We recently reviewed the inaugural TVC Troop Builder pack, the Stormtrooper set.  We gave that an 8 out of 10.  The Stormtrooper figure that was the basis of the set is outstanding, but has a few warts, which suddenly became more problematic with the announcement of an upgraded figure with rocker ankles and a holster.  But the set was still solid, giving you 4 hard-to-find and in-demand figures for a discounted price.  The complaints about the set were some sloppy paint apps, and a lack of imagination with the offering.  Personally, I was happy with the set, but I get that people weren’t particularly impressed with the inclusion of a single orange shoulder pauldron as the item that gave some variation to the set.  As seems to be my recollection, it isn’t uncommon for initial offerings in a new format or new line look to be a bit lackluster.  Almost as if Hasbro often puts a toe in the waters when they do something new, and wait to see the reaction before putting greater effort into things.  Well, it seems that happened here with this release.

The Rebel Fleet Trooper set, like its predecessor, has some flaws.  But the highlights seem to outweigh the gripes, and collectors should be fairly pleased with this troop builder set.  The bad news is that the sculpt is getting a little long in the tooth, particularly with regard to articulation.  The lack of proper ball jointed hips and the mediocre range of motion of the knee joints mean that you will have much difficulty getting the figure into a realistic kneeling pose.  Combine this with the inability of the figure to perform a two-handed weapon grip with arms extended forward, and you are simply unable to recreate the iconic battle ready pose that most of the troopers assume prior to defending their ship against the stormtrooper onslaught.  This hasn’t changed since the figure debuted in 2011.

Beyond that, the sculpt is pretty great.  While Hasbro didn’t alter the articulation, they did go the extra mile (several miles) by including 4 brand new headsculpts, and added further variations and diversity by changing the skin colors of these soldiers.  This really changes the game with respect to army building.  Hasbro occasionally went down this road in the past with Endor Rebel Troopers and Bespin Guards (and in the future with Bespin Guards again), and they should keep doing it. 

Hasbro didn’t stop there.  They took one of the soldiers and gave a brand new headsculpt that makes him, without any doubt (despite none of these figures being named), Pello Scrambas.  Based on the gray hair, we thought that VC52 was supposed to be Mr. Scrambas.  Then Hasbro gave the same figure Photo Real for the Rogue One variant, VC178.  While the likeness wasn’t exactly dead on, we continued to assume this was just a refined version of the character.  Well, toss that assumption out the window.  This variant is 100% Mello Pello.  The likeness is fantastic.

But wait, there’s more!  Not resting on just a few new skin tones and awesome headsculpts, Hasbro repainted one of the troopers from head to toe, to give us an officer figure.  Like Scrambas, the figure lacks a named designation, but again, as per the headsculpt, this is very clearly Captain Antilles.  You might wonder how Hasbro could even get a good view of the character’s face, since the only shot we see of the doomed captain is with his face bulging in terror as his throat is crushed at the hand of Darth Vader.  But a simple Google search of actor Peter Geddis reveals a face that is very well matched by this figure’s portrait: 

Great job there.  The figure of course, does have a flaw in that he can’t easily (at least without a bit of support) recreate the Vader scene due to the sculpting of the hands and arms, but that’s okay. Also, if you want to nitpick, the coat should be a bit longer.  The Saga figure got this right, but the likeness on that figure is nonexistent, and other than the pre-posed arms, the rest of the figure is almost non-articulated.

So there you have it.  The set is a terrific release, and something that collectors should be very happy about.  Is it perfect?  Not at all.  But it’s got some great variations and upgrades, which will help you army build until you run out of money to do so.  Get the set.  Get several.