear and intimidation. Powerful symbols of the peerless military strength of the Empire, the Emperor's Imperial stormtroopers maintain the dictator's far-reaching iron grip throughout the galaxy; they are the executors of his will and the instruments of his wrath. At the point of a blaster rifle, the citizens of the Empire are held hostage to the agendas of the shadowy Sith Lord.

During the Clone Wars, the stormtroopers were the defenders of the Republic, marching under their Jedi generals into battle against the droid hordes of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, but the Grand Army of the Republic showed where its true allegiance lay when then-Chancellor Palpatine issued his cataclysmic Order 66. The clone troopers turned on their former comrades and gunned down the Jedi on worlds across the galaxy, instantly shifting the power of law from the Republic's traditional peace-keepers to the newly proclaimed Emperor alone and in the decades that followed, with their enforcement, he has never yielded it up.

Clad in a uniform of glossy white armor and bearing heavy arms, the Empire's frontline soldiers are a mix of clones and recruited personnel, all utterly loyal to the ideals of the New Order. Unswerving in their dedication to duty and immune to bribery of any sort, they police the Core Worlds and are deployed far into the Outer Rim to quell uprisings and maintain the Empire's tyrannical rule. Sometimes the mere sight of rows of white-clad troopers pouring in perfect unison down the ramps of their landing craft is enough to quiet rebellion before a single shot is fired, but the Empire's loyal enforcers have never shied from a show of force. Violent repression is the hallmark of a regime that is quick to meet dissention with overwhelming military might and crush resistance wherever it springs.

The Sideshow Collectibles 1:6 Scale Imperial Stormtrooper brought the expectations for collectibles of this character in 12” form to a whole new level! Hasbro worked clandestinely (apparently for quite some time to perfect it) and didn’t hint at all about it until Comic Con 2008 where the big announcement was made. It elated the collective masses and fans couldn’t wait to see the final product. To say that this extraordinarily exciting 1:6 Scale Figure is one of the best figures Sideshow has done to date would be an understatement. While it has some problems, it is the first release in the Militaries Of Star Wars line and fine tuning should be expected for the first couple of introductory figures. But don’t get concerned. The Imperial Stormtrooper is a work of art and we believe it is the best 1:6 Scale Imperial Stormtrooper figure on the market today. 2009 was the perfect release year for Sideshow Collectibles’ 1:6 Scale Imperial Stormtrooper. Designed after the costume seen in A New Hope, it marks the 30th anniversary since the original vintage Stormtrooper Large Size Action figure was released in 1979. Whether this was coincidental or intentional, the spirit behind it makes for a very exciting and powerful release! The continual evolution of high technology has reinvented the ways this character has been considered and produced since its first inception in 1/6th scale. Sideshow clearly spent lots of time ensuring that every detail was not missed on this fantastic figure. Probably the most popular soldier of the Galactic Empire, this 1:6 Scale Imperial Stormtrooper has given collectors the absolute and definitive version of this character and aside from including some other additional accessories, there is not too more that could be done to improve it. And the buzz surrounding this figure is clearly invigorating new interest in the 1:6 Scale Figures Sideshow Collectibles line.

The body of this figure utilizes the “Armored” body mold with over 30 points of articulation. This is one of the latest body types created for the likes of armored military figures. Different parts and portions of the body are leaner to allow for accurate and close fitting placement of the armor pieces so that a lean silhouette is created. You will be thoroughly impressed with how successful the parts look on the figure. The engineering is almost flawless and it is evident that Sideshow worked with Hot Toys to get this right the first time. Of particular note, the armor is not as shiny as we would have hoped for, but it looks pretty close to the “plastoid” material used for the costumes in the film. This is first Stormtrooper figure to capture this authenticity with flawless detail. The Medicom Toy Real Action Heroes Stormtrooper comes pretty close, but the soft vinyl casting of the armor definitely deters from a truly authentic presentation. Sideshow was very smart to go with a harder PVC plastic of the figure. The armor on the figure’s legs is perfectly recreated. Each knee cap is unique like it should be and it covers the body of the figure just like a real Stormtrooper. There are so many small details that have been captured and it makes us very thankful to Sideshow for replicating faithful interpretations of the beloved characters. For example, the small circular markings on the abdomen are perfectly painted and also match the costume props exactly. The armor hangs beautifully on the figure and although there is an issue with the tightness of the joints, the 1:6 Scale Imperial Stormtrooper delivers stellar quality with artful craftsmanship. We would like to express to Sideshow to please tighten up the joints on this body type. The figure doesn’t hold poses that well without the aid of a figure stand. We find this a little disappointing. The figure doesn’t come with many accessories, but you will get an extra set of interchangeable hands, thermal detonator with metal belt clip, and Stormtrooper blaster. The exclusive edition comes with a Stormtrooper blaster pistol. From what we can tell (and also what we have heard from Sideshow Collectibles), this pistol was taken from the archive sources and was not seen in the film.

The head is attached with a ball joint, so it has a full range of motion. The lenses look great and they miss the very hard to see green tint, but many fans claim that the green tint is only truly visible on the sandtroopers. We are not entirely positive what is true here ourselves, but we do know that Gentle Giant included this green lens detail on their Stormtrooper mini busts. We think it was wise for Sideshow to stick with the black color for the lenses. After all, they definitely come across that way on film. Only archive junkies will claim it is inaccurate. We are of course nitpicking here. The Imperial Stormtrooper is a beautiful piece. You will be hard pressed to find criticisms with this figure! Both the and regular editions at SC are sold out (and have been for quite some time), but Wait List options are available. Don’t expect this figure to hang around for long even at secondary after-market sources. Sideshow’s version supersedes the quality of the $149.99 Medicom Toy Real Action Heroes version by light years and it is almost half the price at a very affordable $89.99. You won’t be able to find a better 1:6 Scale Stormtrooper figure for less, so we encourage you to get on the Wait list reservations or find some way of adding him into your collections as soon as possible. During Toy Fair 2009, Sideshow Collectibles responded to a question in their “Ask Sideshow” segment about the Imperial Stormtrooper seeing rerelease at some point down the road. One reader wrote because he was worried over the low edition size of this figure. Sideshow referred to this figure as a “first-run” figure. This means that a retooled version may see the light of day to represent the differences made to the Stormtrooper costumes seen in The Empire Strikes Back or Return Of The Jedi. So, all of us may have another chance to pick this figure up in the future, but be warned, it will not be the same – it will definitely be altered in some fashion or another. Sideshow also expressed that 2009 is the year that will focus on armored figures and that was certainly the case. And even more are on the way. Since 2010 is the 30th Anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, we hope that an Imperial Snowtrooper, AT-AT Driver and General Veers are in the works (as well as many others). Sideshow has opened the floodgates for the armored military figures, so bring it on and let’s get wet with these glorious figures! While we wait to find out, we will thoroughly enjoy the 1:6 Scale Imperial Stormtrooper!