Review of Snowtroopers Two Pack

Introduction

Although they enjoyed limited screen time in The Empire Strikes Back and limited success in their onscreen mission, Imperial Snowtroopers remain one of the most iconic trooper types from the original Star Wars trilogy. The relatively simple and shrouded look of the Snowtrooper uniform is perhaps more menacing and realistic than those of the more intricately armored standard Stormtoopers, Sandtroopers, and Scout Troopers. I remember choosing Kenner's 3.75" iteration of this type of imperial trooper over the others when I had to make a limited choice as a kid in the 1980s, and my interest in Snowtrooper action figures has not abated since. In 2013 Sideshow produced their sixth scale version of the Snowtrooper, and this received a very positive review from Michael Crawford on this very site. Although Sideshow's more recent helmeted/masked Star Wars figures have been excellent in look and quality, this particular one did not work for me. To the point where I couldn't bring myself to buying even one. Perhaps because the helmet and face covering seemed a bit off -- the helmet's sides flared out a little too far, while the face covering's folds and creases seemed inaccurate and overdone. So I was very excited when I saw the promotion photos for Hot Toys' sixth scale Snowtrooper, and they looked more accurate -- and more attractive. And although I was reluctant to invest in such a long-term pre-order, I eventually bit the bullet and pre-ordered, when I saw the figures becoming sold out even at that stage in some venues. More than half a year later, the figures shipped. I was happy to see that the finished product looks every bit as good as the prototype and is an excellent figure all around.
Hot Toys produced three different versions of the Snowtrooper. The regular Empire Strikes Back Snowtrooper (MMS397), the Battlefront Snowtrooper (VGM24), and the Snowtroopers set (two pack) (VGM25), which I am reviewing tonight. Where appropriate, I will signal the differences between them (which are limited to the number and type of accessories).

Packaging - ***1/2
Hot Toys’ Snowtroopers set comes in the familiar two-shades-of-black shoe box-style cardboard container. The box is only slightly larger than the standard single-figure box, but the arrangement of the items inside it allows it to contain two figures and their gear; I am pretty impressed with the efficient and safe way of fitting everything inside. There is a cover card under the lid, and below that two plastic trays with their own lids. The box includes a folded instruction sheet, which explains that the Snowtroopers' armor is not removable, and how to attach the backpacks, thermal detonators, and jet pack. Everything is collector friendly and the packaging fulfills its primary purpose of keeping things safe. Overall, it is perfectly adequate and well-made, without being a stunningly innovative work of art.

Sculpting - ****
I do not think that any part of the figure's sculpting falls short of perfection. The armor looks crisp and precise, the gloved hands have their own specific texture, and the multi-strapped and laced boots are a masterpiece. The sculpted armor is made up of helmet, goggles, shoulder amor, breast plate, lower arm armor, codpiece, and knee armor. The weapons, thermal detonators, backpacks, and jet pack are also sculpted, looking suitably machine-like.
The Snowtrooper stands about 11.75 inches tall, just like the Hot Toys Stormtroopers, but a little shorter than the Sideshow AT-AT Drivers. I wonder if the Snowtrooper's booted feet are not a tad smallish, but perhaps this is just an optical illusion.

Paint - ****
For all that this is basically a white and beige figure with some black and gray details and some weathering, the paint job is excellent. The armor looks glossy but worn, with a number of slight scratches conveying wear and tear (and battle damage!), with additional dirt effect along the edges and in every nook and cranny. The weathering is most elaborate on the lower-arm armor and on the two-part boots. The coat and pants are actually beige, and do not appear to be weathered, but their color and textures help create a realistic enough look. Similarly, the weapons have a modicum of weathering but look realistic enough.

Articulation - ***1/2
The underlying Hot Toys body has excellent articulation (supposedly 30 points of it) including an ab-crunch, double-jointed elbows and knees, and just about everything else you might want. Unlike the case with other Stormtrooper types, here the armor does not restrict the articulation much, although the wide codpiece and the thick clothing do get in the way a little at the thighs. It is nevertheless possible to achieve most of the desired poses without tearing, breaking, or popping anything off. The ankles and wrists work very well: unlike the limitations encountered by some recent armored and booted Hot Toys and Sideshow Star Wars figures, the arm armor does not force the hands to pop off when posing, and the two-part boots allow plenty of ankle articulation.

Accessories - ****
For once (compared to other Hot Toys Stromtroopers I have purchased recently), here we have a bunch of accessories. There are seven hands for each of the two Snowtroopers (making 14 hands in all), and there are standard Empire Strikes Back backpacks and thermal detonators (two of each). There is also one special jetpack based on the the Battlefront games, with attachable semi-translucent thruster fire pieces. The thermal detonators attach to the back of the belt with little metal prongs, just as with Hot Toys' original Stormtroopers. The backpacks and jetpack attach with little hooks to a pair of little plastic tabs at the shoulders, and are secured in place by a magnet on the figure's back.

