Rebel Fleet Trooper - TVC - Basic (VC52)

Celebrate the legendary Star Wars saga that changed the universe forever! This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. Iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are captured with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Star Wars saga. May the Force be with you!

Sometimes, there are figures in the basic figure line that make the frustration and aggravation of collecting all worthwhile. The Vintage Collection so far has been fantastic to collectors by updating figures that haven’t been revised or revisited in years. (And there have even been revisions just didn’t cut it as much as Hasbro tried.) Rebel Fleet Trooper is another standout figure that isn’t necessarily free from some mistakes, but it is an incredible accomplishment which most collectors should find pure joy in. A definitive Rebel Fleet Trooper action figure must have ball-jointed hips. It’s a must. This version does not come with this much-needed enhancement. The first Rebel Fleet Trooper action figure can be traced back over a decade ago when released as 1997’s POTF2 [R/G] Rebel Fleet Trooper figure. The figure was abnormally tall (it was taller than Darth Vader) and, like most other figures from that era, was unnecessarily muscular and inferiorly articulated. Hasbro made significant strides forward in 2001 and released an all-new sculpt called Rebel Trooper (Tantive IV Defender) in the Power Of The Jedi line (and released two variations of this figure in the 2002 Star Wars “Saga” line; Rebel Trooper (Tantive IV Defender) (’02 #54) [Version 1 and Version 2]). Hasbro incorporated angle-cut joints in the knees so you could make the figure kneel, but the included articulation was clumsy and was very hard to make the figure look natural in that pose). At the beginning of the 30 (77-07), Hasbro released the fan-favorite Capture Of Tantive IV Battle Packs set, and it marked the first time Rebel Fleet Trooper action figures came with removable helmets. Still, we needed yet another update with premium articulation and better proportions to have a definitive version in our collections.

The time is now, and The Vintage Collection brings us a near-perfect specimen. The Rebel Fleet Trooper doesn’t have a holster, and this missed detail is very unfortunate. But this doesn’t make him inaccurate to the soldiers we saw in Episode IV. Some had holsters, but most did not (or at the very least, their holsters were “hidden” under the black vests they were so that you couldn’t see them anyhow). So get it out of your head that this is an error. It’s not. And the long staff that was shown in preliminary production photos didn’t make the cut either. We wanted this “fun” accessory. We’ll repeat it. If any figure in The Vintage Collection needed ball-jointed hips, it should be this one. But alas, the figure comes with swivel hips instead. Despite this, we didn’t experience too much trouble posing the figure kneeling. And these “missing items” do not detract from how incredibly awesome this action figure is. And there are many more things that make this figure rock anyhow. Rebel Fleet Trooper is colored beautifully. The bluish-gray undershirt and the non-removable black vest work seamlessly together and keep the Rebel Fleet Trooper’s silhouette lean and athletic. The military pants have wrinkles in all of the right places and bunches up where needed atop his black leather boots. We think the boots are a little too shiny on the figure as they appeared much duller in the film. But do you care? We don’t. The figure's hands are wonderfully sculpted to hold the all-new blaster and the scanning/tracker device that one of them had on the Tantive IV. The new helmet fits perfectly on top of the figure's head, and the chin strap is perfectly designed to keep the helmet securely attached to his head. You're going to love what Hasbro achieved here. There is no doubt.

Rebel Fleet Trooper looks like a generic member of the Rebel Alliance, but he does have a minor resemblance to Pello Scrambas. We won’t say it’s him unequivocally, but it’s just one of the things that makes this figure so versatile, and this is excellent quality. This particular sculpt (along with its many accessories) has a utilization and importance that is incredibly multifarious. He is of average height and fits into the basic figure line very nicely. For the most part, the articulation points are very tight and can maintain their poses quite well. And the figure doesn’t have any awkwardly sculpted elements that affect or compromise its stature integrity. Hasbro has ensured a quality Rebel Fleet Trooper is now available for our collections. How many you add to your collection will be solely up to how many Hasbro gets out in the market. The Vintage Collection case assortments have not contained duplicate figures (from what we have experienced so far). So trying to increase your armies may be quite a trying task right now. Hasbro has confirmed in recent Q&A sessions that they are looking to approach case ratios in very different ways. They know they are not meeting demand with the events surrounding the difficulty of finding figures like Wedge Antilles (VC28) and the Gamorrean Guard (VC21). Rebel Fleet Trooper will be a formidable figure to locate at retail. Hopefully, Hasbro can make this easy for us soon. But get yourself at least one as soon as possible. The Rebel Fleet Trooper is nearly perfect, and we will let the missing holster go. It isn’t entirely incorrect. Check the reference photos for confirmation! It depends on the character.