Sandtrooper - TVC - Basic (VC14)

Wow! While The Vintage Collection Sandtrooper is not exactly perfect, we can't help but notice how awesome the total package looks. This is certainly a figure that you'll want to buy an extra to keep carded because he looks that good. This figure looks absolutely fantastic on a vintage-styled card back possibly because we wanted to see a Sandtrooper packaged this way for over 30 years now. So kudos go to Hasbro for finally delivering it to us. The orange background and nameplate completely complement the white Sandtrooper (even though we wish he was dirty) and it makes for a very striking package. We aren’t so crazy however about the back of the card because we believe Hasbro made another error. Specifically, we have to nitpick about their choice of the original reference figure. They have interestingly dug out the original 1996 The Power Of The Force (which was only available in 1996) red carded and incorrectly designated/labeled "Tatooine Stormtrooper" (remember that from back in the day?). That figure was the Sandtrooper (Squad Leader) (with orange pauldron) and the figure in The Vintage Collection is the Sandtrooper (Sergeant) (with white pauldron). So the correct original first time available basic carded reference figure should have been the 2007 30 (77-07) Saga Legends Sandtrooper figure. This doesn't mean we haven't received plenty of sergeants before this like pack-ins and figures from multipacks, but it's the first basic figure. This certainly changes the figure's history, doesn't it?

The Sandtrooper is from the 2009 LC Dewback With Imperial Sandtrooper Walmart exclusive. We knew it would only be a matter of time before Hasbro would get this superior figure into the basic figure line at some point and now it's here! It has all the articulation and accessories you could ever want for a Sandtrooper and it will likely remain the definitive version of this character for a long time. We think it would have been a much wiser choice to make this figure a Sandtrooper (Squad Leader). The orange pauldron is definitely the most recognizable detail on this Star Wars character and it would have been nice to get this packaged on a vintage-styled card. (And it would have looked awesome with the orange background too!) And since Hasbro has made it clear that running changes just won't be part of their process going forward, we are saddened that this may never come to pass. Perhaps the biggest problem with the Sandtrooper though is the lack of battle-damage and dirt. This is one action figure that desperately needs this paint job to be effective. We didn't see one clean Sandtrooper in the film and it's kind of a bitter pill to swallow that the action figure looks like it never stepped onto Tatooine's sandy surface. We can almost understand clean clone troopers, but Hasbro, please, give us dirty Sandtrooper action figures! With an action figure as good as this one, it is a shame that Hasbro didn't complete him as needed. We know that some affordable paint operation is available out there to help with this figure's aesthetics.

There is something quite powerful about the Sandtrooper packaged this way. Do you remember the 2005 post-Original Trilogy Collection Sandtrooper? That figure was just a repack of the 2001 Power Of The Jedi figure, yet it looked awesome in that packaging. And that was because it borrowed elements of the vintage packaging. Well now we all have the opportunity to get a great super-articulated version of this character with "real deal" packaging. This makes us very happy people! You will be able to find the Sandtrooper in regular "Star Wars" vintage packaging as well as "upgraded" Ultimate Galactic Hunt (not officially referred to this way) with silver detailing. We got to say that this figure looks much better without the silver so we recommend the regular version. In fact, we're not too crazy about any of the silvered figures. We don’t think Hasbro should have messed with the "vintage" style at all and just let it remain unaltered. As the very first figure in The Vintage Collection to show up on a "Star Wars" card back, this figure may hold a special place in the hearts of collectors. We just hope that Hasbro can do whatever they can to make the figures they include in The Vintage Collection as best as they can. And this may mean throwing a few more pennies into a figure's paint job or changing up some details to make it different from its previous availability. But that honestly alter our affection with this figure because it is quite amazing to see him in this packaging. At worst, take off his pauldron and you'll have yourself a super-articulated Stormtrooper (with some difference). (And it's about time this figure is affordable enough to now army build.)