Scout Trooper - Premium Format 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 might of the Empire, the Emperor's Imperial Stormtroopers maintain the dictator's far reaching iron grip throughout the galaxy, 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.

The stormtroopers designated as scouts wear lightweight armor that is considerably more flexible than the standard uniform. Much like their infantry counterparts, scout troopers wear a black body glove covered with white armor. Scouts often work in conjunction with light reconnaissance vehicles, such as Imperial speeder bikes. For this reason, they are often referred to as biker scouts.

In 2007, Sideshow Collectibles broke all barriers and released the first ever quarter scale Speeder Bike and Scout Trooper Premium Format figure. It is massive and if you were fortunate enough to add it into your collection, it is likely the centerpiece of it. But the piece also caused angst in many other collectors who weren't willing to plop down $799.99 for it but nonetheless wanted a Premium Format scale Scout Trooper figure. Sideshow heard these moans and decided to create a weighty polystone version of the trooper (the one on the speeder bike was manufactured in foam) to satisfy the demand. Sideshow did a great job in making it unique from the first one, but we still spin our heads on why some other characters weren't released in its place first. As a bonus, Sideshow also elated Expanded Universe fans at the same time as Original Trilogy lovers because the exclusive version comes with a removable E-11S Sniper rifle that is based on the Scout Trooper's appearance in the Star Wars Battlefront video game. While the stand alone Scout Trooper is not necessarily as cool and the one on the speeder bike, it hold its own quite well and is a remarkable addition to the Premium Format line. A little cleaner, a little more action-posed and a little less articulated, Sideshow gets high marks from us because the final product just glistens with artistic talent. And it is this artistic talent that delivers a stellar collectible in this scale while accomplishing to kill two birds with one stone.

The Scout Trooper is a little bit "cleaner" this time around. While there are many signs of battle-damage and carbon-scoring marks, the Scout Trooper's upper body is quite a bit brighter than the 2007 release. However, his boots are much dirtier. This makes sense since he is displayed on an earthy Endor display base loaded with organic growth and dirt. The figure is proportioned very well and has a great action pose that isn't too exaggerated or dramatic. You are left with the sense that something big is about to happen. This figure gives the collector this impression and it is a very effective result. The Scout Trooper has been designed with a head ball joint. The figure's head can be articulated and posed in an infinite selection of planes and the added movement does a lot of good to the overall aesthetic of the figure. The separate pieces of armor look splendid and you may not be aware, but the black body glove is made up of different fabrics (just like the real costume) and it is a pure joy that Sideshow took these small details to heart when the approach tot his figure was being discussed. His right arm has an expertly molded blaster pistol. While it isn't removable, we don't care. It looks great posed in his hand. And perhaps even cooler than the pistol is his pistol holder on his right boot. If the gun was indeed removable, it would obviously fit in the holster quite well. As mentioned a bit earlier, the figure is very heavy. When compared side by side to the 2007 version, it is basically night and day, although they match each other exactly scale wise.

Limited to 300 pieces for the exclusive version and only 550 pieces for the regular version, this is one of the smallest total run of Premium Format figures the line has ever seen. This is honestly a bit perplexing because the Scout Trooper is an Imperial soldier and they are typically the most popular characters when it comes to collectibles. A sign of the times or a testament to an obvious large exodus of collectors from this hobby, it should command a premium price after years of not being available at the retail level. But the reason to collect first and foremost is for the pure enjoyment of the hobby. Or, maybe most collectors have the 2007 version of this figure with the speeder bike. We think the two are significantly different, but perhaps the collecting whole does not. It is our hope that Sideshow Collectibles will do their best to refrain from releases multiple versions of the same character in this scale. Since this scale sees a small fraction of releases when compared to the 1:6 Scale Figures line, we would like to see a broader range of characters as potential candidates for the line. This is certainly not the line to reuse molds and reinvent a take on a previously released character. Emperor Palpatine (on Throne Room chair), Stormtrooper, Snowtrooper, and Chewbacca are all characters that should have seen release first before a new take on a Scout Trooper. Despite our feelings about this, we still think that the Scout Trooper is a welcomed addition to the line. And it may be one of the harder ones to find when all is said and done.