Looking back over the last year, my interest in Star Wars Black has cooled pretty heavily. I reviewed that first Sandtrooper last August and I was just starting my upward ascent towards enjoying the line.
While I think Wave 1 was full of solid figures, things have been rocky since. Never mind that there have been less Star Wars Black figures than MOTU Classics figures in the last twelve months, little flaws started cropping up here and there. I liked a lot of Wave 2, but my badly painted Leia is still in an unopened box. Wave 3 so far? I skipped Bespin Luke. I did buy Obi, but only after two after market improvements were available. I still kinda regret it – and Obi-Wan is one of my favorite characters.
So it fell to the Stormtrooper to effectively “save” wave three for me. It’s ironic because his moldmate, the Sandtrooper was my very first one, the figure that got me started in the line and excited enough to build that Checklist over there (which needs updated, I know). Without the newness and the novelty of the new scale, I wasn’t sure how much I would love getting the regular Stormtrooper, but one thing this guy still is, is iconic.
I imagine if you ask ten Star Wars fans what’s the first they think of when someone mentions Star Wars, you’l probably get ten different answers. While I like the Star Wars heroes just fine, I tend to always think of the Empire first. The music. Vader. Their OCD friendly ships (face it, the Rebels just didn’t have time to clean). And their sterling white (usually) soldiers.
I laugh pointing that out because I love the Sandtrooper for being dirty, but I also have really enjoyed having the cleaner, regular Stormtrooper on my shelves too. The pair together are probably my favorite two so far, and I’ve had to keep myself to buying just two. I could keep going, but… two is good. I tell myself this every time I run across one (which was often for the Sandtrooper and only once for the Stormtrooper).
At first, you might think the two are repaints of one another. That’s how toy companies roll these days. The two do share much of their parts, but, happily, Hasbro invested in a few key parts to get these dudes more accurate. The main three differences are the lower torso, the belt, and the left lower leg. These three new pieces change the details for those areas and, while it’s not super noticeable, it is much appreciated. Continue to Page 2…
Okay, now I have to ask: what are these Obi-Wan add-ons that you speak of?
I’m not sure if this is one of the ones he meant, but check out this guy’s auctions for jedi robes:
jedi robes
The robe I bought from him for Obi-Wan makes the figure so much better. It’s amazing what a difference the robe makes.
Yes, the robes are one! They help immensely! There’s also a larger version of his tiny head available at Glassman customs: http://glassman.customjustice.com/products-page/head-casts-star-wars/obiwan-6-black-series-unpainted-headcast/
While I think the head could stand to me a bit larger, I personally wouldn’t consider soft goods robes or a paint-it-yourself head kit to be major improvements.
Trust me, they are! 🙂
Normally, I would totally agree with you. I hate soft goods on action figures with a passion. However, after seeing enough pictures of the figure with the robe on, I bit the bullet and bought one. It makes an enormous difference!
what, no Han & Luke Troopers?? 🙁
we’re choking on Greedo up here, and I ordered Luke & Obi-Ewan online (HTS or Amazon?). Not sure if I plan on getting the “basic” StormTroopers? I guess I’m waiting to see them in person first?
I think Chewie is next on my Want List, but he’s getting 1/case out of an increased 8 fig packout. oy. I’m not sure how this new “direct ordering” of solid cases is going to play out, but I’m more interested in a case of AIM and Hydra than a StormTrooper.
The head sockets are different sizes. I suppose I could’ve done a pic of the troopers carrying their heads around. 😛
Both Target & TRU have gotten these in down here. I need to look into the next few waves and see what’s up.
For what it’s worth Noisy, I have the same feelings about the line. A year ago I was through the roof – enough so to pay way too much for the SDCC Boba Fett. Now, I’m considering dropping the line completely. I’ve pre-ordered the Vader and Anakin cases from EE, but I’m not entirely sure if I’ll make it past the summer.
Now, if they knock Vader out of the park, this may change things completely, but right now I’m lukewarm on what I’ve seen.
Vader is gonna be crucial! I think he’ll be great – they tend to get the most tripped up over head sculpts.
looking very forward to vader… while i love star wars, i’m not all-in at this price point, and i certainly have no intentions of rounding out every character with more than 3 seconds of screen time like some collectors… but certain key characters in certain key looks… and a vader is a much. to skip vader would be… illogical.
Here’s the thing for me: I’d probably be all-in, if I could find the damn things. But it’s been over 7 months since wave 2 hit and I’ve never seen Boba Fett, and it’s been a month or two since wave 3 hit and I’ve never seen a Storm Trooper. I bought Greedo and that sub-par Leia because I was so hyped up on the line, but it’s getting to the point where I pretty much expect I’ll be dropping the line, simply because every time I’m in Target or TRU, I glance over the pegs and seen the same Leia, Greedo, Han, and R2 figures.
I know I could order them, but add in shipping costs (not to mention good luck finding a Boba Fett that isn’t ridiculously marked up), and that cracks the price point I’m willing to pay for these figures. $20 is pushing it, $20 plus shipping is too much.
