30th Anniversary Collection

TACBASIC

Imperial Stormtrooper

Info and Stats
Number:  
30-20
Year:  
2007
MSRP:  
$6.99
Definitive Status:  
Other Value
 
A better figure has been produced, but this release still presents value to a collector for an accessory or other worthwhile feature.
Grade:  
6/10 Bantha Skulls
 
* Bantha Skull is compensated for any purchases made through these Ebay links.
* Bantha Skull is compensated for any purchases made through these Ebay links.
Review by: Bret&Chris
Review date: 09/15/2019

Original review by Chris, 11/10/14

When this figure was announced, it was cause for some excitement.  The VOTC Stormtrooper was the premiere Stormtrooper mold that Hasbro had made up to that point, but it was released in the boutique Vintage Collection line at $9.99 which represented twice the MSRP for a basic figure at the time.  Even at retail, army building the VOTC Stormtrooper was an expensive proposition due to the premium pricing.  In the subsequent years, the secondary value of a VOTC Stormtrooper pushed higher demanding upwards of $25.  When Hasbro announced that the VOTC Stormtrooper mold would be the basis for the basic figure in the 30th Anniversary Collection is was reason to celebrate.  Finally we could afford to army build the most iconic army builder in the entire Saga.

Unfortunately Hasbro decided a straight re-release was not enough.  They had to “improve” upon the base figure and in this case it meant including a removable helmet.  Removable helmets are a classic case of subtraction by addition for fans.  Either the aesthetic or the scaling has to be compromised in order to achieve this feature at the 3.75” scale and often times it’s both.  Solid sculpted helmets are almost always executed better.  Unfortunately in this case the aesthetic was worsened, but admittedly the scaling actually improved.  The big unfortunate decision that Hasbro made was to paint the helmet in the “hero” helmet configuration.  The “hero” helmets were used for closeups in A New Hope and as the name indicates, this meant they were the ones worn by Han and Luke.  On the “hero” helmet, the black band across the forehead is much closer to the eye lenses, and while the two don’t actually touch, it does give that illusion when looking straight at the helmet.  In the reduced scale, this means they actually do touch.  Unfortunately Hasbro seemed to go overboard with the paint apps and the end result looks like an angry muppet mono-brow across the figure’s helmet.  The “stunt” helmet is the preferred configuration for Stormtrooper helmets and Hasbro should always err on this side when making the trooper version.

What some fans felt added insult to injury was the fact that the face underneath the helmet revealed a Jango clone likeness.  It was another reminder of the PT staining the OT for purists.  Aside from the fact that the eyes are rolled back into the head on my sample, I don’t get too worked up about issues like this.  I don’t have to ever remove the helmet in my display.  I guess for some fans knowing the Jango likeness is under the helmet doesn’t allow them to escape the fact that the PT happened.  Much more of an issue is the sculpt itself.  I’ve droned on and on about how poor the arms are on this sculpt. The hands are rigid and fixed in a predetermined pose.  You cannot effectively make your Stormtrooper a right handed shot.  The upper torso is a tad too short and too easily exposes the ball joint connection.  The leg stance is in a narrow ballerina positioning making action poses difficult.  With later retool releases, Hasbro corrected all of these issues save for the blasted and awful hands.  I do think you need a few releases of the Stormtrooper with the VOTC legs for formation poses.  The ball jointed hips on the superior Vintage Collection Stormtrooper release do not allow for a neutral pose used for displaying Stormtroopers in ranks.  Because of its faults and the helmet issue, this figure sits at a lowly 6 out of 10.

Updated review by Bret, 09/15/19

Obviously, at this point, this figure has essentially been blown away by VC140.  However, while it is definitely inferior in a number of ways, it isn’t quite ready for the trash can.  It still looks good enough to be part of the imperial ranks in the background, although your VC140 would be front and center in any display.  If you’re a long time collector, you probably have accumulated many stormtroopers over the years, and you’ll need them for your dioramas.  It’s not nearly bad enough to purge from your collection.  In fact, there are two specific things that give it some value over VC140.  Some collectors may be turned off by the flared lower shins of the newer figure, and might prefer the aesthetics of this figure.  More importantly, VC140 famously lacks the blaster holster, although we now know that stormtroopers with and without the holsters appeared in the OT.  Oh, and there might be a few people out there that like the removable helmet option if you’re looking to show some stormtroopers chillin’ while on a break. 

There’s no doubt this figure has not aged too well, but it’s still salvageable.  We’ll keep it at a generous 6.

* Bantha Skull is compensated for any purchases made through these Ebay links.
comments powered by Disqus
Terms of Service