Assault Walker - TFA - Vehicles (Class I) (Forest)

These mobile assault walkers operate as mechanized calvary units, storming enemy positions and running down fleeing troops.

We’re beginning to feel the “pain” of a toy line released much too far in advance to the film. September 4, 2015 was just too far away from December 18, 2015 and the absolute value of 106 days that exists between them has been full of confusion and the inability to find much on store shelves. Hasbro has cited a compressed timeline as a major factor to the limited amount of products that made it to store shelves on Force Friday, but the Class I vehicle assortment seemed to have little to no trouble amassing across retail shelves across the land. Whether these just don’t have the same gravitational pull as basic figures, or perhaps there were just more made, the Class I vehicles have been consistent fixtures on store pegs (especially when compared to the other merchandise). Another part of the pain to this advanced toy line is that we just don’t know if these figure and vehicle assortments are based on screen accurate moments, or if they’re just a Hasbro concept. Based on the designs, we’re inclined to think the latter, but stranger things have certainly happened.

Inside of this package you’ll receive an Assault Walker vehicle and a Stormtrooper Sergeant pack-in action figure. For $19.99, this isn’t the end of the world, but keep in mind that both the figure and vehicle are simple in articulation and sculpt and that an MSRP of $14.99 is probably a whole lot more fitting than almost $20. For all intents and purposes, the Assault Walker looks pretty good. Shocking, the legs of the vehicle are articulated at the (hips via swivel articulation) and the feet (via hinge-jointed articulation). The sculpt of the entire vehicle is admirable. But instead of straddling it like a bike, there is actually a cockpit box in which the figure stands. This is what makes us believe that this may actually be in The Force Awakens. The whole design of the vehicle is new and to date we have never seen any walker quite like this. Just the same, we could be way off in our thinking and this is just a Hasbro concept altogether. Either way, this vehicle will fit in well with any Kashyyyk themed display as well as the various jungle/forest worlds that have been introduced via the Expanded Universe.

The pack-in Stormtrooper Sergeant looks cool too. Cast in a completely different off-white color than the basic Build A Weapon release, the Stormtrooper Sergeant actually has a better “lived in” appearance than the many other Stormtroopers already released under The Force Awakens banner. Sure, there aren’t any battle-damage markings or dents in the armor (like we used to get once upon a time) but the “not so bright white” color of the armor really does this sculpt justice. The Stormtrooper Sergeant also comes with a removable pauldron (thanks to the easily removable ball-socket head sculpt). And like most other First Order troopers, the First order blaster can be secured to the right thigh armor when not in use. The figure interacts with the vehicle admirably and we have to admit the whole ensemble looks pretty cool in a display. It is just that it’s still hard to know that these could have been super-articulated figures and vehicles had Episode VII arrived about five years earlier. Alas, it is what it is. This is not the worst item you could purchase with your hard earned dollars, but certainly not the best.