Stormtrooper (Rogue One) - S.H. Figuarts

S.H. Figuarts is a new standard figure series that incorporates the Bandai action figure "Art" under the theme "Pursuing Character Expression through Humanoid Action."

Any good licensee reuses their molds to bring their audience new figures. When it comes to the S.H. Figuarts Storm Trooper figure, they’ve reused this tooling twice now. First, they utilized it for the exclusive Shadow Trooper. Now they’re reused with (along with retooling a new portrait) for a Rogue One: A Star Wars Story specific version of the character. Despite this new attempt, the Stormtrooper (Rogue One) figure falls short of the mark. It’s loaded with incredible articulation and made of high-quality plastics, but the head sculpt is so off that it distracts from the rest of the figure. If you can overlook the figure's portrait, the rest of it has turned out quite well. Bandai once again proves why they’re mastering high-end 6” figures with incredible accuracy and detail. Sure, the line is perfect, but it’s getting closer and closer, and the Stormtrooper (Rogue One) figure still overs a great collectible despite having a few small flaws. The armor is faithful to the onscreen character and can be posed and positioned in ways that mimic the fluid movements of the characters onscreen rather brilliantly. In fact, we’re confident that the figure’s limitations in lower body movement are also true for those in the costume. That’s how nicely this figure turned out.

There are different looks to the Stormtrooper helmet. We’re not sure if the helmets in Rogue One differed all that much from A New Hope. But either way the, portrait on this figure is off a bit. We do know that the helmets look different in the film depending upon who low or high the top of the helmet sits from the visor. In the S.H. Figuarts example, the helmet rim rests above the visor. The regular Storm Trooper release is different (the opposite). In this case, we’re not exactly sure what would have made this figure’s portrait better, but we know it needs some revising. The vents are colored blue, and the rest of the accenting details are black – exactly what the character looks like in the Original Trilogy (and now Rogue One: A Star Wars Story). The rest of the body armor is streamlined and clean. The buttons on the belly area are gray with the one centered button colored blue. The belt is free-floating. And this is something else that can bug a collector, but because it isn’t “glued in place” it allows the collector to pose the figure a few extra ways because you can “move it out of your way” if you’re trying to attain a certain pose.

One thing we’re most impressed with when it comes to the Stormtrooper (Rogue One) figure is how the white armor has been painted. It’s part shiny. It’s part dull. But it is significantly brighter than Hasbro’s Stormtroopers figures are. Too often Stormtrooper action figures are given finishes that are much too dull. It’s evident by watching the Original Trilogy that the plastoid armor has a sheen to it. S.H. Figuarts has paid attention to this important detail and has masterfully applied it to the Storm Trooper figure. We couldn’t be more pleased. The Stormtrooper (Rogue One) figure also comes with a modest amount of accessories. Included are two interchangeable left and right hands (in addition to the pair that already comes with the figure). Also included is the signature Imperial issue E-11 blaster rifle. It is a simple accessory but looks great with the Stormtrooper (Rogue One) figure. The best accessories, however, are the heavy blaster cannon and the blaster rifle with a stand that articulates. This allows you to pose the figure while lying on the ground with the gun in his hands. You get a lot of accessories with this figure for a wide range of display options. In our opinion, the S.H. Figuarts Stormtrooper (Rogue One) figure is nice in so many ways. But it does need a few tweaks before we deem it as definitive.