Editor’s Note:  This figure was not reviewed at the time of its release

Here’s another outstanding figure in the TVC line, and another testament to how deep the line went.  It would likely not be produced in today’s sparsely populated collector figure environment, but not only was it made, it was done excellently.

The figure could be used as an army builder, filling the role of any nameless Rebel soldier performing various duties around Echo Base.  This figure, as depicted by the card art, is likely meant to be Lieutenant Cal “Ripken” Alder, the officer who confers with Major Cliff Claven regarding the closing of the base’s shield doors for the night. Alder was known to be an insensitive jerk, and his careless attitude was on full display during this key scene, when he loudly and proudly declared that there was still no sign of Skywalker and Solo, even though a distraught Princess Leia was standing nearby.  I mean, she was right there!  What a schmuck.

The figure is excellent.  The sculpt is great, with a lot of detail in the uniform.  The paint applications are also well done, bringing out the extra details.  The face doesn’t necessarily look much like Cal Alder, but unless you’re the guy who played him, you probably aren’t losing any sleep over that.  The goggles are removable, which is okay, but it would be better if they fit over his eyes, instead of just resting on top of his cap.  The scarf position prevents the goggles from having any alternative display options.  The figure has the basic array of super-articulation, and in this case, the extra mile of ball jointed hips and wrists just isn’t necessary. 

There is a holster on the belt, in which the blaster fits snugly.  In the aforementioned scene, Alder does not have a holster and blaster, but instead seems to be carrying a datapad of some sort in his left hand.  This accessory was not included with the figure, unfortunately.  Of course, I probably would have lost it by now, and Chris would have had to take these pictures, so I’m sure he’s pleased no such datapad was included.  I hope there aren’t any upcoming figures that came with datapads that I probably lost.

It’s an excellent figure, and even if it is meant to be a specific character, you should still consider getting more than one, if that’s your bag.  It’s as good as we’ll ever need for Cal Alder, and unless there are going to be head variants, this will also do just fine as any Rebel soldier at Echo Base.  As such, we’re calling it definitive.

Verdict: Re-issue (Critical Priority) 

As of this writing, there is only a single carded sample on eBay, and it goes for quite the sum.  It may make sense for Hasbro to consider re-releasing this figure at some point down the line, although it would be neat if they did so in conjunction with some awesome Hoth-themed push, like an Echo Base or Rebel Transport, or some such.  It’s a good figure that seems hard to come by.

This Echo Base Rebel soldier was part of a three figure vintage collection wave together with Ponda Baba and Bastila Shan.  The wave fell very short of meeting demand.  It didn’t even come close.  Two of those figures, Ponda and Bastila, we re-released in The Black Series and nether are army builders.  This is.  Hasbro would be well advised to re-release this figure ASAP.  In fact, it’s a markedly better repack than 2007’s Darth Revan figure.

Verdict Guide:
Re-sculpt = The figure is not definitive, and a new version should be developed.
Re-issue = This version is definitive (or close enough), and shows sufficient secondary market demand to warrant a straight repack.
No Action = This release does not require new attention.