Rebel Trooper (Tantive IV Defender) - POTJ - Basic

The Rebel Blockade Runner Tantive IV was on an urgent mission to Tatooine. Princess Leia Organa, armed with secret plans to the Death Star, was on her way to find General Obi-Wan Kenobi when the ship was attacked by an Imperial Star Destroyer. The heroic Rebel troopers were the last line of defense as the ship was boarded by Darth Vader and a platoon of Stormtroopers.

Oh how bittersweet it is when after complaining for years Hasbro finally heeds our whining and updates a long-awaited figure to be modern and current with the times yet it still doesn’t completely fulfill our wishes. After the release of the Frankenstein-esque 1997 POTF2 Rebel Fleet Trooper (who was actually taller than the Darth Vader figures of the same era), Hasbro got down to business to update this character who for many believe should have been a vintage Kenner release back in the day. Totally abandoning all previous approaches, Hasbro attempted to sneak in multi-functional articulation that worked…. but didn’t work and an updated sculpt that worked…. and but then didn’t work in hopes that we would have an acceptable modern interpretation of the Rebel characters. But in all honesty, the Rebel Trooper (Tantive IV Defender) action figure fails as much as it succeeds and it won’t hold up over the years because it already has inferior articulation when compared to what Hasbro is including in other figures currently. The approach is admirable, but we wonder if something got lost in translation or if what they’d planned just not pan out as intended. Plus, the addition of one glaring inaccurate paint operation has our heads spinning. In short, we have a ways to go before we have an acceptable Rebel Fleet Trooper, or in this case, Rebel Trooper (Tantive IV Defender).

Rebel Trooper (Tantive IV Defender) comes with 11 points of articulation. Sadly, all of the points are swivel articulation. The swivel points included here are head, shoulders, wrists, hips, knees and boots. Surprisingly, this articulation allows the figure to transform into two completely unique poses. For that we have to offer our congratulations to Hasbro. They mastered this effect (for all it’s worth) and the figure can go from upright to kneeling in seconds. They developed his pants so that they look natural no matter which way the knees and twisted and the arms (although only articulated in the shoulders) can rest at his side or hold up the included blaster as needed to defend himself against stormtroopers. What surprises us the most about this figure is that he comes with a removable vest, but not a removable helmet. In our opinion, a removable helmet is completely necessary and we’re disappointed that this isn’t the case. What’s worse, Hasbro erroneously decorate the helmet and it’s screen inaccurate. The black detail on the helmet goes much too low down the front of it. In the film, there is a thick white band that separates the black portion from the brim of the helmet. And it looks off even if you’re a casual collector or fan. So we are quite disappointed by this mistake. Because the helmet isn’t removable, it’s difficult to make out this figure’s personality and full expression as well.

We also should draw your attention to his blaster. It’s way too small despite fitting into his molded hands quite nicely. We’re not sure why it has been cast so small, but it definitely looks off in our eyes. Sadly, Hasbro didn’t tool a functioning holster so you can’t store the included weapon when not in use. This never makes collectors happy. Clearly the Rebel Trooper (Tantive IV Defender) action figure was meant for only two distinct poses. And to be honest this figure can be placed in the positions that they were seen holding in A New Hope. But collectors are seeking more versatility than that with their basic figures in this day and age. Ball-jointed articulation should be the primary focus for the basic figure line. The Rebel Trooper (Tantive IV Defender) figure contains none of these premium points. As a character that runs around the Tantive IV, premium articulation especially in the limbs would have been optimal. But instead we just have an action figure that looks the best static in a kneeling and aimed pose. Hasbro is indeed making stepwise improvements every time they release this character for the basic figure line. It’s the perfect army-builder and with a quick new head collectors can be treated to multiple variants. (Editor’s Note: Hasbro released two variants of the figure in the Star Wars “Saga” line. They ended up being quite difficult to locate at retail.) Rebel Trooper (Tantive IV Defender) has a long way to go, but we have to commend Hasbro for taking this figure leaps and bounds forward from The Power Of The Force “2” release.