Han Solo (Stormtrooper) - TVC - Basic (VC143)

Celebrate the legacy of Star Wars, the action-and-adventure-packed space saga from a galaxy far, far away, with this collection of premium, highly-detailed 3.75-inch scale figures and vehicles. (Each sold separately. Subject to availability.)

If there is one action figure that wasn’t part of the original vintage Kenner era that desperately needed to be released on vintage Kenner-inspired card back, it would have to be Han Solo in Stormtrooper disguise. You’d likely have to agree too. In 1995, as Kenner relaunched The Power Of The Force “2” [Red] line, Han Solo [Disguised As A Stormtrooper] was the figure that began it all through a special Froot Loops mail-in offer. And then throughout the years, Hasbro released more-articulated and better-looking versions of Han Solo donning the stormtrooper armor. Now, we have a near-definitive release of Han Solo (Stormtrooper) via The Vintage Kenner. Released as a TARGET exclusive, Han Solo (Stormtrooper) brings mostly their previous tooling to the table. But the all-new head sculpt is something that is going to wow collectors and encourages them that Hasbro is back in the business of refreshing figures properly. Han Solo (Stormtrooper) has, perhaps, the best likeness of Han Solo we’ve ever seen in the 3.75” line. Hasbro applied the fantastic “photorealistic” technology to the facial deco which gives Han Solo a natural and realistic likeness that couldn’t be achieved in the past.

Hasbro reached back to their bin of 2009 tooling and parts to develop Han Solo (Stormtrooper). If you recall the Walmart exclusive Legacy Collection Dewback With Imperial Sandtrooper set, this is the mold that Hasbro utilized to bring us Han Solo. With a couple of Stormtrooper releases in The Black Series [Phase I] line and The Black Series [Phase II] line, Hasbro changed the belts and helmets to make the character look more screen accurate. Specifically, Hasbro put together Han Solo (Stormtrooper) with the body of 2013's TBS [P1] Stormtrooper (#13) figure. Then they added an all-new portrait and torso because the ball-socket neck joint was much too thick for Han Solo’s head (yet fine for a Stormtrooper). Graciously, Hasbro repainted the figure completely. In another gesture of goodwill, Hasbro also tooled an all-new removable helmet. It fits perfectly on Han Solo’s head and the design is screen-accurate to the Imperial Stormtroopers seen in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Han Solo (Stormtrooper) comes with ball-jointed hips, which are rare articulation points for figures of this era. They give the figure a wider range of movement than just swivel hips, but it’s less than you might expect.

Additionally, Han Solo (Stormtrooper) comes with an E-11 blaster and can hold it effortlessly in his hands. Between the enhanced articulation, new tooling and beautiful paint operations, Han Solo (Stormtrooper) is a beautiful-looking action figure. You’re going to love the head sculpt. It might be the greatest Han Solo likeness we’ve seen in the line to date. And with a mostly new Luke Skywalker (Stormtrooper) coming in the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con Luke Skywalker three-pack, we’re going to have both together within months of each other. One thing we’re not crazy about when it comes to Han Solo (Stormtrooper) is the packaging. Hasbro opted to include a sketch of Han Solo in the trash compactor. The graphics looks off and are much too dark, and don’t capture the energy of the character we see in action. We would have much preferred Hasbro used some stills from the “boring conversation anyway” moments in the film. We feel strongly that images from those scenes would be ideal for the figure’s card back. Exclusive to TARGET, we anticipate that this action figure will have widespread availability. TARGET knows how to manages their exclusives relatively well.