I just opened my first set of Rebel Fleet Troopers. WOW! The execution on these is really good! The facial sculpts are excellent. I did have concerns that the Captain Antilles likeness and the Pello Scambras figures had the same head sculpt but different paint apps, but seeing them in person made it clear that's not the case.
As for how many to get? A total of 4 of these sets will suit me just fine. I managed to get at least a dozen of the RFT's back in TVC 1.0, and I have 3 Tantive IV playsets. These figures will help fill out the ranks in my Tantive IV, Yavin and other Rebel Alliance dioramas.
Is the rank badge for Antilles a sculpted detail, or is it just painted on? Looking back at the images, aside from the head sculpt he looks like just a pure repaint of the RFT. Which is a bit disappointing since his coat should be long sleeved. I can totally live with it, but it is disappointing nonetheless.
I'm curious how the figure looks in person even just compared to the 2004 TSC Fan's Choice version.
It looks really good. Much better than the "Haley Joel Osment" version of Captain Antilles from the SAGA line back around 2003, which was IMHO probably the worst executed Fan's Choice Figure that Hasbro has ever made. Although that figure was designed for Vader to choke, and for him to clutch at his own throat. Given the state of action figure design at the time I suppose it was well done. But this new figure is far better,
The rank badge is painted on. I had to examine it really closely to make that determination. It looks like there's some texture there, but it's really well done. The key for pulling off the Captain Antilles looks is that they REALLY paid close attention to the execution of the paint apps. That rank badge is one of the key points. The other is the color choices for the "jacket" and for the shirt. They're distinct enough from one another to pull off the illusion of a light tan jacket over a dark tan shirt.
And another key thing at work here? The non-removable vest. When the Rebel Fleet Trooper first came out in TVC 1.0 I was kind of annoyed. Why would it NOT have a removable vest like the POTJ version? In retrospect that removable vest really didn't add much to the figure. With the vest off of the POTJ RFT it looked pretty weird, and the vest looks a little weird in other kitbashes. Truth be told, the molded vest helps pull off the illusion that this is a jacket. I don't think anyone planned for that back when the TVC Rebel Fleet Trooper was first released over 10 years ago, so this is a happy accident that Hasbro could turn the RFT into a passable Captain Antilles.
The only points of concern for me? The pants aren't accurate. And I also don't know if the likeness was based on the actor from ANH or from ROGUE ONE. Beyond that, I think the Captain Antilles is a great figure.