Stormtrooper Commander - TAC - Basic (Exclusive)

The stormtroper commander patrols the front lines, leading his troops into fierce combat on the fungal planet Felucia. Clearly visible with his enhanced, uniquely detailed armor, he confronts the Felucians with a mighty BlasTech E-11 blaster rifle – and the pure willingness to pull its trigger.

The promotional timing of The Force Unleashed was a train wreck in many ways. Related product wasn't released in tandem with the game and additionally, many of the toys based on the game saw sporadic (and inconsistent) release and availability. But nothing caused more outrage probably than the GameStop exclusive Stormtrooper Commander. Hasbro thought they were doing all of us a favor by giving us three days notice that select GameStop retail locations would be giving away one of these figures with the pre-ordered purchase of The Force Unleashed video game at midnight on September 16, 2008. Of course, like any other Hasbro debacle, some stores didn't follow protocol and collectors/fans/scalpers/what-have-you managed to score multiple figures weeks before the official release date with a $5.00 deposit on the game. Needless to say, this aggravated the hardcore collectors to unbelievable levels including us. And many collectors who don't even play video games were not about to wait in line at midnight at a store that may or may not have had any figures left over. When all was said and done, Hasbro admitted that it didn't flow as planned as assured collectors that they would be sure to get the Stormtrooper Commander out again soon. (Editor's Note: But it ultimately didn't see rerelease in the way as all had hoped - Hasbro canned the action figure stand for the 2009 Comic Con exclusive version which irritated collectors even more.)

So now that you have the Stormtrooper Commander's abbreviated history, we can tell you that despite its very rough treatment into retail, the figure is a very cool one indeed. In fact, it still ranks as one of our favorite characters from The Force Unleashed. Simply a repaint of 2007's TAC Imperial Stormtrooper (30 20) figure, the Stormtrooper Commander has a lot more color and battle-damage markings. (And it makes him look fantastic.) Looking a lot like a 501st Legion clone trooper, the Stormtrooper Commander has navy blue color flashes all over his armor. Hasbro did a great job to make the navy blue paint look clean and crisp. But the face is painted rather poorly. The Stormtrooper Commander has scratch marks on it and that looks pretty neat, but the biggest problem is how the eyes are painted. Not an entire deal breaker, we wish more attention was paid to make the face look better. His helmet has been painted quite well and has a blue pointed line that runs down the entire right side of the helmet. It gives the helmet character we haven't seen even on the clone troopers. It is a very unique design and looks fantastic. Loaded with 14 points of articulation, the Stormtrooper Commander has it everywhere it counts. And it is quite amazing how great paint applications can make the same figure look completely brand new. The blue sections of armor have been given the royal treatment by Hasbro. They are full of scratches and speckles that allow the armor to have an incredible level of realism.

As a bonus, the figure comes packaged with an Expanded Universe stand with the name "Stormtrooper Commander" silkscreened on the name plate. The action figure stands have always been a collector favorite. They look great and they aid in keeping your figures upright. And the personalization is a nice added touch. As a figure that will complement the Imperial EVO Trooper and Imperial Jumptrooper, the Stormtrooper Commander is just one of many stormtroopers seen in The Force Unleashed video game. But it seems to be the most popular. And he always seems to get exclusivity. For example, Gentle Giant Ltd.. has created a Stormtrooper Commander mini bust for StarWarsShop.com and Sideshow Collectibles has an exclusive version with a 12" Stormtrooper Commander specific figure stand. Probably the closest evolutionary link to a clone trooper, obviously the color went away by the time Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope came around. Even so, there is no denying just how awesome the Stormtrooper Commander's armor design is. We think he is one of the standout characters from The Force Unleashed media event. And since this figure has been nearly impossible to find in the GameStop exclusive 30 (77-07) packaging, we suspect he will fetch a hefty premium as time marches forward. He is an awesome figure indeed!