While travelling over the long weekend I happened upon a few of these four packs at a TRU in the middle of Indiana. It was the first new thing I've found in a store this year, and I bought a couple.
This morning I've had the opportunity to open one, and it passes the Muftak Test with room to spare.
These come with four figures (that's why it's a four pack) that are essentially new and unique, and yet rely on the cutting-edge of rehash technology. Some mini-reviews:
Darth Vader: He's the POTJ Emperor's Wrath Vader, minus the lightning effects and see-thru helmet. I wonder if the skull is still in there? Overall, a great "vanilla" ROTJ Vader with removable right hand and removable cape. Grade: A
Stormtrooper: The stormtrooper is a clean version of the POTJ Sandtrooper, including a slot in his back that you could stick a backpack into. The missing pauldron shows off the only real flaw: he's got a skinny white neck. Interestingly, they gave this figure Commtech Stormie legs, meaning he's a bit more posable than the Sandtrooper, and he looks great among your army builder stormies. Grade: A-
AT-ST Driver: A clever assembly of old parts cobbled together to make a new figure. This is what all rehashes should aspire to. He's simply a re-decoed POTJ Imperial Officer body, the POTJ Rebel Fleet Trooper head, and a (permanently attatched) AT-ST Driver helmet from last years Accessory Set. He looks really good, Hasbro deserves some real credit for finally making a decent rehash! If this figure has a negative, it's sloppy painting, a couple of the ones I saw had goofy faces, so choose carefully! Grade: A
R4-I9: An imperial droid his paintjob is his most striking feature, even my girlfriend in the store said, "Ooh--an evil R2-D2!" He's the same sculpt asl ast year's POTJ R4. The astromech sculpt has arguably been perfected, and it's always nice to get another deco. Grade: A
But the figures are really only half the set. Hasbro really took this set to the ultimate by including enough accessories to make a kid want to play with these guys. Vader's lightsaber, an E-Web Cannon, a Mouse Droid, an Interragator Droid, two (POTF2-era) Imperial blasters, two rifles, a rifle rack, four of their oval-shaped stands, and even a spare misslile for the cannon (c'mon, now you can fire it without worrying if you lose it!) This set was made with playing in mind. Everything clicks--both the troopers can man the cannon (even Vader can!) collector's have their stands, everything seems to have been thought of. The only thing I could suggest would be a backpack to fit in the Stormtrooper's obvious slot, but that's just from a "playing with" standpoint. It's priced at 19.99, very competitive considering all the stuff included. Overall Grade: A
I can't recommend this set enough, if you see one grab it!!
