Friday, August 26, 2011

Slightly Off Proportion, The Power Of The Force Stormtrooper Is Still Worth Picking Up!



The Good: Does not yellow, Good accessories, Decent balance
The Bad: More articulated resculpts, Low collectibility, Slightly off proportions in the shoulders/chest.
The Basics: The Power Of The Force Stormtrooper is a good bulk Stormtrooper, even if it is not the most articulated or realistically-proportioned.


Fans of the Star Wars action figures have a lot to worry about as their collections age, especially those of us who take the figures out of the package. Arguably, one of the biggest problems collectors face is the yellowing of white plastic figures. This was a huge problem with the Death Star Escape Stormtroopers (reviewed here) and the Padme Amidala figure from the Attack Of The Clones line (reviewed here!). Even in the current Vintage Collection, the Clone Trooper helmets are already yellowing. A bad plastic batch can ruin an otherwise collectible figure. So, it is odd that one of the figures that has held up remarkably well and not yellowed - especially since it was part of Kenner's 1995 Power Of The Force line - is the first new (1995 and up) Stormtrooper figure.

The Stormtroopers were standard shock troops introduced in the first scenes of A New Hope (reviewed here!) when they led the attack on the Tantive IV. The white-armored Stormtroopers are the soldiers of the Empire and are a pretty generic figure to stock up on.

The 4" Stormtrooper figure is all right, though the Power Of The Force one is slightly off in its upper body proportions, which was a problem with that first line of Star Wars figures.

Basics

The Stormtrooper is a clone outfitted in white armor that looks solid and has black accents at the joints. It is a simple armored soldier and a staple figure. This figure stands 3 3/4" tall to the top of his helmeted head. The Stormtrooper is dressed in a generic white Stormtrooper armor with no accents or insignias. The figure is made entirely of hard plastic.

This toy is a decent sculpt, looking mostly like the Stormtrooper. Kenner was obsessed at the time with making the figures appear more masculine (including, oddly enough, Princess Leia). This Stormtrooper, thus has a much more bulky chest and shoulder area as if to say "Back off; I could bench press you!" as opposed to "Move along."

This Stormtrooper is dual-toned: white and black. This is a very clean Stormtrooper and the black portions are minimal, but correctly detailed, like the gills on the helmet and the buttons on the abdomen. This Stormtrooper has not yellowed, which makes them still a commodity today!

Accessories

The Stormtrooper, generic soldier of the Empire, comes with only two accessories: a blaster rifle and a Heavy Infantry Cannon. The heavy infantry cannon was made especially for this figure. The 2 1/2" black firearm has a giant barrel and strap that allows it to be slung over the figure's shoulder, which is good because it increases the figure's playability. This gun is large enough to be held in a two-handed grip, but the figure lacks the articulation to actually support that. There are no additional coloring details for this weapon, though it looks heavy enough to look menacing.

The blaster - it's listed as a rifle on the package - is a generic weapon that has come with many, many figures from this time. The inch-long choking hazard fits in either hand, but seems more natural in the figure's right hand. This is a monolithically molded black plastic blaster that is simple and not actually in proportion with the rest of the action figure.

Playability

The four inch toy line was designed for play and the Stormtrooper is fair in that regard. The figure is poorly articulated, but has decent balance. Flatfooted, the Stormtrooper is able to stand erect but has a surprisingly narrow stance which gives him a less solid center of gravity. This is because the figure's chest and shoulders make him topheavy and this one does tip over fairly easily when rocked or posed in anything approaching an action pose.

Moreover, this Stormtrooper lacks significant articulation to make him interesting. The Stormtrooper is barely poseable. The Stormtrooper comes with only six points of articulation, all of which are simple swivel joints. He has joints at the groin socket, shoulders, neck, and waist. The elbows do not extend, so all arm posing is straight-armed.

The Stormtrooper is ideal for use on playsets where one might be able to plug him into the pegs on said playsets. The Stormtrooper has holes in both of his feet to allow him to be plugged into stabilizing holes.

Collectibility

The Stormtrooper is part of the Power Of The Force four-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that was incredibly common. The Stormtrooper was overproduced, appearing on at least two different cards as an identical sculpt. This is the original, red-carded Power Of The Force figure without the Freeze Frame or hologram sticker. Released as part of the initial 1995 line-up, the Stormtrooper is a poor investment and it may often be found inexpensively and might well be better for fans looking to play than make money eventually off it.

Overview

The Stormtrooper is an essential Imperial soldier that has been cast and recast time and again. There are more realistically-proportioned Stormtroopers with more articulation and better balance, but to its credit, this classic figure has not yellowed and that is a real boon for collectors.

For other Stormtrooper figures or figures from the 1995 Power Of The Force Collection, please check out my reviews of:
1999 Power Of The Force Stormtrooper
Luke Skywalker In Stormtrooper Disguise
C-3PO

6.5/10

For other toy reviews, please be sure to check out my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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