Sandtrooper - TBS [P2] - Six Inch Figures (#01)

Sandtroopers search Tatooine for R2-D2 and C-3PO, who escaped from a Rebel ship with the plansto the Death Star. The troopers encounter the two droids in Mos Eisley, but a Jedi mind trick fools them into letting the droids go.

"These aren't the Droids we're looking for."

Send in the repaints! Actually, if it’s an Original Trilogy character, we really don’t mind Hasbro producing one of every color, especially Sandtroopers. We knew this was inevitable anyway. It was from the first Sandtrooper from the first wave of The Black Series [Phase I] line that Hasbro also gave us the popular Stormtrooper (#09) figure. And now they’re repeating history and knocking out another Sandtrooper in The Black Series [Phase II] line, this time a Sandtrooper corporal. The Sandtrooper with the orange pauldron is really the symbolic Tatooine stormtrooper, but we have to say that we’re personally a little more enamored of the corporal ourselves. There is something about that black pauldron against a mixture of an off-white and dirty armor background that just makes it stand out for us tremendously. And now it’s part of the The Black Series [Phase II] lineup. As eager as we are to have it, we have to take a moment to pause to understand why Hasbro would choose to make the Sandtrooper the very first figure in the new line look. It really doesn’t matter when all is said and done, but we do find it odd. Start the line off with an all-new sculpt is what we would do! It’s fair to say that the sandtroopers are the most overrepresented characters in the action figure line. It feels like there is a new one every year. But we honestly don’t mind in this new scale. Once they make all three colored pauldrons, we’ll have them all for the 6” line. So Hasbro can finish these up very quickly. After all, we only have one left now.

Hasbro simply repainted 2013’s TBS [P1] Sandtrooper (#03) figure and changed the pauldron. (But do you see how strange that we have a #01 and #03 Sandtrooper in the “same” line? That is strange.) For this release we have also been treated to the same exact accessories. All of the weapons and other accessories are beautifully sculpted and interact with the figure perfectly. The survival backpack is truly spectacular. It even comes with a removable pouch so you can display the Sandtrooper with or without depending on how you see fit. Take some time to inspect the various shapes, hoses and compartments that make up the backpack. It should definitely wow you. Even the corporal ranking pauldron has an extra strap where the right arm goes through to secure it in place. You definitely feel like you’re getting a figure with substance here so that’s a good thing. If you’re not looking to pick up the same sculpt right away, this may be a disappointment. But we think this version looks fantastic. The joints are nice and tight and the Sandtrooper is easily able to maintain all of the poses you choose for him and he can even stand on one leg with just a little patience. You can really recreate some incredible lifelike poses with the Sandtrooper. For us he never gets old. The paint operations are very similar to the squad leader released a year earlier, but as you might expect there are enough differences to make it unique.

As you probably expect, the articulation is just as impressive as ever. Hasbro promised collectors that these figures would all come with premium articulation. Along with the premium articulation, Hasbro continues to utilize new articulation wherever possible to bring the collecting community the best figures possible. He comes with double hinge-jointed elbows and knees. Now, it goes without saying that hinge joints do not offer any lateral movement, but you should be floored with how much range of motion you’ll get when trying to pose his arms and legs because Hasbro has included swivel biceps and thighs to provide that “missing” movement. You can almost bend back his lower leg so that the heel of his boot can touch his butt. You may have no reason to try that and we understand why, but you have this option. That is a wide range of motion for a relatively simple type of articulation point. The same is true for his arms. You can achieve and almost forty-five degree angle at the elbows. Now that’s impressive. This will NEVER be able to be achieved in the collector 3.75” line ever. The white spots that were prevalent on the squad leader are no longer plaguing this sculpt thank goodness. The dirty wash is smoother and Hasbro ensured they got all of the crevices to maintain the clean paint operations. The Sandtrooper corporal is a stunning action figure. Hopefully by now you have a few of the 6” figures. There have been some really poor releases, but this one looks fantastic. We really want to see Hasbro continue making the military figures from the Galactic Empire. They seem to make them the best!