Rebel Soldier (Hoth Battle Gear)

[Scott]

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[Scott]

We have come to our first definite need to make.  I chose Major Derlin only because he's an interior Echo Base Hoth Soldier...but that uni and thing aren't even close.

Hoth Luke is actually a lot closer to the Rebel Soldier than Derlin



And if you look at this pic:




There are some outside troopers who just put on vest and back packs when they went out to the trenches.



Cal Alder or Tamizander Rey would be good figures to base the modern update on

[Daigo-Bah]

Here it is, my single most favorite vintage figure made.  I had more of this one than any other.  I'll never forget that X-Mas that I discovered the AT-AT hidden in my parents' closet, and more of this figure to help battle it!  I recently bought a C9 loose version to put on my little vintage loose display.  Great figure and time for an update!

[Matt_Fury]

It was a pretty easy custom to swap heads between the Vintage Rebel Soldier and the Vintage Rebel Commander.  I don't think any other Vintage Figures' heads were formed the same way.

[Darth_Anton]

It was a pretty easy custom to swap heads between the Vintage Rebel Soldier and the Vintage Rebel Commander.  I don't think any other Vintage Figures' heads were formed the same way.

How's that done? Boil and pop?

[Matt_Fury]

They're heads were the only vintage figures I know of that sit on a post.  You could just pop their heads right off....no boiling necessary.

[Jesse James]

The Imp Officer and AT-ST Driver (and many others) actually sit on a post.  More of the headsculpts actually were postless than not, if I'm not mistaken.  Just if you're curious on that Matt. 

I actually customed vintage stuff LONG before the modern line even existed.  I did the Hoth Trooper headswap too but was never that pleased with the outcome as the officer's more white than the trooper's "white" parts of his uniform, if that makes sense.   It's definitely one of those "first timer" customs I think a TON of people did though. 

Anyway, onto the actual figure...

-I LOVED the vintage Hoth Rebel Trooper.  Even as a kid I liked army building to some extent, and these guys wound up being GI Joe grunts in cold weather gear.  I'd get them for like $.10 at flea markets and garage sales way back.  It's still one of my favorite vintage figures...

I wouldn't even consider the Derlin figure to be in the running for the Hoth Rebel...  Much like Hoth Han's coat, they just got the color wrong on the trooper's "vest" bits.  He's clearly based on the Luke-ish uniform.  Derlin's uniform is a is the cold weather equivalent of Capt. Antilles' uniform, or General Dodonna's briefing short coat, and so on.  Riekean's basically the same deal.  They're the coats of the higher ranking officers.

Luke's uniform (and that of the source material images Scott provided) I always felt was a cold weather equivalent of the "Honor Guard" styled uniforms.  There's actually a couple of those on Yavin, and they're distinct and clearly intentional variations on the uniform (one's more fitted and "proper" looking, while the other is looser and baggier).  I've always then considered Lukes to be likely something of a lower tiered officer or separate branch of the military perhaps.

It's easily on eof the cooler and unmade designs, so I'm really hoping to see Hasbro knock this guy out of the park some day.  The name "Echo Base Trooper" has always worked well since those cut scene images of them battling wampas surfaced years ago.  I'm really anxious to get this one from Hasbro though.  Definitely my top ESB want at this point, actually. 

[Darth_Anton]

They're heads were the only vintage figures I know of that sit on a post.  You could just pop their heads right off....no boiling necessary.

Wow. Obviously, I never knew that. I'll have to try it myself.

[Muftak]

Oh, yeah, pretty much every figure from Empire on has a post-neck. That figured into my playing as a kid a lot...pre-ROTJ I would put a Hoth Leia head on a 4-LOM (Zuckuss now) body to masquerade as a bounty hunter, and I had fun putting an AT-AT Commander head on Zuckuss (now 4-LOM) body as a cyborg Imperial. After ROTJ, Luke Skywalker comandeered General Madine's body all the time to become the cleverly titled "General Luke."

[SnTrooper]

I think that the 2002 Hoth accessory pack figure is a much closer representation of the vintage figure than Derlin. Still not correct but at least he has a vest on.

[Scockery]

Never knew that about the post necks, besides 2-1B's who's head would pop off easily.

Rebel Soldier (Hoth Battle Gear) was the first good guy army builder I remember. Staring blankly into the face of overwhelming odds. He's a classic.

[EpicGon]

Seeing all these versions together make me think in the chance of a generic hoth rebel soldier with brown or beidge vest, considering the foam appearence of the shoulders (on the vest)
Also this new version could depict brown boots
There are also more possibilities, for example the rebel soldiers passing Echo base corridors with beidge vest and black boots (without shin guards), similar than the rebel pilots`boots.

[Scott]

 

[Scott]

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[JediJman]

Wow, he looks terrific.  Definitely going to try to get multiples of this guy.