There are two action figure stands total: one of relatively standard type, except for its plastic enveloping stem being painted white, and the base being given a snow-like surface, complete with boot imprints; the other stand has the same base as the first, but adapted to receive a bendable metallic rod sheathed in white, and designed to accommodate an attachable white clamp at the top; this is intended to allow you to pose the jetpack-wearing Snowtrooper in various flight poses. Unfortunately, the connection between my base and bendable rod appears to be faulty, so you will not see anything particularly exciting in the way of flight poses here.
In terms of weaponry, there are two standard imperial blaster rifles (E-11), one long DTL-20A blaster rifle, and one smart rocket launcher.

These are the accessories included in the Snowtroopers two pack (VGM25); this is distinct from the other options in terms of stands and weapons. If you purchase the regular Hot Toys Snowtrooper (MMS397), you would get only the regular stand and only the E-11 blaster. If you purchase the Hot Toys Battlefront Snowtrooper (VGM24), you would get only the dynamic stand and only the E-11 blaster and smart rocket launcher. So what distinguishes the Snowtrooper two pack from the other two options is that it not only includes two full figures with all accessories, but also both types of stand, and all three possible weapons; the long DTL-20A blaster rifle is exclusive to the two pack.

To be honest, I would have preferred the portable E-Web canon we see featured in the Empire Strikes Back to the Battlefront accessories, but one can hardly find fault with such an extensive array of accessories.

Light Feature - n/a
While there is no light feature here, you will need some light to notice that the Snowtrooper's goggles have translucent green lenses (just like those of Hot Toys Stormtroopers). And because the face covering itself allows light to pass through it, you might be able to see this even without popping off the helmet.

Outfit - ****
Beyond the sculpted armor, backpack, gloves, and boots described above, the figure's outfit is made up of a face covering, a sleeved coat, and pants. The coat and pants are beige and made of cloth; there is padding on the upper body and the upper legs. The face covering is made of a soft thin plastic material (vinyl, like the material used in the actual film?), which bends and creases naturally as the head moves (the inside of the helmet comes with a partial upper face, to allow the face covering to fall naturally over it). There were more creases on the face covering in the film, but if you play with yours enough, it would get even more of that worn-in look. I find this solution far preferable to the sculpted face covering used for the Sideshow Snowtroopers.

Fun Factor - ****
Although these might be more fun in the company of more Hoth figures, they are everything one could hope for. They are too sophisticated and expensive to children’s toys, but actually seem quite sturdy, except for the easily detachable (though not easily breakable) thermal detonators. Adult collectors should be able to pose the Snowtroopers safely and effectively in various active or inactive poses. The Snowtroopers stand quite well even with their backpacks or jetpack and without the included stands.

Value - ***1/2
At the pre-order stage, I obtained the set for $355, not including shipping. This makes less than $180 per figure, which is quite low for a Hot Toys product these days, "low" being a relative term, of course. I base my score on that. But if you purchase this for full price, or now that they are probably being re-sold after having gone out of stock, you would be paying much more. On eBay the set is listed for $450-500, and the single figures tend to go for $215-250 without shipping. At the time of writing, Big Bad Toy Store offers the regular Snowtrooper (MMS397) for $205.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. As always, be careful swapping hands, although Hot Toys has provided two sets of extra wrist pegs. Be careful hooking the backpacks or jet pack into the little tabs at the shoulders -- make sure that their straight (not curved) edge faces towards the backpack/jet pack when trying to attach it.

Overall - ****
I have come across many excellent action figures produced by various companies, but this comes closer to perfection (at least in this genre) than any I have seen before. Apart from the slight limitation in thigh articulation, I cannot think of any point where the present product could possibly need improvement. And while Hot Toys prices are prohibitive, I am glad I "held out" for this version of the Snowtrooper and went for a good pre-order deal. But even without that, it would have been a little masterpiece worth having.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Original Trilogy (and Rogue One) imperial troopers produced by Hot Toys and Sideshow have been reviewed on this site many times before: see for example my Hot Toys Rogue One Stormtrooper and Sideshow TIE Fighter Pilot reviews or Michael's Hot Toys Shoretrooper, Hot Toys Death Trooper (here and here), Hot Toys Jedha Patrol Stormtrooper, Sideshow AT-AT Driver, Hot Toys Stormtrooper, Sideshow Scout Trooper, Sideshow Snowtrooper and Sideshow Stormtrooper reviews.

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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