ARC Trooper (Star Wars: Battlefront II) - TVC - Basic (VC235)

Celebrate iconic moments from a galaxy far, far away with figures inspired by the Star Wars video games.

Meh. How many ARC Troopers does The Vintage Collection basic figure line need? We understand the need for a couple, but does the line need an obscure video game character that falls under the Gaming Greats sub-line? Your opinion may vary on whether the ARC Trooper (Star Wars: Battlefront II) figure’s taking up an unnecessary slot is your decision. But one thing that collectors likely won’t vary on is the quality of this new-ish ARC Trooper tooling. It still holds up well after a couple of years. Hasbro could make the most of the figure’s tooling by adding a refreshed or all-new portrait, but they’re lazy and decided to repaint the entire figure without adding any newness. If you can get past this, you should thoroughly enjoy what the figure brings to the lineup. Based on the character we see in the Star Wars: Battlefront II video game, the unique maroon color flashes give the character an appearance unlike the other ARC Trooper figures in the line thus far. The tooling holds up well, and Hasbro is getting better and better with the Photo Real technology on 3.75-inch action figures, so all arrows are pointing that this figure should be an overall success with collectors of The Vintage Collection line.

Many TVC collectors are fans of Prequel Trilogy-era characters, so they’ll want to add the ARC Trooper (Star Wars: Battlefront II) figure to their collections. We only wish this character had a proper name. We also believe Hasbro will milk this character design and continue releasing other ARC Troopers into the line. ARC Trooper (Star Wars: Battlefront II) comes with four weapons, a removable pauldron/backpack combination, and a removable helmet with an articulated rangefinder. That’s a lot of accessories for a 3.75-inch action figure. We’re proud of Hasbro for not cheapening out on us here. ARC Trooper (Star Wars: Battlefront II) comes with exquisite card art. Hasbro ensured they translated the character’s likeness into realistic style well, and collectors should love what Hasbro did with the figure and the packaging. We’re personally not entirely sold on this figure, but we have little interest in video games. Hopefully, enough video game enthusiasts will take to this figure and want to add it to their collections. ARC Trooper (Star Wars: Battlefront II) is a rework of the figure from the 501st Legion ARC Troopers (Echo/Fives/Jesse} Special Action Figure Set, which was a “convention” exclusive for 2020.

Although not as new as when first released, the figure’s “new” parts prove how far Hasbro took the action figure design. And the features and proportions are still gorgeous today. Despite this, Hasbro still has trouble properly sizing the Phase II bucket, and the helmet on the ARC Trooper (Star Wars: Battlefront II) figure still appears too large. It’s not as bad as the earlier Phase II Clone Troopers in The Vintage Collection, but a sizing issue still exists. Like the other previously released ARC Trooper figures, we prefer ARC Trooper (Star Wars: Battlefront II) with the helmet removed. The figure has more personality without the helmet on its head. The Photo Real deco looks incredible, and Hasbro colored the other parts of the figure beautifully. You’ll also find a lot of maroon paint throughout the figure’s armor. The figure still has articulation issues despite its 28 points. The problem is that the molded belt/holster/kama combination piece inhibits the movement of the ball-jointed hips, swivel thighs, and knees. But thanks to the “rocker” ankles, collectors will find ARC Trooper Echo offers some flexibility. Once again, the card art is beautiful, and Hasbro used a unique color for the nameplate and figure backer, which Hasbro has not used in the line to date.