Death Star Trooper - SW [SOTDS] - Saga Legends (SL27)

Wearing black uniforms and distinctive helmets, Death Star Troopers are chosen from the ranks of the Imperial Navy Troopers to defend key installations. When not in combat, these well-trained soldiers and guards provide security, handle hangar traffic control, and monitor sensor arrays.

Hasbro drug their feet when it came to giving us a modern and definitive update to the classic Death Star Trooper. But the update finally came during the 30th anniversary of Star Wars when Hasbro released 2007's TAC Death Star Trooper (30 13) figure. In all honesty, it was a perfect time to release this classic vintage figure into the modern lineup. Despite not being completely screen accurate, the Death Star Trooper sold like crazy. If you recall, the 1978 vintage Kenner figure donned a gray outfit and looked more like a commander. Hasbro has never revisited this exact outfit ever in the modern toy line. So collectors will have to be content with this version until that 1978 version gets properly updated. The 2007 30 (77-07) Death Star Trooper was never re-released as a basic figure after its initial release. But all of that has changed. In a slightly surprising move, Hasbro adds this same 2007 figure into the final 2011 Star Wars [Shadow Of The Dark Side] Saga Legends lineup with some very slight paint adjustments. We're not exactly sure how this figure made it to the top of the re-release list, but it has and now collectors have another chance to add him into their collections. With a Galactic Battle Game card, die and action figure display stand, kids and collectors get some nice pack-ins this time around.

Why Hasbro didn't just repaint this figure and give him a gray uniform is beyond us. A precedent has already been set that the Saga Legends format could contain repainted figures. So why didn't they do that here? It would have made collectors very happy. And since they're reissuing the same sculpt, there is no additional cost for tooling. It's fair to say this is not the best Death Star Trooper on the market today. He is too tall and his hip movement is inhibited by his "skirt". For us, this figure ranks as good. It certainly isn't the greatest figure Hasbro has produced to date. We also a little bit disappointed by his widened stance. It’s not terribly distracting and actually works well depending upon how you pose him, but it certainly is a little exaggerated if you concentrate on it. The Death Star Trooper comes with 22 points of articulation. All of them are well hidden, and for the most part, work to the figure’s advantage (save for the hips). Aesthetically, the bunched up knees look silly, but the bulkiness there helps hide the articulation joints We understand what Hasbro was trying to accomplish here, but it definitely looks a bit awkward when it gets translated into the sculpt of the plastic. The more problems you find with the Death Star Trooper makes you realize he has a few more issues than you'd like to see in an action figure.

Hasbro created a beautiful and extremely accurate removable helmet that unassumingly hides his face and comes complete with a working holster and nicely painted Imperial blaster. He has a little too much of a tan for our liking, but his head sculpt is absolutely terrific although it’s hard to gauge the exact expression on his face. The Death Star Trooper has the capability to attain a nice selection of action poses, but we kind of prefer to pose him in a “guarding” stance more than anything else. The Star Wars [Shadow Of The Dark Side] Saga Legends line’s purpose it to offer a cheaper alternative to buyers who aren't collectors purchasing The Vintage Collection. We have to admit that It’s a lot more exciting when you consider this as a line to complement The Vintage Collection instead of being an alternative to it. While Hasbro is all over the place when it comes to which figures they will include in the Saga Legends line, we think the Death Star Trooper is a nice chnage of pace to all of the Clone Troopers, Anakins and Obi-Wans they've added to it in the past. The Death Star Trooper is a good choice for sure and he should make Original Trilogy fans relatively happy. Until a better update gets released, this will have to be our definitive version of this character.