Speeder Bike & Scout Trooper - TVC - Vehicles

The highlight of the 40th Anniversary of Return Of The Jedi might be the Speeder Bike & Scout Trooper vehicle and figure set. Let’s be honest. There is little to get excited about to celebrate the four-decade age of Return Of The Jedi, but the Speeder Bike & Scout Trooper set pays homage to a classic Kenner release from 1983 and also gives us our definitive Biker Scout action figure in vintage Kenner packaging, something we didn’t realize was part of this set until we received it. So that was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, Hasbro decided to call the Biker Scout a Scout Trooper here, but its naming conventions aside, the Speeder Bike & Scout Trooper multipack is a delight to receive when Star Wars is at its most insufferable. This set has a great deal of newness, which surprised us. So, we’re okay with the $44.99 MSRP. If you subtract $15 from the total price for the carded Scout Trooper action figure, the balance is only $30 for the new (and mostly) retooled Speeder Bike. Sorry, but in 2023, that’s a bargain, as unfortunate as that sounds. But it’s important to note what Hasbro did to the Speeder Bike to make it authentic and the most screen-accurate we’ve seen. The enhancements are notable, and we believe we have the ideal pairing of vehicle and rider in one fell swoop. We should enjoy what Hasbro matched up here because it’s an excellent and timely release.

Hasbro took the base vehicle from 2012’s SW [TPM 3D] Speeder Bike With Scout Trooper set. But they entirely retooled it and made many changes and enhancements. The undercarriage has refreshed detail and has a new hole to accommodate the ball of the included clear display stand. We no longer have “manufactured” vehicle parts suspending the Speeder Bike mid-air. The transparent display stand does that for us well, although it does lift the Speeder Bike a little too high when you pose the included Scout Trooper action figure next to it on the highest peg option, so reserve that for "flying." Surprisingly, they updated the smallest details, too, like the handlebars. Like before, they can detach the vehicle’s body by removing the plugs from the side port and then articulate them to accompany the figure. If you articulate them, you’re left with a hole, but that’s unavoidable. The foot pedals appear to be screen-accurate this time, and the Scout Trooper’s boots rest on them now instead and no longer have foot pegs to hold the feet in place. That’s no big deal for us in the least. Lastly, the rear of the bike has a revised approach. Everything is changed on this version, and you will love the updates. You may not see a new vehicle here, but it is. And the updates look magnificent. Like the 2012 version, the exhaust panels flip up and down for additional display options. The paint operations on the Speeder Bike look excellent to us, but we’re not sure how you will view them. Collectors are often picky regarding deco, so you may have reservations about how Hasbro approached this.

The new Scout Trooper is unequivocally definitive. We’re sure there will be nitpickers who will want Hasbro to do more updating on the tooling, but we’re delighted with the final figure. They took the Endor Rebel Commando (Scout Trooper Disguise) (VC272) figure from 2023’s TVC Endor Bunker playset and gave it an all-new head sculpt. It’s essentially Nik Sant with a new head. And we wouldn’t expect anything else. However, this version of the Scout Trooper body also comes with a few surprises. In addition to the figure coming with an all-new portrait featuring the new Scout Trooper helmet, Hasbro gave the figure all-new lower legs and feet, including “rocker” ankles. The top of the boots also has swivel articulation. We were astounded by how well the new Scout Trooper figure poses. We could achieve positions that weren’t attainable in the past, and we’re pretty happy that Hasbro chose to enhance the tooling one last time before giving us our definitive Scout Trooper action figure. The figure comes with a blaster pistol, and it fits well in the figure’s right hand. The new head sculpt is about as perfect as we ever imagined, and we’re happy they didn’t screw up this critical detail. We’re pleased with the Speeder Bike & Scout Trooper two-pack. We suppose you can criticize a few things here, but we think you should save your breath for the lackluster products for Return Of The Jedi’s 40th Anniversary.