Might as well continue on with another The Force Unleashed figure.  Many different troop classes were released for the the video games, and those classes each came in at least one variant.  The Imperial Jumptrooper appeared in a few levels of both TFU I and TFU II, including a scene on Kamino, as seen in THIS screenshot. It seems Hasbro had a major oversight in that they didn’t include an actual jetpack.  It’s a pretty crucial piece of equipment for the Jumptrooper.  Without the jetpack, they’re pretty much just…troopers.  Something else that I didn’t know until I researched this review, according to Wookieepedia:

The Hasbro jumptrooper toy’s design was based on the unit in the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, as it possessed a hose connecting the helmet to a breathing tank on the chest armor. The version in the PS2, PSP, and Wii ports looked more like a standard stormtrooper with heavy shoulder armor.

So it sounds like the figure is based specifically on the variation that appeared on the PS3 and Xbox 360.  The other platforms had Jumptroopers that just looked like heavily armored stormtroopers, as you can see in THIS screenshot. 

The figure itself was pretty hard to find at the time.  Not surprising for a new Imperial troop builder. The situation was also exacerbated by it being part of the final wave of TAC, before giving way to TLC.  The figure is pretty cool looking when you see it in person.  Even if you had no interest in The Force Unleashed video game, the Jumptrooper would fit well in any number of “just off screen” dioramas that include Imperial troops.  The figure first appears to be an armored-up stormtrooper.  The various bits of basic armor around the body appear to be heavy duty versions when compared to those worn by typical stormtroopers.  It almost looks like parts are borrowed by the TLC BD58 Spacetrooper figure.  In addition, the figure sports specialized shoulder armor and knee pads. 

The helmet looks like a completely new design, but upon closer inspection it seems to be similar to a standard stormtrooper helmet, but with a visor.  It’s reminiscent of Commander Cody’s specialized clone helmet.  There is a hose that is attached at the chin of the helmet, and then runs to a hole at the center of the chest, where it can be removed.  The hose doesn’t have a whole lot of slack, so it tends to pop out of the chest when you move the ball jointed head in different directions.  There is another hose that is a separately sculpted piece that runs from the abdomen to the left side of the torso, but appears to be glued in place.  All of the extra armor and hosiery, if you will, give the figure a lot of depth and realism. 

The figure isn’t particularly colorful (nor is the character), but the grey knees and shoulders help differentiate it from the standard stormtrooper.  The paint application is pretty decent, and fairly sharp on my sample.  The only bit of weathering on the figure is some dirt splatter on the boots and shins.  The articulation is standard SA for the day.  Now that we have things like ball jointed hips and torsos, it seems to be a slight disappointment for a trooper figure, but it’s easily forgiven.  The lone accessory is a standard imperial blaster, which the figure can grip well in one hand.  It’s a bit of a struggle to perform a simple THWG, due to the thick armor and the hoses on the chest, but it can be done (as per image 13 in the gallery above.  The gun is the only accessory besides the figure stand.  Again, Hasbro goofed by failing to include the all important jet pack.  Perhaps these troops were meant to be new recruits that were hastily pressed into battle, and they weren’t yet trained on flight. 

Eventually, Hasbro corrected the situation by issuing an updated Imperial Jumptrooper with one of the TFU Multipacks.  That figure had clean armor, included a heavy blaster, and…get this…a jetpack!  Hasbro modified the figure to have a hole in the back to accommodate the peg on the new removable jetpack.

Even though this figure lacks the jetpack, it’s still a very cool addition to your Imperial forces, and you should not hesitate to include them in your collection, even if you had no interest in the game.  The unique design of the figure makes up for the missing jetpack, and it still manages to get a standard 7 for an SA figure.  Not bad at all.