Elite Speeder Bike - TFA - Vehicles (Class I) (Forest)

Reserved for the most experienced scouts and high-risk missions, these Elite Speeder Bikes have been upgraded with heavy blasters and powerful new engines.

Once again, it becomes increasingly harder to determine whether or not the toys in The Force Awakens line are based on real scenes from the film or not. The Elite Speeder Bike (with Stormtrooper) adds to this confusion, but we’re nonetheless happy to admit that it may just be one of the better toys in the line to date. Love them or hate them, most Star Wars toys from here on out will be simply articulated. But Hasbro has proven in a relatively short timeframe that they can tool pretty amazing sculpts in this simple format and then take them to the next level with the paint operations (yes, with some consistency issues). But when it comes to the Elite Speeder Bike, trust us when we say that all of the attention is going to be placed on the simply titled “Stormtrooper” figure. The Elite Speeder Bike itself is pretty decent. It’s totally reminiscent of the various speeder bikes we have seen throughout the Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy, but now just think “modern style” and you should have a pretty solid idea what this new vehicle looks like.

The Elite Speeder Bike is the vehicle answer to the modern Blackhole Stormtroopers. Maybe it’s somewhat safe to say “First Order Blackhole Stormtrooper”? Because that’s exactly what we get inside of this Class I vehicle set. For $24.99, we don’t feel you get your full money’s worth, but because there is significant all-new tooling here, we have accepted what the line is today and how much plastic translates into dollars these days. (What a horrid time it is, isn’t it, that we have to even talk in these terms?) The big news with the Stormtrooper here is that Hasbro has added ball-jointed knees to the sculpt. It’s almost unbelievable to see in all honesty. Sadly, this premium articulation is nearly wasted because the way the figure interacts with the bike doesn’t allow the articulation to be maximized the way it was intended. When the point is to have a figure sit down piloting a bike that it straddles, the figure MUST have both ball-jointed knees AND ankles and hips that accommodate this straddling. They’re dependent upon each other. As a result, you can’t get the Stormtrooper to look natural while riding the Elite Speeder Bike which for us is a shame.

Still, the figure is quite nice. Almost entirely black save for a red color flash on his left chest areas and some silver details here and there, we’re confident that no one will be able to criticize how nice this action figure looks, simply articulated or not. And the figure looks even better next to his Elite Speeder Bike. It truly looks like driver and ride are equally yoked and complement each other visually. The Elite Speeder Bike comes with a “faux” exploding feature and the bottom front of the vehicle’s nose is removable. The hood of the bike also lifts up via a hinge-joint and reveals a nicely sculpted engine. And in true homage-paying spirit, the back flaps can lift up and down as needed to increase or decrease speeds. Other features include a rotating lower cannon and a hinge-jointed front cannon. Trust us when we say you really feel a strong connection to Return Of The Jedi when you hold the Elite Speeder Bike in your hands. The plastic feels a little too flimsy and the figure deserves more articulation, but other than a few shortcomings, this isn’t a bad set for kids of all ages. Besides, the ball-jointed knees on the Stormtrooper is a comforting sign, as sad as that is to say in 2015.