Imperial Snowtrooper (Hoth) - TBS [TESB40] - Six Inch Figures

We’ll annoy some with this statement, but we have to air another grievance with how Hasbro names these figures. This character is called Imperial Stormtrooper (Hoth Battle Gear). These characters were not called snowtroopers until the modern Hasbro line. Alright, now we’re over it. Let’s move on to the figure. Admittedly, we found the inclusion of the Imperial Snowtrooper (Hoth) figure in Hasbro’s The Black Series [The Empire Strikes Back 40] line a pleasant surprise. We felt that they egregiously ignored the bounty hunters from The Empire Strikes Back in this line, so we believed they would be ignoring background characters in this commemorative collection. But they proved us wrong with the addition of this figure, the Imperial Snowtrooper (Hoth). Snowtroopers are about as quintessentially important as Gamorrean Guards are in Return Of The Jedi. These background guards are universally adored, and army building them is a must for most collectors. The short story is we’re happy to see this figure’s re-release in the 6” line, especially as one that celebrates 40 years of The Empire Strikes Back. Hasbro cleaned up a few details on this re-released figure. At face value, the paint operations my not seem all that different to you. But a side-by-side comparison will show you that Hasbro did their best to create a screen-accurate color scheme this time around. The tan undersuit is darker this time around. And perhaps more noticeable is that the white armor is now flat, whereas it was shiny on the original 2016 TBS [P3] Snowtrooper (35) figure.

Generally speaking, the Imperial Snowtrooper (Hoth) 6” figure looks fantastic. We would have preferred a few different approaches with the figure, but we’re hard-pressed to complain about what Hasbro did right here, especially the improvements. We are so happy to see the sheen flattened on the white armor parts. Starting with digital blueprints, Hasbro then deviates from them depending upon the type of figure they’re making from those blueprints. For the Snowtrooper, you’re not going to believe the similarities between it and 2014’s SW [DV/ROTS] Snowtrooper (SL16) figure. The 5POA 3.75” figure looks like an exact Mini-Me of the 6” figure (within reason). The similarities are more surprising than you may think. But for us, it impresses us that the sculpts are very faithful to each other, which we consider a good thing. We love consistency, and this is the way to do it. We’ve stated this many times previously, but we’re thrilled that the Snowtrooper comes without a removable helmet. With so few characters produced from the Prequel Trilogy, we’re getting a focus of characters from the Original Trilogy, which makes us gleeful. These newer sculpts are beautiful, and they’re significantly ahead of past action figures Hasbro made of this character, like 2007’s VTSC Imperial Stormtrooper (Hoth Battle Gear), for example. This 6” version is significantly better, and we’ve love to see them release a 3.75” version of this character in TVC. It’s only fair.

We would have given the Imperial Snowtrooper (Hoth) figure a soft-goods kama. There are times when Hasbro does utilize quality materials, but if there were some way they could have used some faux cotton canvas material to recreate the kama, this figure would have been flawless. The molded kama doesn’t look terrible. We’re not trying to say it doesn’t look good because it does. Unfortunately, it inhibits a significant part of the figure’s movement in the lower body, and we find that to be burdensome and ultimately frustrating. We agree that Hasbro doesn’t have an excellent track record when it comes to soft-good on action figures which is why most of us prefer molded clothing parts as opposed to soft-goods, but the Imperial Snowtrooper (Hoth) figure is probably one of the few exceptions in our opinion that needs this treatment. As far as accessories, the Imperial Snowtrooper (Hoth) figure comes with the perfect augmentations. The first accessory included is the removable backpack, which is beautifully detailed. The figure also comes with the standard E-11 blaster, the weapon given to most Imperial characters released in this line. But the gravy here is that Hasbro also included the DLT-20A blaster rifle (the one that came with IG-88), which for us is a nod to the vintage Kenner figure and not necessarily screen-accurate. Now, all we need is the E-Web heavy repeating blaster cannon, and the Imperial Snowtrooper (Hoth) figure is complete. Of course, the best part about this figure is the packaging, and if you grew up with Kenner, you know what we mean.