Author Topic: New JD Mini-Review: TBS 4" Wave 2 Stormtrooper  (Read 5670 times)

Offline Jesse James

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New JD Mini-Review: TBS 4" Wave 2 Stormtrooper
« on: October 29, 2013, 11:41 PM »
He's not new, he's not really been asked for, and he really came with less than past figures who used the same sculpt.  How could he be good?  Well, he's ok, but good is stretching it.  Here is why.

So I got my case of Wave 2 TBS 4" figures yesterday, and just am now getting around to opening what I can...  I figured I'd start with the crummiest first since I like to have my mood improve as I go through a case of figures that cost me $120...  And since I know some of these are meh, I knew where to start that I wouldn't be too shocked.

The Stormtrooper actually surprised me at how bad it is though...  Perhaps it's my sample, but it's really underwhelming. 

PROS:

-Articulation...  Hasbro's got this formula down, when they want to.  For the most part this is indisputable.  The "new" Stormtrooper sports 14 points of articulation and only 2 of those aren't ball/socket joints.

That's poseability folks.  Short of ball-jointed wrists what more can you ask for?  It's great.

-Weapons...  Not that you get a lot, but you get two you probably don't have a ton of.  The 3-piece fold-out-stock Stormtrooper pistol is here, and appreciated.  Hasbro put out enough of the old single piece blaster that I think we all have plenty of extras.  This new multi-piece one is maybe a little too chunky but it's cool and different.

You get the Stormtrooper/Sandtrooper rifle too...  I don't have many of these, so I take more.  Yay.

-Sculpt...  For my money, this figure is fine.  It has the slot in the back for the Sandtrooper backpack, as it uses the Sandtrooper's sculpt, but that's fine by me.

You'll have some gripes about helmet detailing...  Some are better than others as Hasbro goes, and this helmet doesn't seem like the worst Stormtrooper bucket they've done, and not the best.  I'm fine with it as it is.

CONS:

-Paint Aps...  I can't tell if it's mine, or they're all like this, but mine may have some of the worst paint aps I've ever seen on a figure.  The one armpit, a solid 1/4 of the paint is missing and looks as though it made its way to the back side of the armor.

The helmet's details seem off with more paint bleeding than usual.

His feet are painted black though, that's nice...  Hasbro skips that sole deco on the shoes a lot anymore.

-Fewer accessories than Sandtroopers...  OK, so I hate when you get less than you did with the same figure.  That's the case here.  Hasbro should still include the Pauldron and pack because, well, why can't you just give us the same stuff you gave us before or at least replace it.

Don't want to make it "inaccurate"?  Fine.  Give us the TVC Tarkin figure's Mousedroid then!  Great idea right?  Right.  I'd take that.  But don't just cut accessories out.

I appreciate the rifles I got, but that Pauldron and Backpack needed included or replaced with something more Death Star centric.

-Price...  $10 sucks for figures, and for one like this it really sucks.  It's the killing force in people NOT wanting to buy more Stormtroopers.  Who can afford extras of figures they already have at this point?  Blah.

-Holster on the belt (mine's horribly warped to the point I laughed about it...  I can fix that though, no biggie) doesn't fit either gun included.  Why then include a holster at all?  Just give a plain belt.  Or a new/different belt.  Or just the Sandtrooper belt.

OVERALL:

I appreciate Hasbro trying to keep the ubiquitous Imperial Soldier on the pegs.  There was a time collectors were irate they didn't make a better effort to feed army builders.

Unfortunately, Stormtroopers have steadily been hitting the beaches of retail since 2007 in various forms/incarnations, and the formula is slightly tired now...  Not only is it slightly tired, but at $9.99 or more a piece, army building isn't dead...  Hasbro killed it.  You can't ask people to squad build, much less army build, at these prices.

As a figure in general it's adequate.  If you didn't have a Stormtrooper because you lived a hermit lifestyle till now, you now can get one.  But it'll cost you, and if the paint's as bad as mine then you got hosed and should look for an older one for less.
2011 Rebel Fleet Trooper Gets My Seal Of Approval!  But Where's The Friggin' Holster On Him!?
Jedi Defender.com Contributing Editor, Twitter @JediDefender & @Jesse_James77

Offline 77Skywalker

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Re: New JD Mini-Review: TBS 4" Wave 2 Stormtrooper
« Reply #1 on: December 6, 2014, 11:39 PM »
I do have a couple of this figure here.