Endor Troop Builder Set - SW [S - P1] - Multipacks (Exclusive)

When it comes to army builders, Hasbro is often at a disadvantage when giving us variety with certain types, especially those from the Rebel Alliance. Stormtroopers and Sandtroopers are relatively more accessible to army-build. It's effortless to scoop them up in a multipack and have collectors buy them up ad infinitum into their collections. But when it comes to characters who don't have helmets covering up their faces, they usually don't produce many unique human head sculpts to make them different. The excitement was high for the release of 1998's The Power Of The Force "2" Endor Rebel Soldier, the first modern "replacement" for the classic 1983 vintage Kenner ROTJ Rebel Commando figure. Unfortunately, Hasbro used this figure to produce the second Trooper Builder Set online exclusive to help collectors army-build characters for the Battle of Endor. When comparing the 1998 version to the 1983 counterpart, the outfits have apparent differences. But neither accurately match the style seen on the card back of the 1983 offering. However, that point is almost irrelevant. Thanks to updated paint operations, the Endor Rebel Soldier looks more like the 1983 figure would look like had it the deco technology of 1998. In other words, the enhanced camouflage pattern gives this character a unique and screen-accurate presence in the modern basic figure line.

But the issue is that we only have one likeness here. And Hasbro replicated it four times. Are we supposed to pretend they're four different characters? Does Hasbro believe Star Wars collectors are that gullible? With a rather scene-agnostic facial likeness, the Endor Trooper could be almost anyone within the Rebel Strike Team seen during the Battle of Endor (within reason). The costume is pretty close to perfection, but a few details like the missing chin strap, for example, show some of the liberties taken with this action, whether intentional or not. We'd have to defend the figure despite its imperfections as a single release. But looking at the figure four times is a bit difficult to swallow. Still, hopefully, this figure is only the beginning of many future Rebels from the Battle of Endor that we can army build into our collections. Endor Rebel Soldier comes with a removable survival backpack and a strapped blaster rifle. Sadly, the blaster rifle's strap doesn't hug the figure tightly as the weapon to the vintage Rebel Commando figure did, so it's a bit uneasy to rest the strap on the figure's left shoulder without it quickly falling off of it. The figure can hold the weapon quite well in his hands and looks good in the few action poses you can position him. The pose is slightly action-like, but not too drastic where you couldn't place the figure in a more reserved setting, like in your Home One dioramas, for example.

Endor Rebel Soldier comes with the standard six points of articulation. It would have been nice, based on these characters' roles, if Hasbro upped the amount of articulation given to them. The lack of articulation makes interacting with the weapons difficult, and this will frustrate collectors. Despite the uniformity between them, collectors may army-build them anyway since they need more than one to have a successful battle on Endor. In just a few short years out from when the modern line started, Hasbro has come far already, and they've delivered some pretty stellar action figures to collectors. We feel that the Endor Trooper is a testament to these efforts. But we have to point out that fur years have put some stress on this figure and it's beginning to age quite a bit. Hopefully, Hasbro will only build upon what they've started in the Endor Rebel Soldier for future characters like this. It's a significant modern update to the vintage figure, but it's not a great release for 2002. An online exclusive, the Endor Troop Builder Set has an MSRP of $17.99, which is significantly lower than buying the figure four times in the Freeze Frame Action Slide line. We need to see the diversity of outfits for the Rebel Alliance on Endor. And it's time to put this sculpt to rest.