Stormtrooper - TBS [P1] - Basic (#13)

These elite soldiers enforce the Emperor's will across the Galactic Empire.

Hold out a new hope no longer as far as The Black Series Stormtrooper is concerned. The 41st Legion Clone Trooper was certainly a debacle more than the Stormtrooper, but it’s likely there was a breakdown in communication at the factory level for it. The Stormtrooper however is just laziness manifested in the form of an action figure. Alright, we get it Hasbro. The Imperial Sandtrooper sculpt that originated in the 2009 Legacy Collection Dewback (With Imperial Sandtrooper) Walmart exclusive on paper is an excellent figure. But it’s a Sandtrooper and not a Stormtrooper. So why do you keep making Stormtroopers out of them? Some collectors seem to not be bothered by the slit on the back, but we are and it’s become unacceptable at this point. We need a definitive Stormtrooper sculpt at this point, and frankly we’re tired of waiting for it. What’s tragic here is that all Hasbro has to do is a simple retool of this figure. Fix up the slit on the back, revitalize the hand sculpts so that it can accommodate a blaster better, and call it a day. Oh, but before you call it a day Hasbro, make sure you get the paint operations house in order. What you did to The Black Series Stormtrooper (#13) is an abomination on some samples, and just pitiful on others. Thankfully, we managed to find a decent one for this review. Too harsh? Maybe. But how long do unwavering collectors have to wait to get one of the most basic and core army builders in definitive status?

Some of you may feel that we’re overreacting a little bit here and maybe we are. But the agony of waiting so many years for the perfect Stormtrooper figure has become unacceptable at this point. Hasbro pledged to us at 2013’s NY Toy Fair that The Black Series is undeniably for collectors and that if figures designed for this line weren’t absolutely perfect that they would pull them, retool or repaint them, and ensure that the best possible figure would get released. So far Hasbro has yet to keep their word. While any number of Star Wars action figures may lack in one way or another, paying $10 for an action figure that should be flawless to the point of never needing a revision again should guarantee collectors that our interests are deeply considered by the makers at Hasbro. Evidently that is far from being the case. As sad as that is, we tried to find positive things to say about this new Stormtrooper. But we just get a little more irritated every time we hold it in our hands. Sure, the articulation is fabulous. And the non-removable helmet is a godsend. But the overused “tightly gripping” hands and the slit on the back that blatantly tells collectors that this isn’t really a Stormtrooper are defeating at best. Can't Hasbro at least fill in the slit on his back? And if you look at the samples already presented on various sites on the web, you’ll want to screech in terror over how badly the helmets have been painted.

Stormtrooper (#13) is a kit-bashed figure that utilizes most of the Imperial Sandtrooper figure from 2009’s LC Dewback And Imperial Sandtrooper Walmart exclusive as well as the belt from 2007’s TAC Imperial Stormtrooper (30 20) figure. The belt is a nice accessory to add, but it doesn’t do a Sandtrooper sculpt much good at all. It’s easy to complain when an action figure doesn’t deliver, so how can Hasbro make a definitive Stormtrooper action figure? Well, they can create an all-new version from the ground up. But honestly they don’t have to do that. The lower body on this sculpt is fantastic. An all-new torso would have to be sculpted. Get rid of the slit and incorporate a better functioning ball-jointed torso. Ensure that the figure is designed without a removable helmet. Retool the hand (and even the arms if possible) to incorporate a wide range of poses with or without holding blasters. It’s so easy for them to make these changes that it’s become beyond frustrating now. Stormtrooper (#13) may not be as terrible as we’re making it out to be, but you have to understand that we’re exhausted with all of the half-baked attempts made on this character in the basic figure line. Before we get too old to collect, we would like there to be an absolute and definitive Stormtrooper action figure. Until there is, your best bet is 2011’s TVC Stormtrooper (VC41) figure (the running change version).