I don’t know if it’s a coincidence as far as Hasbro’s planning, or if they’re trying to take advantage of the aesthetics of The Mandalorian and Grogu figures.  Within a short time span, we’re getting several Hoth figures from The Empire Strikes Back alongside M&G figures.  I’m not complaining, I’m just curious.  I’ve often complained about the release of figures that lack any focus, and are spread too thin over too many media sources.  I make an exception for a new theatrical release, so I support the M&G figures.  And of course, I support the ESB figures.  Further still, even though they’re all remakes, I agree that iconic troops need to be kept up to date, just like the mains, and I’m all for a new Veers, because we needed him on the new officer body.

One of the things that occurred to me at first glance as I took this Imperial Remnant Snowtrooper out of the package is that it looked identical to the ESB VC349 Imperial Snowtrooper (Hoth Battle Gear), except for the face cowl.  It brought to mind the McQuarrie concept Snowtrooper from the TAC line (pictured in the comparison shots in the gallery above.)  I thought if Hasbro had just included a removable cowl, they could double dip this figure with collectors, and might get extra sales out of those looking to beef up their Hoth ranks.

However, upon closer inspection, the helmet seems a bit different in shape.  The hard shell sides and back (below the brow line) extend lower than the ESB helmet - nearly to the shoulders.  The angle also seems steeper.  So it’s not really the same helmet.  I don’t know (yet) if this is accurate to the on screen Remnant helmets, or if Hasbro did this on their own for design reasons.  But it simply wouldn’t work to just include a removable cowl like the McQuarrie figure - unless they included a completely swappable alternate helmet.

Then I remembered - Hey, I think Chris and/or John Miko once showed me some behind the scenes footage from TM&G where the snowtroopers are preparing for battle (presumably from inside an AT-AT) and you can see them attaching ESB-style cowls to their faces.  So I’m not sure if this footage made it into the film.  Here’s a link to the Instagram reel.  Welp, we’re either going to be frustrated that Hasbro left out the cowl, or it’s going to be accurate to the final cut.  Time will tell.

Also, of course, the coloring is different.  It’s more of an off-white than the ESB armor.  I assume this is to indicate age, because what was left of the Empire didn’t have the same resources to keep up their equipment as they did back at their peak.  Remnant budgets are notoriously lean, of course.  Interestingly (or frustratingly), while their armor had lost its luster, they seemed to do a better job of keeping their clothes and boots clean.  Unlike the ESB Snowtrooper, this Remnant Snowtrooper has zero weathering, particularly on the boots.  It’s obviously some corner-cutting on Hasbro’s part, but the in-universe explanation is that these guys took a lot of pride in keeping their boots clean.

So if you’ve read our review of VC349 Imperial Snowtrooper (Hoth Battle Gear), you’ll know almost everything you need to know about the figure as far as sculpt, paint, articulation and accessories.  Aside from the new cowl-less helmet and the color shift, it’s basically the same figure. 

It’s good that Hasbro got good mileage out of this base figure.  They did the 4-pack of Snowtroopers, the tweaked Snowtrooper Commander in the Imperial Trooper 3 pack, and then both again as single carded releases.  Now with this figure, they get to use the tooling again.

While we’ve seen it before, it hasn’t lost its appeal since we first reviewed it.  It still gets a 10/10, and the new helmet and coloring allow us to have another TM&G figure.