Stormtrooper - OTC - Vintage

Celebrate the legendary Star Wars trilogy that changed the universe forever, with The Original Trilogy Collection. This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. The finest recreations of the iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are back with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Original Trilogy: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. And, as a tribute to the dedication of Star Wars fans everywhere, we are re-releasing elements of the original packaging that harken back to the creation of Star Wars action figures, which began over 25 years ago with the Original Trilogy. May the Force be with you!

New Stormtrooper action figures go over hugely with Star Wars collectors. And each one that Hasbro produces for the Star Wars toy line is leaps and bounds better than the previous effort. Imagine you’re a Star Wars collector who saw the first super-articulated action figure produced in a 3.75” scale (2003’s SW Clone Trooper (’03 #50) figure). Then imagine wanting an Imperial Stormtrooper action figure treated the same way. Hasbro listened to Star Wars collectors’ requests, and add the Stormtrooper to The “Vintage” Original Trilogy Collection lineup. With the Stormtrooper’s coveted spot in the VOTC in place, Hasbro struggled with the proper way to present the figure to collectors. With all four STAR WARS spots used for Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, Han Solo, and Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi, their only options were for The Empire Strikes Back or Return Of The Jedi card backs. With a much more significant role in Episode VI during the Battle of Endor, Hasbro opted to place the Stormtrooper against the Return Of The Jedi logo. It found a home with Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) (With Extension Arm), Boba Fett, and Chewbacca. The latter two are ROTJ-specific sculpts of the characters. Enhanced articulation, premium additions like a functioning holster, and nostalgic, beautiful packaging were the main ingredients for the VOTC recipe. And it would be a line that transcended all others. Almost immediately, the VOTC Stormtrooper became the most sought after action figure of 2004. And there was barely enough to go around. The VOTC line is what collectors waited for Hasbro to do for years and years. It’s exciting to see the Stormtrooper super-articulated and in classic “vintage-styled” packaging.

The Stormtrooper comes with a fantastic sculpt first and foremost. It is the first super-articulated Stormtrooper in the basic figure line, and it sports an impressive 24 glorious points of articulation. The articulation system includes an appropriate ball-jointed torso, ball-socket head, and multiple ball-jointed articulation points throughout the arms and legs. Only the hips and wrists have swivel articulation. The legs are a little too close together, but with some forethought, you can achieve incredible action-oriented poses with the Stormtrooper. The armor looks brilliant, and the black paint adds to the accented details. Hasbro applied all of the paint operations nicely. As far as we can tell, the Stormtrooper is in proportion to other characters in the VOTC line. Taller than Luke Skywalker and shorter than Darth Vader is pretty much all you can ask for in the 3.75” super-articulated action figure line, but Hasbro appears to have mastered the figure’s height well. It’s encouraging that Hasbro is committed to getting scale as accurately as possible in the 3.75” line. As exciting as this release is, we have to call out its imperfections. There is goodness here, but we feel that we should remind you of the one thing plaguing this figure. And that is the Stormtrooper’s legs. Between the fact that the legs are sculpted too tightly together, and the hips are awkwardly cut swivel joints, it’s challenging to get much meaningful movement out of the figure’s lower body. When you articulate the Stormtrooper in your hands, you’ll become frustrated when you compare the tremendous upper body versatility with the lower body’s lack of movement.

Again, with a little patience, you can make things work out in your favor. Just keep in mind that there is but little to no movement below the waist. You do get some cool static poses, but don’t expect vigorous action poses with this figure. It’s a shame that the Stormtrooper is limited in this way. Because it took so long for Hasbro to develop a high-quality Stormtrooper figure. It’s also a shame that Hasbro didn’t thoroughly test all parts to see if the articulation would accommodate the collector as needed. So, as you can see, the Stormtrooper is not a definitive action figure. Visually, the Stormtrooper is a very nice-looking addition to the line. Whether at attention, chasing Revel heroes throughout the Death Star, or taking on Ewok during the Battle of Endor, the VOTC Stormtrooper will be an excellent addition to these displays and dioramas. If Hasbro decides to upgrade the Stormtrooper, we hope that they focus on ball-jointed hips. Collectors will require that point of articulation for definitive status. We’re thankful to see the 2004 VOTC Stormtrooper added to the line. It’s a fantastic jumping-off point for future (and updated) Stormtrooper action figures. Hasbro has to do so little to improve upon this release significantly, and we hope they take advantage of the opportunity and deliver something stellar to collectors. And if it bothers you that the Stormtrooper comes on a Return Of The Jedi card back, we can respect that. We do want Hasbro to focus on the original 1978 12-Backs first. But it’s not a deal-breaker for us. The VOTC Stormtrooper still pays a great deal of homage to the Kenner line, and it looks spectacular in the packaging.