Imperial Jumptrooper - TAC - Basic (08 10)

Equipped with jet backpacks, Imperial jumptroopers burst through the air in short spurts. Their long-range rail detonators eliminate all enemy targets from any vantage point. As the Emperor extends his iron-fisted rule, jumptroopers join Imperial forces from Outer Rim planets to more central locations like the Death Star.

We've mentioned this before and we'll say it again here. The Force Unleashed wave of action figures were excellent, but it is clear that Hasbro didn't have all of the necessary reference materials at their disposal to make the action figures as authentic as they needed to be. Enter the Imperial Jumptrooper. In the first sentence of the figure's bio (on the card back) it mentions that this Imperial is equipped with jet backpacks. Well, you won't find any jet backpack on this figure. This is a terrible shame because this figure looks like he could be the immediate precursor to the Spacetrooper seen at the Death Star's entrance in Episode IV had he been completed with a backpack. But without it, he looks a little bit like a misfit but very cool Imperial stormtrooper. The Force Unleashed is responsible for bringing a whole new cast of characters into the Star Wars universe and the wave of figure in the 30 (77-07) line is a very nice partial sampling of this impressive ensemble. The Imperial Jumptrooper is certainly an Imperial that will be quite the imposing foe for the Jedi and the doers of good. Also known as the Raxus Prime Trooper in other licenses, it is a character that is getting a lot of nods in the collectible world. And many collectors seem to enjoy this figure because he was always a tough find at retail.

The Imperial Jumptrooper action figure is quite a bit chunkier than your average stormtrooper. He has hefty armor and when compared side by side to one of your many stormtrooper action figures, well, you will clearly see the size differences. He is wonderfully made and looks very similar in many ways to his cousin and wave mate, the Imperial EVO Trooper. The distinct armor with the beveled indentations can also be found on him and it is a detail that looks fantastic on these Imperial soldiers. The Imperial Jumptrooper is not as colorful as the Imperial EVO Trooper, but he still has some fine details that have been applied brilliantly on his helmet and armor. Instead of giving us a plain white helmet to look at, Hasbro outlined the crevices and curves with black paint to help show the texture of the helmet in a very crisp way. Loaded with 14 points of articulation, this figure shouldn't disappoint collectors as he can be posed in a variety of ways. While we would have of course preferred a much dirtier paint job on the white portions of the armor, it just wasn't meant to be here. Thankfully Hasbro decided to include some feet and shin dirt on the figure and it certainly looks better than if it were to be painted or cast in all white.

The Imperial Jumptrooper serves an interesting purpose in The Force Unleashed video game. An air-to-land Imperial, they actually provided air coverage for the ground assault stormtroopers. If you recall the exclusive TAC 2008 Attack On Kashyyyk Battle Packs set, you can imagine that there were some Imperial Jumptroopers in the sky to help wage war on this normally peaceful Wookiee species. Definitely a cool concept, but it isn't the first time we have seen clones in action in the skies. The Force Unleashed continues to bring in new fans and as a result, various licenses are continuing to make toys and collectibles based on this source. We hope they keep coming. The new takes on the movie characters are exceptional and the introduction of new characters is just as welcomed. Hopefully we will see a focus of more unique Imperials, but additional figures of various Jedi and background characters will also be awesome. We do hope to see a rerelease of the Imperial Jumptrooper with a backpack to complete him and a rerelease of him as a basic figure is actually needed. It appears as if demand wasn't filled the first time around. (Editor's Note: Hasbro is doing a second take on both the Imperial EVO Trooper and this figure in the April/May 2010 TRU exclusive The Force Unleashed multipacks. This is great news for fans of The Force Unleashed because Hasbro is giving the Imperial Jumptrooper an new paint job and a backpack!)