Biker Scout (Battle Of Endor) - SW [S - P3] - 12 Inch Figures

The stormtroopers designated as scouts wear lightweight armor that is considerably more flexible than the standard uniform. Much like their infantry counterparts, scout troopers wear a black body glove covered with white armor. Scouts often work in conjunction with light reconnaissance vehicles such as Imperial speeder bikes. For this reason, they are often referred to as biker scouts.

The moment Hasbro released the TARGET exclusive The Power Of The Force “2” Speeder Bike With Scout Trooper 12 Inch Figures set, collectors EVERYWHERE began asking when they would release the Scout Trooper by itself. Collectors reached a begging point for its inclusion in the basic 12 Inch Figure assortment. Hasbro listened to all of the requests, but it took them nearly have a decade to act. It wasn’t until the third phase of the Star Wars “Saga” line when Hasbro released a Return Of The Jedi themed collection of 12 Inch Figures. While they may have been foolish to wit so long to release it, they great news is that they didn’t need to do anything to update it. Looking just as good as it did in 1999, the Scout Trooper, whose name changed to Biker Scout for the Star Wars “Saga” era, is now released and became one of the most sought after 12 Inch Figures in the entire 2003 year. It was the first to sell out from the case assortments, and demand just couldn’t be met. He was packed one per case (probably because Hasbro had worries that this was just a re-release and could clog up retail), but in actuality two per case would have been a much wiser option for all parties involved.

There isn’t much new to discuss with the 2003 figure that hasn’t already been discussed with the 1999 version. Aside from a few different paint operations and perhaps a few different mediums used for the soft-goods (our guess), the Biker Scout (Battle Of Endor) 12 inch Figure is identical to the Scout Trooper. Admittedly, looking at this figure without the show-stealing massive Speeder Bike alongside it gives you a new appreciation for this figure. It’s better than we remembered, and although it’s evident that parts of the Hasbro buck used on the original 1999 release have aged and is a bit tired in spots, most notably the neck. But the figure can obtain so many scene-accurate positions. Sure, the armor looks bulky in spots. But between the overall great silhouette this figure possesses to the accurately recreated armor and blaster pistol, we think that this figure is as much of a success story in 2003 as it was during its original release. Of course, it isn’t perfect, but it falls closer to excellent than it does bad, and it’s unlikely that Hasbro will ever develop a new sculpt in this scale for this character. Consider this a check-off on your list.

The Biker Scout (Battle Of Endor) 12 Inch Figure has been very modestly accessorized, but if you play with him a little bit more, you’ll find that he has a few extra features that might entertain you as well. He only comes with a blaster pistol. It nicely fits into his boot holster. But the boot holster is removable (in case you’re interested). But the Biker Scout (Battle Of Endor) figure also has other removable parts too. His chest armor is removable. And his belt is removable too. Whether these removable parts are necessary or not doesn’t matter. You have to remember that Hasbro is using and reusing the same bucks over and over, so having different removable features is what is going to make these figures unique. In general, we’re quite pleased with this figure, but it’s hard to have a different assessment of something that you like years ago just as much. Time is often cruel and tends to make things look bad as they become the past. But we think the Biker Scout (Battle Of Endor) is fighting hard to remain relevant. And until technology can do better, this is the best 12 Inch Figure version of the character that you can find. And Hasbro was long overdue to release this singly.