Speeder Bike With Scout Trooper - SW [TPM 3D] - Vehicles (Exclusive)

Biker scouts patrol Endor on speeder bikes. The scouts look for Rebel incursions as they navigate swiftly through the dense forests. To provide the scouts with heavy-duty firepower, some bikes have blaster cannons that can be removed to create free-standing weapon emplacements.

We may just perhaps be the wrong bunch of people to review the new Toys R Us exclusive Speeder Bike With Scout Trooper. You should know right off the bat that we have given this product an almost perfect score and we think it’s truly a brilliant work of art. So perhaps instead of going any further with it we should stop right there. We don’t want to appear ungrateful and we don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth. The Speeder Bike With Scout Trooper vehicle and figure pack is tremendously impressive and nearly perfect, yes it is. But for reasons unknown it’s a set that’s been unable to wow us. Perhaps receiving one speeder bike after another in Battle Packs and standalone exclusives have mentally tired us to appreciate the all-new sculpt. The incessant repackaging of this vehicle in general has stolen some of the spark away from this piece and is preventing us from experiencing the joy it should bring. Perhaps our desire to see other vehicles updated (or vehicles made for the first time) weighs heavier on our minds than this updated masterpiece. We’re not entirely sure, but this Toys R Us exclusive, while amazing, just isn’t something you’ll see us doing cartwheels for because, well, we’re just kind “yeah it’s cool” about it. Before you throw us to the wolves, let it be known that Hasbro has incredibly created a definitive version of the Speeder Bike, a not so perfect retool of a riding Scout Trooper action figure and a seamless marriage of vehicle interaction and accessories that should make the most discriminating collector very elated. At a marvelous price point of $21.99, you don’t have any room to complain about the price. This isn’t a rehash and it’s certainly not a repack and Hasbro has charged a lot more for less in the past. Count yourselves fortunate here.

Hasbro retooled the Speeder Bike from the ground up. It’s a very stunning display of sculpting skill and the added features really bring it into a different light. The most notable enhancement is the updated handlebars. All the details including the speed switches and the like are all tediously sculpted in amazing detail. What’s more, the included riding Scout Trooper can grasp the handlebars without issue with both hands in exactly the same fashion as seen in Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi. The “hood” of the Speeder Bike is removable for the very first time and underneath of it is an awesomely sculpted engine that includes more detail than we’d ever expect to see. Also for the first time is a removable front landing gear leg. We love the fact that it is removable as to not deter from the natural looking aesthetics of the vehicle in the film. And its functionality is even better because it keeps the bike perfectly parallel with the ground. There is no drooping or awkward angle that the bike rests at thanks to this incredible convention. Another update that truly impresses us is the updated tail flaps. Instead of aimlessly flopping around, they are articulated “tightly” (for lack of a better word) and can maintain the position you left them in when you display it. A clear (and very large sized) display stand comes included and plugs into the rear of the Speeder Bike. This display stand is quite marvelous and holds the Speeder Bike With Scout Trooper in the air in a freeze-framed moment in time. It just looks remarkable. We hope Hasbro continues to add these types of display stands in future vehicle releases. The last feature of the Speeder Bike is a blaster cannon that attaches to the underside of the vehicle. This five part cannon is actually well designed and it interacts with the Scout Trooper figure very well. And what about that Scout Trooper action figure?

Well, it’s probably the most functional riding Scout Trooper that has been made to date. It isn’t intended to be a “non-riding” figure if you know what we mean. He can stand pretty well off of the Speeder Bike and can man the separate blaster cannon nicely, but he is bow-legged and the newly added ball-jointed hips don’t do much to correct that. His sole purpose really is to man the Speeder Bike. Hasbro took 2006’s VTSC Biker Scout figure (always a great choice) and used the arms, lower legs, midsection and head sculpt from it and then kit-bashed them with an all-new upper torso and all-new hip/cod section and upper legs. It’s also important to mention that he comes with an all-new double-jointed ball-socket neck which gives his head a range of motion that it could never attain previously, There is a lot to be excited about and we are looking forward to Hasbro reusing a revised version of this sculpt in the 2013 Droid Factory basic figure lineup. We just hope they tighten up the paint job on the figure before that gets released because this pack-in figure leave a bit to be desired with its paint operations. Altogether, the Speeder Bike With Scout Trooper is a very astounding release and you’re going to love it. You’re going to want to buy multiples of it. And you better believe that Hasbro will find a way to rerelease this awesome creation with different pack-in figures like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and even Paploo in the future. Hasbro did collectors a solid here. If we had any room to complain at all we would have to say it was the packaging. This item should have been released in The Vintage Collection packaging. Although we’re thankful that Hasbro removed Darth Maul from the box art, it still reeks of The Phantom Menace 3D line look stench. (Yes, that was harsh. Apologies.) But you probably won’t care once you realize what a masterpiece you are holding in your hands.