The basic Stormtrooper is pretty much alot of what I like about Star Wars, and what has been missing in every other movie since. There’s so MUCH that’s implied in the actual design that is never, ever actually spelled out, the implied tech blended in various places, and how parts of the Stormtrooper costume showed up all over the place (because, recall, they ‘only’ had $10 Million to work with back then 🙂 )
And the choice of using real firearms (with various cosmetic decorations, most often simply adding some kind of telescopic sight to it)gives it all ‘weight’ but also informs design choices. The ‘Trooper has the holster on the left because the Sterling SMG has a magazine well hanging out the left side for example. There’s no quick-drawing a ‘Trooper blaster, it’s just a bag holding the gun.
*sigh* I’ll probably break down and grab one if I find it. I’ve started down the rabbit hole. BECAUSE I FOUND A BLACK WIDOW ON THE SHELF, YO! I ACTUALLY FOUND ONE!
*ahem* which means I’ve broken down and paid $20 for a domestic action figure. Now I need Cap. So, Hello Han and Tatooine Luke (when he comes out) and Senator Leia (when SHE comes out)and Sandtrooper and Stormtrooper and Crazy Old Man Obi-Wan (when HE comes out)…
Hey! You bought toys!! lol
Well, yeah. I mean, I don’t get to chime in on ‘what I think of the toy’ in these things much because I’m not buying those things.
But I *want* to buy Star Wars Black. $20 is a lot of money for me right now. And I want all Original Star Wars please. I want my sexy Senator Leia and doofus Tatooine Luke.
20 damn Dollars for a figure. A six inch figure. A six inch figure that all too often is missing something key, like Black Widow’s pistols. Hey, does the Stormtrooper have extra hands?
I found two Storm Troopers, Boba Fett, Black Widow, two Hydra soldiers and Black Cat on the shelf a couple weeks ago.
I have to disagree on things cooling down for SWB. I believe they are starting to pick up after the initial release a year ago. Wave 1 was big, wave 2 was huge but so many stores had back stock of wave 1 that it made wave 2 hard to find. I also like how the SDCC exclusives are also released at retail with out that added part like Han in carbonite. We are getting a Speeder Bike some time this year and I can’t be more excited. I am totally loving this line and i can’t wait for more. I only get the figures that are from the classic movies because i am not a fan of the newer episodes so not having to buy whole waves at a time is a huge bonus for me. This is the only line i have left to collect that is still at retail and it is nice to go on the hunt every once in a while to see if i can spot any in the wild. Keep doing what you are doing Hasbro. I am enjoying these more than stuff Mattel is making right now.
I agree that the speeder bike is awesome. The SDCC thing, eh, not so much. The accessories that Hasbro has deemed “exclusive” really shouldn’t be. Jabba should have his throne pieces and Crumb. Fett should have a carbonite block. Make the packaging exclusive. Or do a Shadow Stormtrooper. Something that if missed, doesn’t detract from the entire collection.
This is hyperbole, sure, but I think the SDCC pieces would be on par with Hasbro releasing a G1 style Optimus Prime at retail, but the SDCC exclusive come with his trailer.
So we know that a Stormtrooper Han is coming (at least that’s what I read on the internet) so will they retool the head to fit the Trooper neckball or retool the Trooper torso to fit the Han head? Or will they create an all new Han head that fits a removable helmet?
Is the helmet head on this big enough that it looks like the Han head would fit inside?
Sweet review, pics, and comics, as always.
Would’ve bought a trooper, if I ever found them. None of the local shops carry them, they’re either extortionately priced online, or you have to get an entire set to get a trooper.
No.
Love that final pic!
Like you, though I love the heroes whenever I watch Star Wars, I’m all about the Empire when it comes to memorable pieces. I like the SWB line, but I’m pretty much cherry picking, and that has resulted in getting the baddies. I love the Storm Trooper. I love Boba Fett and Maul. I’m really hoping that Vader comes out well, and now that they’ve announced Bossk, I’m really hoping to get all the bounty hunters to complete that scene in the Executor from Empire.
My problem with this figure is that he is impossible to find either in the wild or at online sources such as HTS. Besides demand, case ratios are often the main culprit. It boggles the mind that toy companies still prefer to fill out cases with specific characters rather than toss in a few more army builders. Everyone does it: G.I. Joe, Star Wars, Marvel Legends/Universe/Infinity, you name it.
You’d think army builders such as the classic Stormtrooper would help move stock, but they all end up one to a case instead. As Mr. Spock would say: “Most illogical.”
Regular Storm Trooper never showed up for retail where I am. Costs more than twice as much to get it online…BBTS sold out almost immediately it seemed just for the pre-order. Fortunately I acquired 3 Sand Troopers from various places as I could find them.
The slow roll-out has been annoying and making me lose interest, but I am such a huge fan that I will get them when they are available.
Tired of seeing the same 3 figures shelf-warming at all of my local stores for months: Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Greedo. Maybe I can get a second Leia and customize it just to fight the boredom of waiting for the next line to hit retail.
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Luckily, I only want guys like the Troopers and the Bounty hunters and some droids, so I avoid the whole likeness issue, since I want no human characters that aren’t wrapped in armor, except Dengar, but how good does he have to look? I think these types of guys are easier and done better, certainly so far in the line.
One reason I want to get this Stormtrooper is because I hear the joints in his elbows and knees are more solid than the Sandtrooper. Is that true? I’m so afraid I’m gonna tear those Sandtrooper joints every time I pose him.