Special Action Figure Set (Imperial Forces) - TVC - Exclusive

These two bounty hunters and a snowtrooper present ominous threats against the Rebel Alliance.

Deciding which sets in wave 2 of the TARGET exclusive Special Action Figure Sets should be an easy task for all collectors. If you love everything “Kenner� then sets like the Imperial Forces pack is a no-brainer to buy. If you don’t like to repurchase figures with slight paint variances or even no differences at all again and again, then this is a set to skip. Admittedly, we find the Imperial Forces set the coolest looking of all wave 2, but a lot of that has to do with our affection for bounty hunters. All three Star Wars characters included here were all excellent when they were first released in the second wave of The Saga Collection vintage-styled figures (also known as VTSC). And just like its mate the Imperial Set in the same wave, one character, the Snowtrooper is out of place. Or the bounty hunters are both out of place since it’s an Imperial Forces set. (Does “Imperial Forces� mean "affiliates of the Empire"? We need to stop being so silly in this column. Besides, we’re getting confused now.) All Star Wars fans love bounty hunters in general and this set has this all and brings a lot more goodness with it.

Bossk is a straight repack of 2010’s SW “Shadow Of The Dark Side� Bossk (SL01) figure which itself is a slight repaint of the original 2007 VTSC Bossk (Bounty Hunter) figure. Bossk comes with the same exact coloring and shading, accessories and articulation and has held up flawlessly well for a 2007 figure. (But action figure standards were significantly raised in 2006 and beyond, so it makes sense why they still hold up remarkably well today.) The only noticeable difference we can see on the Special Action Figure Set version of Bossk is that his eyes appear to be painted in a brighter orange. But this is negligible. Bossk is a fantastic action figure and his "character" is truly representative of why The Empire Strikes Back is an amazing film. IG-88 is also a straight repack of the 2010 SW “Shadow Of The Dark Side� IG-88 (SL04) figure which, just like Bossk, is a slight repaint of 2007’s VTSC IG-88 (Bounty Hunter) figure. Another gorgeously perfect figure, this assassin droid is the perfect complement to any collection and set a precedent with a stunning 17 points of articulation. (But do you need this droid “again�? That’s the question only you can answer.)

One interesting aspect of the Imperial Forces set is the Snowtrooper. You're probably already rolling your eyes about even thinking about another Snowtrooper, right? This figure in and of itself has had more variations than we can count, but the version in this set looks to be an identical repaint of the "latest" 2010 SW “Shadow Of The Dark Side� Snowtrooper (SL23) figure. (Hasbro went through at least three unique paint jobs for this figure in the 2010 Saga Legends line alone. But there is also a bit of homage paying here as well. Hasbro has included a secondary long "IG-88 rifle" to give to the Snowtrooper. Why is this special? Obviously it’s just another weapon so it can’t be that big of a deal, right? Well, the original 1980 Kenner Imperial Stormtrooper (Hoth Battle Gear) came with the a similar long rifle that the 1980 Kenner IG-88 (Bounty Hunter) action figure. Now the modern iteration of the Snowtrooper figure in this set comes with a similar "long rifle" again, but in a modern take. They weren't identical weapons in the vintage line, but similar enough. So we have the super-articulated Snowtrooper for the first time packed with a "long rifle". We thought that was a cool “Easter egg� (or whatever it’s called) done directly to make collectors smile. The Imperial Forces set looks the best of the three, but it definitely isn’t something you need if you have these figure already. It’s all about the packaging.