There is a big difference between looking at a figure on a shelf and a
ctually having it in your hands. When I saw the Star Wars Black action figure line at Toy Fair I thought they looked cool but seeing them on the shelf did little to make me say, “Oooo.” Well the first wave has hit shelves and I sit here and pose my Sandtrooper I can finally say, “Oooo.”
These six inch figures are similar to the Marvel Select line with extreme articulation as well as size. I have always had a love of stormtroopers, especially Sandtroopers and Biker Scouts. So when I saw him on the peg at Toys R Us I had to pick him up. I almost didn’t want to take it out of the box because of the $22.99 price tag, but all toys should be opened and played with, so after cutting the seal on the box he was free. One of the first things I notice was just how posable this figure really was. He has approximately 26 points of articulation which means not taking him out the box would have been a crime.
The points are as follows:
- head, which is on a ball joint
- shoulders
- biceps
- double elbow joints
- double wrist joints
- chest
- hips
- double knee joints
- double ankle joints
The elbows having two joints allow the figure’s arms to be posed in a variety of ways unlike figures with just a single bendable elbow joint. This is perfect if you want to do the James Bond pose where his gun is held up to his face (or in this case helmet). Also impressive were the double knee joints, again allowing for more cool poses. The surprise had to be the ankle joints. I expected that the figure would have bendable ankles but there is also a swivel joint. Adding this one extra joint (yes I know he has 2 ankles) gives the figure more stability on uneven surfaces. There are even holes in the bottom of his feet giving him the ability to be attached to a stand. So in my opinion the peg holes were a great idea. Note: if you used a stand from a ¾ figure you would need one for each foot.
The figure is highly detailed with a great patina making the armor look well worn. The armor appears to be screen accurate for Star Wars Episode Four: A New Hope with the orange pauldron as seen in that movie. The Sandtrooper comes complete with E-11 blaster rifle (the side-arm of the Stormtroopers) a heavy blaster rifle a DLT-19, a T-21 Light Repeating Blaster and backpack. This Imperial trooper is well armed. The one thing that would have been nice to see would have been a pair of binoculars but I guess he can steal some after he and his cohorts French fry Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.
I can say that this is an almost perfect figure. I would have liked to have seen a removable helmet for the trooper. Granted, that being said it probably would have been a Jango clone head under the helmet. The other thing is the price tag. I understand that oil prices are high and when operating and production costs go up, product prices must be passed on to consumers. Since the figures are a bit on the high side (nowhere close to what Sideshow charges for their 12 inch figures) you made need to pick and choose which figures to buy.
According to Hasbro the 6 inch Black Figures are going to have a limited production run. Not all retailers will receive the number they requested. This means, if there is a figure you want, purchase it when you first find it, don’t wait for it to go on sale.
The first 4 figure release is:
- Luke in flight suit
- Darth Maul
- R2-D2
- Sandtrooper
I didn’t really know what to expect when I found the Sandtrooper and I was also a bit put off by the price. I am glad I got over the sticker shock since I can see this figure swiftly becoming my favorite. That is until Hasbro releases a Biker Scout.
