Hoth Rebel Soldier - POTF2 [R/G] - Basic

Height: 1.74 meters (Average)
Status: Rebel Soldier
Classification: Human
Affiliation: Rebel Alliance
Weapon of Choice: Blaster Rifle (Green packaging only)

The Empire has located the Alliance's secret headquarters on the Ice planet Hoth. During the consequent invasion, Rebel Soldiers hold out bravely against an unbeatable ground assault until a retreat salvages their heroic effort. (Freeze Frame packaging only)

The first wave of 1997 opened up with a focus of characters from The Empire Strikes Back. It elated fans because prior to that there wasn’t a generous helping of characters from Episode V. They were more or less just peppered into the line. After the red phase of The Power Of The Force “2” line, Hasbro was a lot more confident to introduce more of the background characters. And in this example they decided to choose the main infantry of the Battle of Hoth, the Hoth Rebel Trooper. Some will disagree, but we feel this is the first modern interpretation of the 1981’s classic vintage Kenner Rebel Soldier. If you compare the costume (and putting aside the drastic differences in the colors of the paint operations), you will be surprised just how many similarities there are. There is an obvious difference in the facial hair. The 1981 figure only had a mustache while the 1997 version (for the first time ever) has a full beard and mustache. Even so, the other similarities are uncanny and it was clear that we could begin army-building the Rebel Alliance soldiers as they appeared on Hoth. Even if they had to look all the same for now, Hasbro opened a can of worms and different versions and styles were inevitable.

One thing NOT going for the Hoth Rebel Soldier is his pose. Hasbro opted for an exaggerated action pose which doesn’t work too well in our opinion. With all of the excellent sculpting given to this figure, the wide stance of the legs really ruins all of the progress Hasbro made with the sculpt. It’s not like we think the baby should be thrown out with the bathwater here, but it’s truly a shame how the legs are the sole detriment to this action figure. Even his left arm hangs too far away from his body and looks awkward at best. But between the detailed holster hanging on his left leg to the gun being held in place (not removable – it’s part of the sculpt) to the goggles hanging around his neck, there is plenty of evidence here that Hasbro went to town to ensure a screen accurate representation of a Hoth Rebel Soldier. If Hasbro was able to tune up a few of this figure’s issues, it could easily be the template for many more future Hoth Rebel Soldiers. But knowing that he feels incomplete and lacking, we will expect better in the future. It definitely feels like this release is just a start or jumping off point. And if we were to be a little more critical than usual, we would have to point out that he feels a little too tall (and larger) than many of the other figures in the POTF2 line.

Hoth Rebel Soldier comes with two accessories. The highly detailed survival backpack is beautiful. It too feels a little bit too bulky and large, but we can’t deny how awesome it looks. It attaches to the figure via a plug and a hole on the figure’s back. So if you don’t want a hole in your action figure, you’re going to have to have him wear his survival backpack ALL OF THE TIME. The problem with this is that the backpack is heavy and causes great distress in the figure’s balance. Without the backpack the Hoth Rebel Soldier has no problem or issue standing at all. When wearing it, well, let’s just say you have to be clever with how you pose him.... just a little bit. Hoth Rebel Soldier also comes with a strapped blaster rifle. It sort of mirrors the weapon of the 1981 vintage Kenner figure, but has its own personality as well. it’s also very large for the figure and in our opinion out of scale a little bit. Then again, most of the accessories in The Power Of The Force “2” have scale issues. The figure must have been a hit for Hasbro. It was quickly carried forward into multiple wave as well as the 1998 Freeze Frame line where it came with an exclusive action slide. And the figure bounced around from Collection 2 to Collection 1 multiple times. It’s a fair figure, but it’s far from what collectors consider acceptable.