Rebel Fleet Trooper - TVC - Builder Packs

If the Stormtroopers four-pack from 2021 was The Vintage Collection army-building in beta, then the Rebel Fleet Trooper four-pack is “live” and thriving. That’s how far apart the two sets are in our eyes. As you know, we weren’t too thrilled with the Stormtroopers set. The figures were dingy. The characters were too safe, and not much new was brought to the set. The complete opposite is true with the Rebel Fleet Trooper four-pack. Not only do we get two official characters from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, we also get two generic and nondescript characters to help pad the halls of the Tantive IV Corridor playset. Hasbro released that item an entire year before Hasbro gave us figures to populate it. We’re going to speak high paise of this multipack, and we’re going to provide it with a near-perfect score. But you should know that this set is also how Hasbro fails The Vintage Collection collecting community. It’s astounding to get two specific characters from A New Hope (easily identifiable, by the way). Still, Hasbro should have placed them on single cards and worked them into case assortments instead of throwing them into a multipack where they wrapped them in tissue paper. That said, we’re thrilled to have these characters, and some of them shine far brighter than others in this set.

For years, we were convinced that 2011’s TVC Rebel Fleet Trooper (VC52) was Lieutenant Pello Scrambas. And we became more convinced this was true after the Photo Real update was released alongside the Tantive IV Corridor playset. But apparently, that figure is intended to be a generic member of the Rebel Alliance. For this Rebel Fleet Trooper four-packs, Hasbro designed an all-new portrait in the perfect likeness of Lieutenant Pello Scrambas. The resemblance is so impressive that there is no way anyone will be able to deny that this isn’t Mr. Scrambas. So, either this latest version is a redo of the first Pello Scrambas, or most of us were wrong about that, and the first figure wasn’t intended to be that character. Regardless, the new version is gorgeous. Our sample, unfortunately, has some paint operation issues on the face. And yes, we’re pretty disappointed by the sloppy applications. But we can tell that if you get a flawless sample, you’re going to be blown away by the action figure’s likeness. It’s fantastic to officially have this character released as part of The Vintage Collection. However, we’d love to see the figure released on a card with the moniker Lieutenant Pello Scrambas on the nameplate. Yes, that may be a pipedream. But we won’t lose hope.

Perhaps the most exciting addition here is the inclusion of Captain Raymus Antilles. Hasbro magnificently converted the Rebel Fleet Trooper into Captain Raymus Antilles with relative ease. Aside from the all-new portrait, they used paint to change a Rebel Fleet Trooper into a captain. It might not be 100% perfect, but we don’t think you’ll care much if any inconsistencies exist. Hasbro did a fantastic job here. And it’s quite exciting to have an updated Captain Antilles action figure in a 3.75-inch scale. If you recall, the last time Hasbro attempted this figure was 2004’s Star Wars “Saga” [Phase III] Captain Antilles (Tantive IV Invasion) (’04 #15) figure. When first released, that was a fun figure, but it’s completely obsolete by today’s standards. But how wonderful that we have a super-articulated modern replacement for a beloved character like this! Hasbro included two extra-long rifles in this four-pack, so we assume they belong to this action figure, but feel free to pose any weapon you wish with these action figures. For us, the inclusion of Captain Raymus Antilles makes this set entirely worthwhile. This release is an example of Hasbro thinking outside of the box and brainstorming ways to bring new characters into the line while saving on tooling costs. And look how incredible the figure turned out!

The last two figures are two random or generic Rebel Fleet Trooper characters. They may have appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but we sadly don’t have any memory of them. But their inclusion in this four-pack is incredible, and they have fantastic new portraits that capture the diversity that was always part of the Star Wars universe. One character is Asian (or Native American), while the other is black. They will help collectors create some great world-building and storytelling and provide us all with different-looking characters, all part of the same cause to save the galaxy from the tyranny of the Galactic Empire. All of the figures in this set come with 22 points of articulation, but their articulation systems aren’t perfect. They have difficulty kneeling, and some action poses look wonky because of how close the legs are to each other. So, please don’t expect perfect action figures here. They’re still excellent. We’re thrilled with every aspect of this multipack, and we hope Hasbro keeps the bar high as they continue to do these. We hope they focus on Rebel Commandos from the Battle of Endor next! The Rebel Fleet Trooper four-pack is an incredible exclusive compared to its Stormtrooper equivalent. This release should be a template or blueprint for how Hasbro handles all future “army building” multipacks. A Hasbro Pulse/Shop Disney exclusive, this set has a set MSRP of $39.99, which is a deal by all accounts.