Millennium Falcon Carry Case/Imperial Scanning Crew Trooper - POTF2 [R/G] - Miscellaneous

First released as the Millennium Falcon Carry Case/Wedge Antilles set (with two versions of Wedge Antilles released), Hasbro decided to re-release it in the beginning of 1998 with a new figure inside. Unforeseen delays in the production and overstock of the first set made the Millennium Falcon Carry Case/Imperial Scanning Crew Trooper set almost impossible to locate at retail. Most collectors only saw a glimpse of this set at KB Toys, while others mentioned some Walmart store finds. But the Millennium Falcon Carry Case/Imperial Scanning Crew Trooper items never got the mainstream releasing they needed to become a success for Kenner/Hasbro. Sadly, the never-before-released Imperial Scanning Crew Trooper became the hottest figure of 1998, as collectors desperately tried to add this character into their 3.75” collections. It was one of the most frustrating releases in the few short years of the modern storyline. (Editor’s Note: To help paint a better picture of the Imperial Scanning Crew Trooper’s rarity, it won 2004's The Original Trilogy Collection’s Fans’ Choice Poll winning the 38th figure slot in the line)

Carry cases were a concept in the vintage Kenner Star Wars line. It made sense for Kenner/Hasbro to introduce them again, but with new concepts and designs. They developed a new carry case, which conceptually is the design of the Millennium Falcon. The Millennium Falcon is a significantly smaller scale than the 3.75” vehicle. And its flatter thickness was more practical for storing action figures, even though it can only hold a dozen and a half action figures. For $19.99, collectors received a Millennium Falcon-shaped carry case with the capacity for storing 18 action figures, and a decal sheet with names of some of the most recent Star Wars action figures released. Of course, the included Imperial Scanning Crew Trooper is the reason to repurchase this carry case. Based on the character’s appearance from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, the Imperial Scanning Crew Trooper is one of the freshest figures in the line, and that’s saying quite a bit since it’s cobbled together from previously existing parts. Based on 1997’s POTF2 [R/G] AT-ST Driver, Kenner/Hasbro tooled a new head sculpt and new arms. The figure needed ungloved hands, and that was the only way to make that possible.

As you’re aware, we never understood the connection of Wedge Antilles to the Millennium Falcon, so it’s nice to see a directly supporting action figure tethered together with this version of the Millennium Falcon Carry Case. As a standard “POTF2” era action figure, the Imperial Scanning Crew Trooper comes with six points of articulation. These points include a swivel head, swivel shoulders, a swivel waist, and swivel hips. The figure’s proportions are still bulky, but honestly, the figure looks pretty good. The Imperial Scanning Crew Trooper comes with two accessories, and they include a blaster rifle and a scanning trunk. Both are simple accessories, but it’s rewarding to have the gear these troopers utilized to search for life on the Millennium Falcon after it was pulled into the Death Star via its tractor beam. After about a year from its first sighting at retail, “carded” samples of the Imperial Scanning Crew Trooper began showing up overseas and on the aftermarket, like eBay. They were expensive, but less than the cost of the Millennium Falcon Carry Case/Imperial Scanning Crew Trooper set as a whole. It’s amazing how certain items were impossible to acquire in 1998, but this figure was one of them!