First Order Stormtrooper - TVC - Basic (VC118)

Celebrate the legacy of Star Wars, the action-and-adventure-packed space saga from a galaxy far, far away, with this collection of premium, highly-detailed 3.75-inch scale figures and vehicles. (Each sold separately. Subject to availability.)

When Hasbro released the First Order Stormtrooper in The Black Series [Phase III] Walmart exclusive line, collectors immediately noticed that the deco on the helmet was incorrectly applied. In fact, Jedi Temple Archives was one of the first outlets to bring this news to the collector community. There was a white gap where the rim met the visor creating an Original Trilogy stormtrooper effect that looked out of place and was obviously aesthetically incorrect. As the Walmart exclusive line progressed, the First Order Stormtrooper was carried forward by Hasbro, and they took strides to improve this deco issue. Now that the same figure is part of wave 16 of The Vintage Collection, we can assure you that Hasbro applied the same fix on these figures. But the deco looks a tad uneven and bumpy which makes us wish Hasbro executed a little more care for the 2018 version. The figure itself is great. The First Order Stormtrooper is loaded with articulation, has adequate accessories and possesses a sculpt which hits every mark necessary. If Hasbro can tighten up the paint operations a bit more, this figure would be flawless. We hope that we don’t have to go through another “paint job learning curve” and waste an inordinate amount of slots on sloppily painted figures.

Besides the upgraded articulation when compared to The Force Awakens version, surprisingly the First Order Stormtrooper doesn’t bring too much new to the table. We’d like to remind me that this doesn't make the figure any less exciting. It is so wonderful to have a super-articulated First Order Stormtrooper in 3.75" scale, and now that he’s against The Vintage Collection packaging, he feels better than ever. We’re certainly not complaining about the similarities between the simple 2015 TFA First Order Stormtrooper Build A Weapon figure and this version. But as far as the sculpting is concerned, Hasbro didn’t deviate all that much from both The Force Awakens and The Black Series [Phase III] 6” versions that existed before this version released to the public. The figure comes with a wealth of premium articulation and because of the heightened articulation system and it’s a distinct pleasure to see what the action figure interpretations of these characters can accomplish when given a chance. With the standard 14 areas of articulation that is present in most of the previous lines from Hasbro, the First Order Stormtrooper can stand at attention, placed in various action poses and even sit if you are so inclined with its remarkable 27 points of articulation. With a great base First Order Stormtrooper sculpt like this, it would be nice to see Hasbro make every last variation possible utilizing it.

With a high MSRP set for this Walmart exclusive 3.75” line, you’d think that Hasbro would have added some extra premium like swappable pauldrons to help us recreate all of the characters in one fell swoop. But they didn’t. It’s going to be a little painful if this figure is paired with a new colored pauldron multiple times (if Hasbro is so inclined). It might be better to make a “troop building” pack and include everything at once as they did similarly in The Black Series [Phase III] 6” line. Deco is still an issue for Hasbro. Something definitely went awry with this version of the figure. And it’s a terrible shame because how great figures look is the most basic requirement for collectors. We are eagerly looking forward to what is planned for The Vintage Collection for years to come. Will we see every figure released in the Walmart exclusive line repackaged into The Vintage Collection? It certainly feels that way now. But if this must transpire, we want assurance that Hasbro will be taking a few extra minutes to capture all of the smallest details and verify they are in place before giving the green light for any figure going into mass production (especially the repacks). These need to be perfect specimens. First order Stormtrooper isn’t a major disappointment for The Vintage Collection. We need to see better. And we don’t feel that this is too much to ask Hasbro.