Stormtrooper - TVC - Basic (VC231)

One of the dumbest things Hasbro ever did was release a definitive modern updated version of the classic 1978 Star Wars Stormtrooper as a Walmart exclusive. Thankfully, they thought on their feet and got Entertainment Earth to sell solid cases of the Stormtrooper for broader availability. Even better, they’ve not reissued the Stormtrooper with enhancements and updates and made it part of the 45th wave of The Vintage Collection. When Hasbro updates trendy action figures, it makes all their mistakes forgivable. In short, we’re thrilled to see the Stormtrooper available again, and we hope that Hasbro makes it an evergreen action figure in the line. Collectors buy characters like this in bulk; demand never seems fulfilled because they always sell. The Stormtrooper is a critical action figure in The Vintage Collection. It’s an O96 and a 12-Back, making it a worthy commodity for Star Wars action figure collectors. It only took Hasbro 18 years from the time they started putting modern Star Wars action figures in Vintage-inspired Kenner packaging to bring us a STAR WARS Stormtrooper, and the wait, may we assess, has been worth it. From the beginning, Hasbro never got it right. They goofed by choosing the incorrect Star Wars Entertainment logo or a Stormtrooper sculpt that didn’t meet the standards of 3.75-inch super-articulated collectors. When Hasbro released the “Vintage” Original Trilogy Collection (VOTC) line, they intended it to run for much longer than it did, but it gave collectors hope that some of their best-looking and greatest-functioning action figures were around the corner. The 2004 VOTC Stormtrooper figure was an exciting release for its time, but Hasbro chose to package it on a Return Of The Jedi card (with an incorrectly styled font, we might add), frustrating collectors as much as exhilarating them with this premium collector line.

Then, in 2010, when The Vintage Collection became the collector-focused 3.75-inch action figure line, Hasbro revisited some past releases with some new tweaking and new entertainment logo choices, but every single one fell short, and collectors wondered if Hasbro would ever provide them a proper Imperial Stormtrooper based on its appearance from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Despite VTSC and TVC releases, we came close, but every release fell short. The closest we did come was with the mail-away George Lucas (In Stormtrooper Disguise) figure, but Hasbro used tooling from The Power Of The Force “2” CommTech line. Yes, it was an insult to injury. Thanks to primarily terrible Disney Star Wars content, Hasbro worked up new tooling for a Solo Stormtrooper (Mimban) (VC123) figure, complete with upgraded articulation and excellent design, and eagle-eyed collectors knew a Stormtrooper from Episode IV was inevitable. Here we are four years out from the Stormtrooper (Mimban) (VC123), and we have our first-ever Stormtrooper figure, sharing the same VC numbers (in a different arrangement, of course), connected not only by tooling but also in spirit. Despite years of near hits and many misses, we’re happy to report that Hasbro made the definitive version of the Stormtrooper from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. It’s an excellent action figure. We couldn’t be happier with it. It has a few minor issues, and we have some complaints about it, but we want you to know what a joy it is to have this long-awaited character forever immortalized in The Vintage Collection. The packaging is gorgeous. The fonts are perfect. The figure brings the best of everything it offers with existing Stormtrooper tooling, plus a few new parts to make it screen-accurate to the characters we see from the first Star Wars film.

Hasbro took the Rogue One Imperial Stormtrooper (VC140) figure and added new lower legs and a new belt. The new belt now incorporates a holster hanging down the figure’s back left. At first, we didn’t think the included E-11 blaster had a chance to fit into the new holster, but we were quickly proven incorrect. It slides in like a glove, a perfect fit, and the drape is stunning. The holster hangs flush against the figure’s body, which is as natural as in the films. Remember past Stormtrooper action figures from Hasbro and how awful the “faux” holsters were for the figures? That is no longer an issue, and we’re incredibly thankful. The new lower legs tooling also included “rocker” ankles, so Hasbro gave us a tremendous upgrade here, and we should not take it for granted. Unfortunately, the figure still comes with ball-jointed hips instead of ball-socket hips, but it’s a small sacrifice for the incredibleness this figure brings. We want to note that we’d love to see Hasbro upgrade the hips and re-release this action figure as a general-release item. We wouldn’t complain about that for a minute. And that brings us to another point. We can’t think of anything more egregious than Hasbro initially relegating the Stormtrooper as an exclusive for Walmart. Collectors wanted to purchase this figure by the cases when it was announced, which was impossible thanks to Walmart’s unacceptable limit of two of these figures. But thankfully, they’re righting this terrible mistake, and there now seems to be an endless supply of Stormtrooper action figures. With a thicker card stock and improved graphics, we can assure you that this is the best version of the Stormtrooper available. The updated paint operations, especially in the buttons and visors, help make the figure look better than ever.

Remember the disaster when the Walmart-exclusive version went up for pre-order? How Hasbro ever decided to make this action figure a Walmart exclusive is beyond all collectors’ understanding. It should have been released as a two or three-per-case figure in the standard case assortments, and we should have been able to buy them by the cases at more prominent distributors like Entertainment Earth as needed when it went up for pre-order. Hasbro also needs to learn which figures should be exclusive and what others should be general marketplace items. We’ve received a bunch of Stormtrooper action figures on “vintage” Kenner cards throughout the years. But none will come close to the magic this figure brings into The Vintage Collection. Hasbro ensured they mastered this character’s fine details into action figure form. The armor is shiny. The “cheeks” of the helmet have blue hash marks. The dots on the “belly” of the army are dark gray. The body glove and rim of the helmet are black. Hasbro noticed our criticism that they missed the green deco on the visors. But they updated that detail, too! Hasbro needs to do deep soul-searching and complete the four main characters in The Vintage Collection next. It took Hasbro 18 years to get out a definitive Stormtrooper action figure. There are so many they need to get to now. We are getting close to completing the 12-Backs. For better or worse, we’ll hopefully get there soon. That said, it shouldn’t steal the joy that the Stormtrooper should bring you. Thank you, Hasbro, for FINALLY getting out the definitive STAR WARS Stormtrooper action figure. It sucks how you did it, but please keep the momentum going!

Editor's Note: Hasbro re-released The Vintage Collection Stormtrooper (VC231) figure in July 2024 with a significant number of changes. Updates include: (1) slightly revised paint operations/deco, (2) differently applied paint operations in visor with bolder green color (3) refreshed 2024 packaging and updated nameplate, and (4) different placement of action figure in bubble

Review Status Update: The original publication date of this review is October 1, 2022. It was subsequently updated with a new Photo Gallery and revised General Analysis and republished on July 1, 2024 after Hasbro reissued the figure.