Rebel Vanguard Trooper - TAC - Basic (30 53)

These Rebel soldiers are demolitions experts who specialize in destroying Imperial ground and air vehicles. Always given the tough assignments, they employ heavy weapons capable of causing significant damage and destruction that will weaken the advance of Imperial vehicles in battle.

The Rebel vanguard division was a sect of the SpeForce’s 6th Regiment that specialized in heavy weaponry and artillery to meet the needs and goals of the Rebel Alliance. Making their grand debut in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (they were the guys in the clean version of the Rebel Ground Crew uniforms with the Rebel Fleet Trooper helmets) in the ceremonial proceedings scene. They made a bigger splash in the Star Wars Battlefront video game however in some revised attire looking a little bit more like an Endor Rebel soldier instead. But it’s hard not to overlook that distinctive helmet. Hasbro made two very cool (and unique) Endor rebel soldier sculpts in The Saga Collection line. And again when the need arose for seven spots to be filled in place of the pushed back The Force Unleashed figures, Rebel Vanguard Trooper rose to the top of the list. It is quite amazing how Hasbro can make a completely new character out of something old and the do it with such grace. The figures in the repack/repaint waves rarely look out of place in the line and at the same time they are able to fill the need for figures that might not necessarily be considered for release otherwise.

Rebel Vanguard Trooper is a completely repainted version of 2006’s TSC Rebel Trooper (SAGA 046) (black ethnicity variant). The original jacket has been removed and in its place is the 2001 POTJ Rebel Trooper (Tantive IV Defender) figure’s vest. And lastly, the helmet from 2004’s SW Captain Antilles (Tantive IV Invasion) (’04 #15) is included for the appropriate heads gear. The combination of parts makes for quite a stunning new Rebel soldier. And while the figure looks a little too bright in spots, it really looks very accurate to the character seen in the video game. Rebel Vanguard Trooper comes with a BlasTech DH-17 blaster in addition to an extremely large BAW E-60R missile launcher. And once again, it surprisingly fits into the figure’s hands perfectly well and it is possible for the figure to stand unassisted with it in its hands. This is absolutely clever on Hasbro’s part. Clearly this 2006 figure was designed with a strong center of gravity to assist collectors in making their display dreams a reality. We think that Hasbro could have changed up some details in the figure’s face (or repainted it in a different shade of brown) to look more different that the 2006 version, but thankfully the figure has been dramatically repainted everywhere else so the similarity here is not too distracting.

The sole video game based action figure in the entire 30 (77-07) line, it is a distinct pleasure to get the Rebel Vanguard Trooper immortalized in plastic. And he is a nice complement to both Star Wars: Battlefront II multipacks that were exclusive to Previews (and then quickly reissued in The Legacy Collection). Part of the gaming experience is the utilization of various weapons. The Rebel Vanguard Trooper comes with only two, but one is bigger than the actual action figure. We think that is certainly enough versatility with this basic figure. And this action figure was a nice break in the stringent pace of the way figures got released in the basic 30 (77-07) line. In particular, we basically got a movie-themed wave of figures and then a concept figure. The repack/repaint wave was so random (despite a concentration on The Phantom Menace) yet provided collectors with so many figures they wanted from obscure sources (or in the backgrounds of the films). Variant hunters may want to note that the Rebel Vanguard Trooper was carried forward into the 2008 line and in place of the coin, personalized action figure stands were included in their place). The 12 figures that were carried over are not the easiest to find now but we suggest tracking them down. Having a stand that says “Rebel Vanguard Trooper” on it really makes this figure extra special.