Clone Commander (Battle Gear!) - Hasbro - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Rebel Soldier (Hoth Battle Gear) - ESB - Basic

Rebel Soldier

(Hoth Battle Gear)

Visual Analysis

Detailed Visual Analysis

General Analysis

Oh what joy the Rebel Soldier (Hoth Battle Gear) figure brought us as kids. And oh what bewilderment it brought to those same kids when we grew up and began re-collecting these figures as adults. The character represented on the card and the figure contained within the package don’t match. The question is whether the figure falls into “Walrus Man” or “Snaggletooth” status (where Hasbro took liberties with their design and outfits) or if the action figure of the Rebel Soldier (Hoth Battle Gear) is truly meant to be a different character. I believe that this figure is an amalgamation, similarly like Snaggletooth, of two different characters. Yes, you can see similar outfit details on this figure and 1981’s THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Rebel Commander figure. But the coloration and other details force this figure to look a whole lot more like the tauntaun wranglers or Rebel technicians seen throughout Echo Base in STAR WARS EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. In 2011, Hasbro released (in limited availability no less) what I have always considered a modern update to this figure, but others are quick to point out that it’s not the original vintage Kenner Rebel Soldier (Hoth Battle Gear) character. Perhaps this will be a never-ending debate very similar to the Han Solo (Hoth Outfit) “is it blue or brown” parka conspiracy (despite this getting proven years ago). Even the 2018 THE VINTAGE COLLECTION Rebel Soldier (Hoth) (VC120) utilizes the Rebel Soldier (Hoth Battle Gear) figure’s packaging art but includes a figure that looks very different from the physical figure. About a year after this figure’s release, Kenner added another mail-away offer for “Hoth Survival Gear.” It was in this exclusive offer where the Rebel Soldier (Hoth Battle Gear) could finally receive his survival backpack.

Hasbro's Most Definitive Modern Counterpart: 2011's THE VINTAGE COLLECTION Rebel Soldier (Echo Base Battle Gear) (VC68) figure.