Review of Imperial Stormtrooper -
Star Wars Action Figure

Introduction

If you're a collector of Star Wars action figures, you have a few from Hasbro. In fact, you could probably melt them down and use the plastic to build your own 1:1 scale replica of the Titanic. Lots of scales, lots of styles, lots of plastic. But when it comes to 7" figures, they've mostly stayed clear.

Why would you want 7" figures? Because you also have a ton of NECA, DST, and McFarlane figures covering all sorts of superheroes, horror, and just plain cool licenses. Wouldn't it be great if you're universes could collide?

Diamond Select Toys is there for you. They have a series of 7" figures that are exclusive to the Disney stores, covering key characters. I'm not sure how far the line will go, although we've seen DST go pretty deep on other licenses.

I'm checking out the Imperial Stormtrooper tonight, who will run you around $35.

Packaging - ***1/2
Instead of the usual bookshelf style packaging we get with most deluxe Select series figures from DST, this guy comes in a box. That means he's much more collector friendly, and you can take him and the accessories out without any serious damage to the package. The box and windows are a little flimsy, but it's a minor nit.

Sculpting - ***1/2
I have no doubt that 'real' fans will find issues with the shape of the eyes, or helmet, or armor. They always do. But I think this is an excellent representation of the suit, from top to bottom.

As I mentioned earlier, he stands about 7" tall, giving them a little more to work with than the Black series in terms of detail. The edges are cut sharply, with nice work on the vents and ribs of the helmet. The contours of the chest plate look great, and the various pieces mesh well to allow for decent articulation.

The work on the weapons is a little soft, but the scale compared to the figure is good. The hands are designed to hold the other accessories, and can be useful with a variety of poses.

Paint - ***
The paint isn't quite as nice as the sculpt, with some blips here and there. The silver and black around the mouth of the helmet is a bit sloppy, and some of the edges could be better. However, the cast white looks great, and the various black joints, mimicking the black under suit, are consistent and even.

The all black weapons could use a bit more dry brushing to highlight some of the sculpt, which would allow some of the detail to pop. But overall the quality is solid.

Articulation - ***1/2
One area that's always tricky with a Stormtrooper outfit is articulation. How do you get an accurate look and yet allow him to pose? It was hard enough for the poor actors to move, but getting an action figure to move with all that restriction can be tricky.

DST did an excellent job overall. While there's some issues, most of the joints work far better than I expected. The neck can get a little tilt and lean, and the shoulders can raise up at least chest high. The rotating hinge elbows don't work quite as well as double pin, but with the shoulders and wrists you should be able to get natural arm poses and they don't damage the look of the sculpt.

The ball hips, rotating hinge knees, and rotating hinge ankles can take excellent stances, from shallow to deep, and the rocker movement in the feet is far, far better than most other figures in this scale. The roller chest joint works great to break up the straight lines of the torso.

You should have no trouble finding a great pose for this guy on the shelf, and you'll go back to him over and over again.

Accessories - ***1/2
He's pretty well outfitted for a figure in this scale.

There's three additional hands to go with the two relaxed hands he comes wearing. There's a gun grip right, and a tight grip left and right. They swap easily with no worries about breakage.

The gun grip right comes in handy. There's three guns for him to hold, from small pistol size to long rifle. The smallest pistol also fits in the holster on his hip, although it is a tight squeeze.

There's a blast effect that can be attached to the end of any of these three guns as well. Take a little care when inserting the plastic pin in the barrel.

Finally, he has a small droid. The wheels don't turn, but overall it's a great looking sculpt.

Fun Factor - ****
This guy is a ton of fun. The excellent articulation and various weapons give you a lot of possibilities, and kids are going to love the playability.

Value - **1/2
The usual price right now for a figure in this scale is $30, although I suspect NECA will raise their prices soon. Considering this is a Disney store exclusive - and you know how expensive stuff at the Disney store can be - the extra five bucks doesn't seem out of line.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. You do want to take a little care pushing the blast effect onto the barrel of the guns. It fits better with some than others, and you don't want to use too much pressure. Otherwise, you're good to go.

Overall - ***1/2
If you're looking for some Star Wars figures to go along with the rest of your 7" scale collection, these will make you very happy. The quality is great, especially when it comes to the sculpting and articulation.

Of course, the biggest question is how deep will DST get to go? They've already done a Boba Fett and Darth Maul, and if we can at least get Vader, we'll have enough to make for a decent display.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ****1/2
Paint - ***
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
These are available through the Disney store, where they are $35, or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
If you're a fan of Stormtroopers and looking for something high end, I'd suggest the sixth scale Hot Toys versions. If you're looking to stick with smaller scales, there's the Star Wars Black figure from Hasbro. And if you're looking for something a little different, here's a comparison between the earlier Disney metal 6 1/2" figure and the Star Wars Black 6" figure from the First Order.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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