First Order Stormtrooper - TBS [P3] - Six Inch Figures (Exclusive)

Shock troopers clad in white armor first appeared on the galactic stage during the opening battles of the Clone Wars. Clone Trooper armor became iconic almost immediately: its stark white design stood for hope that peace and stability might be restored to a galaxy at war. But this dream of peace died with the Republic, and the Empire that rose to take its place imposed order by any means necessary. Soldiers within the Grand Army of the Republic were given a new name: Stormtroopers. As these former protectors of galactic peace mercilessly crushed resistance across the galaxy, their white armor came to symbolize oppression and the indomitable power of the Emperor's will. Yet the tyranny of Imperial rule sparked rebellion, and the stormtrooper legions were scattered in the aftermath of the Empire's fall. Now, the rise of the First Order ushers in the next chapter in the Stormtrooper's legacy as a new era of ruthless brutality begins.

It’s official. The very first Hasbro toy from Star Wars Episode VI: The Force Awakens is the 2015 San Diego Comic Con exclusive First Order Stormtrooper. Before you get concerned over its exclusivity, this figure will be available for everyone as it will be generally released at retail when The Force Awakens toy line goes public September 2015. The only addition making this figure exclusive is the packaging and the special promotional booklet inside which outlines the evolution of the clone trooper and stormtrooper and how this new character fits into the mix. Although consistent with the last three San Diego Comic Con events with each and every exclusive done in the 6" scale, the concentration on this scale has bewildered and upset longtime collectors of the 3.75" line. From this, it’s evident to assume where the Star Wars toy line is headed. Hasbro’s focus on the The Black Series 6” shows no signs of stopping and collectors since the beginning are standing around with their arms up in the air saying “a little 3.75” love please”. There are no sneak figures for The Force Awakens sadly, so this is the collecting world’s first introduction of what we can expect for the new era of Star Wars toys. Hasbro is all about The Black Series 6” line, and the First Order Stormtrooper is evidence that this is where the line's loyalties now lie. We can expect the 6” scale to be the focus for collectors because this is where they’re going to develop figures with plenty of articulation and detail. We just worry if the current state of paint operations will ruin the positive strides made in the ehanced detail and articulation? After all, the deco in the last couple of years hasn't been up to par and even dreadful on some figures. Hopefully we’ll see an impressive turnaround for The Force Awakens. The First Order Stormtrooper seems to be supporting this line of thought.

While we’re extremely excited for The Force Awakens film, our stomachs have been in knots for the toy line. And we'll be honest and say that until we know for sure what's happening with the super-articulated 3.75" scale, we won't be fully at rest. We all know which way the Star Wars line has been heading since 2013. In fact, many still feel that we are in for a rude awakening when it comes to 3.75” scale. That being said, we hopefully can allay some of the disappointment by expressing what a decent figure the First Order Stormtrooper figure is. It's not too different from the many other figures that have been released in this scale. Obviously, it's a new character and we have only seen him in the trailers thus far. But you know by his clone trooper/stormtrooper armor that this is the next army builder, that may or may not look like a duck. As a result of his army building status, the First Order Stormtrooper is going to be one of the hottest exclusives at 2015’s San Diego Comic Con as well as the toy line when it goes live. As it is the very first Hasbro item to be produced from the film, it ushers the collector into some of the mystery of the character and how this character may play into the rest of the film. The toy itself is excellently sculpted. Hasbro opted to give the First Order Stormtrooper ball-jointed elbows instead of double hinge-jointed articulation and as a result it severely inhibits the range of movement of the arms. This is especially noticeable when trying to pose the gun with two hands, something that is possible, but quite difficult to achieve with this type of articulation. However, the lower body has wonderful movement and incredible flexibility. You can pose him on his knees, in a crouching position, in a kneeling position and many action stances to varied to numerate. This First Order Stormtrooper is well designed, like so many other 6” figures, and collectors are going to have a blast adding him into their collections.

Although we appreciate the quality of the sculpt, Hasbro still needs to get paint operations in order. We’re extremely picky about paint operations and we feel that not all is right with the deco on the First Order Stormtrooper 6” figure. For the most part the paint operations are where they should be, but there are these “windblown” hairline thick bleeds that really stick in our craw. These are particularly noticeable on the helmet and makes the head look as if it is ridden with tiny black veins and capillaries, almost as if they’ve just burst. These deco imperfections certainly aren’t a deal breaker and they’re not overly noticeable, but they’re there and they annoy us a little bit. Besides a few of these hiccups, the rest of the figure looks great and it simply painted. First Order Stormtrooper comes with two weapons: a blaster pistol and a blaster rifle. They are interestingly colored in white, black and a little bit of silver. They are colored unlike any weapon we have seen from a Star Wars character to date yet interestingly have a familiarity that you’re going to notice immediately as well. They both can slide into a spot on the right thigh armor and stay in place quite tightly when not in use. The First Order Stormtrooper can also hold both guns at the same time as well. With an incredible array of motion and the ability to stand unassisted in a variety of ways, there will be no need for a display stand or anything else. We would certainly accept a miniature environment with these pieces however. That would really add some value to this line. In addition to exclusive packaging, there is also an exclusive booklet which is a nice touch for collectors. It outlines every part of the various clones and stormtroopers we already know about, as well as a generic "CLASSIFIED" descriptions for the First Order Stormtrooper. Get ready for the madness folks. This is only the beginning. And don’t support the aftermarket when it finally becomes more mainstream. These will undoubtedly be EVERYWHERE.