Stormtrooper - Jumbo Vintage Kenner Figures

Just like they were when you were a kid, only BIGGER! Gentle Giant is proud to debut their new line of vintage Star Wars Action figure reproductions with the release of this classic Empire Strikes Back Stormtrooper.

Digitally scanned from mint 3 ¾" Kenner originals and reproduced to a substantial 12" tall. Nothing has been overlooked. Injection molded and made of durable plastics, this jumbo figure includes a faithfully reproduced blaster and is fully articulated! That's not all, this classic Kenner creation comes packaged on a 1980, Empire Strikes Back inspired blister card with a plastic outer clam shell to help protect and display this limited edition convention exclusive!

The love and adoration for the vintage Kenner action figure line is primal in many ways. If you are a lover of Star Wars, your invested interest in the line supersedes most other passions in your life. And for reasons unknown, many of us would be just as happy to see those beloved vintage figures repackaged again even in 2010 by Hasbro. And that is essentially what Hasbro did. As our friends at Star Wars Action News have described, The Vintage Collection may just be the last “Hail Mary!” Hasbro has to regenerate lost interest in the line to bring as many people back as they can. As evidenced by the brisk sales at retail with the first wave of The Empire Strikes Back wave, the signs are comforting that there is indeed a renewed interest in the line. And as unbelievable as it is, the spark of heightened interest has everything to do with packaging. Depending upon your point of view, this may just be a frightening sentiment that packaging truly makes or breaks a product. The Legacy Collection had just as many awesome figures as the first wave of The Vintage Collection, yet the passion just wasn’t the same. Gentle Giant Ltd. took a cue from Hasbro’s latest endeavor and decided to bring back “vintage” in grand scale….literally. They introduced a brand new line called Jumbo Vintage Kenner Figures and it was perhaps the most exciting product announcement in the entire 2010 San Diego Comic Con event.

The first figure, the Stormtrooper was released as the 2010 San Diego Comic Con exclusive to thunderous applause. And to help celebrate 30 years of The Empire Strikes Back, Gentle Giant Ltd. decided to package him on a The Empire Strikes Back card back. This is one impressive product folks. You can’t appreciate the massiveness of it and at first you really don’t know how to react to it. But is slowly grasps your interest to the point that you almost can’t stop looking at it. Not entirely sure how far the line will go or whether more figures will be introduced, the Jumbo Vintage Kenner Figures line is certainly piquing the interest of collectors a many. The Stormtrooper was a pretty “safe” first release in the line. Symbolically foundational in the Star Wars saga, the Stormtrooper is everywhere in the Original Trilogy and a very wise choice to kick start a new line. It is cast from injection molded durable plastic and actually feels similar to the materials that make up a Vinyl Collectible Doll. It is a sturdy large size action figure and identically mirrors the 3.75” action figure from 1978 flawlessly. Gentle Giant Ltd. digitally scanned a mint version of the original 1978 Stormtrooper and upped it to 12” scale. It is a very impressive piece to say the very least. Purists may have wished for this figure to be packaged on a Star Wars card back, but to be fair it is all about the 30 year anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back.

The Stormtrooper may just have the simplest paint job of any Star Wars action figure ever produced, so you can imagine that there is very little to comment or complain about here. But Gentle Giant Ltd. did do a magnanimous job of painted very clean and even lines on this jumbo sized action figure. Some of the black lines should have been thicker, but this is just a notation and not a complaint. Possessing even the same number of articulation points as the 1978 vintage Stormtrooper, everything from the shape of the hands to the holes in his feet are exactly replicated. While the Jumbo Vintage Kenner Figures collection clearly won’t be a line that every collector picks up, we bet that many will be smiling over just how cool these collectibles are indeed. Definitely overpriced at $85 each, we’re not sure if these have the wisest price point in an era of a waning collector base. But still, these are meant to appeal to a niche audience and we see why they have limited them to such a small edition size as the Stormtrooper is only being produced at 1500 pieces. We are thoroughly excited over the prospects of how far this line will go. If you own the book Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive, you may recall an 8D8 up-scaled figure. These prototypes are made large so that sculptors can see better detail of the progress of the figure. Well we wanted those badly and it looks like we are essentially getting the chance at something similar with this line. Imagine a vintage Amanaman, Luke Skyalker (In Stormtrooper Disguise), FX-7 and Emperor’s Royal Guard all in glorious 12” scale. How can we NOT get excited about this?