Sandtrooper [Squad Leader - Version 2] - TAC - Saga Legends

Jedi mind tricks often work on the weak-minded. Such is the case when a squad of sandtroopers asks Jedi Maser Obi-Wan Kenobi about the two droids that are with him in a landspeeder. Obi-Wan tricks them into concluding, "These aren't the droids we're looking for."

It was the most perfect opportunity for Hasbro to release a ton of Sandtrooper action figures into the newly formed Saga Legends sub-line in the 30 (77-07) collection. And they really went all out to bring us most of the different ranks. Sergeants and squad leaders came aplenty, but the corporal never came despite its confirmation. (It did show up in some pre-production samples however). (Editor’s Note: The Sandtrooper Corporal was finally released as 2009’s TLC Sandtrooper (SL 21) and in plentiful numbers, although, preliminary production samples in the TAC line look did surface.) Hasbro released two unique Sandtrooper squad leaders in the 2007 Saga Legends line. One was based off of the 2006 TSC Sandtrooper (SAGA 037) figure and the other, this figure, is a repaint of the 2005 ROTS Clone Trooper To Stormtrooper [Version 1] Evolutions sculpt. And as many of you know, this particular sculpt of the Sandtrooper remains a favorite for many collectors. And it absolutely remains our most favorite out of them all.

The Evolutions Sandtrooper sculpt comes without a wasit joint. This is extremely surprising to us that when this sculpt was tooled in 2005 that Hasbro didn't include this key point of arrticulation with it. Being one area of articulation short may not seem like a big deal, but this figure it is definitely a setback. Thankfully, the way the figure is designed offers the collector a bit more flexibility and cooler posing options than the figure from The Saga Collection which obviously has more articulation. He lacks a waist joint and while that may initially seem abhorrent, as mentioned briefly it’s not as bad as you think. Besides, one of the most impressive aspects of the Evolutions Sandtrooper was its paint job. While Hasbro hasn’t transferred the exact paint job to the Saga Legends version, they do bring much of its spirit back while still offering a unique look for collectors. This is cool because it will serve as yet another army builder for those that collector a ton of the military figures and it keeps the original unique which is something packaged and loose collectors love. So the figure offers overall positivity to the Saga Legends branding.

Included with the Sandtrooper are a BlasTech T-21 light repeating blaster rifle and a BlasTech E-11 blaster pistol. He also comes with a removable orange pauldron (denoting squad leader rank) and removable back pack. Every accessory and detail on the figure are nicely painted, although we have to admit that Hasbro did a much more impressive job on the Evolutions figure. The Sandtrooper stands with his legs at a nice angle. It allows for a stronger center of gravity which in turn allows for many more poses that look action oriented. You can make him leap, run, or stand strangely. Whatever you desire, this figure should appease you in your posing efforts. The lack of that waist or torso joint makes the Sandtrooper have an awesomely erect stature. He doesn’t lean left or right like The Saga Collection version does and even though you can’t turn him, it just is the better action figure in our opinion. Sandtroopers will be a mainstay in the basic figure line. It’s so cool that we’re finally getting great versions like these now. It took some time, but the payoff was well worth it. This was a great figure to add to the Saga Legends line. We hope Hasbro keeps this up!