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So until I see one of these clean shaven HRS show up on eBay in the Blue/White packaging, I'm going to hope that Darryl DeRetard (sorry, I'm sure he's a "great" guy, but moves like this show how he DOESN'T get or care about the collectors of the line) was just talking out of his ass when he gave Nick this info.
Dealing with factories in China-- and this is something that I've had a little experience with-- can be difficult when it comes to communication. When it comes to running changes and variations that's where the communication ball gets dropped the most. Particularly when it comes to the factories not getting the "use this mold with this deco" memo right-- it happens a lot, particularly in the Saga Legends wave, the IG-88 vintage figure's blaster holster, and that new Chewbacca come to mind.
The original plan in 2000/2001 was to get variant head Imp Officers and Rebel Troopers in POTJ packaging, and they didn't hit until early 2003. Things happen. With no clean-shaven Rebel Troopers existing in official Hasbro photography, I'd be willing to actually bet money on the fact that it simply isn't coming on blue cards, period. Maybe we'll see it in 2010 in whatever comes after red card Legacy, or if we're really lucky, some Battle Pack with multiple variants.
...or maybe in some future Order 66-esque trooper 2-packs... that'd be swell.
As someone who both both the regular AOTC Wave 7 case AND the Wave 7 Revision case just to ensure that I would get all of the remaining numbered Legacy Collection Blue/White figures to add to my MOC collection - this news out of Comic Con REALLY pisses me off.
I got both cases too, and that's why I'm happy it doesn't actually exist yet. If it doesn't exist it's not like you missed out on something. If it did exist, well, then yeah I'd get pissy, particularly since the trooper is such a nicely made design. (I'd probably buy more beardoes if I could find 'em.)