This offering is a bit bittersweet, but let’s start with the positives, which are significant.  When this set was revealed during a Hasbro live stream back in September of 2021, it was a surprise.  Not just because it seemed there weren’t even any rumors of the set, but more so because it meant the launch of a new format in TVC that could pave the way for the much asked for opportunity to army build popular troop building figures.  If Hasbro was willing to answer the call and provide awesome troop builders at a bit of a discount, then that could mean that the sky is the limit for future packs in this format.  Sure enough, the Rebel Fleet troopers followed shortly after this announcement, and were trailed in short order by Shoretroopers and the most recent reveal, the Death Troopers.

No figure symbolized the need for this type of format more than the OG army builder, the Imperial Stormtrooper.  VC140 was a revelation, although not perfect.  It was far and away the best stormtrooper ever released, but since it was sourced to Rogue One, it lacked the commonly seen OT holster.  Also, the sculpt was a bit off, as this figure featured flared shins, which bothered collectors a bit.  Nevertheless, the figure is outstanding, and Hasbro wasted no time using it as a base for several repaints. The biggest complaint was that the figure was hard to come by, and of course, these days $13-$14 a pop make army building more difficult from a financial perspective.

This set was announced as a shared exclusive between Hasbro Pulse and Disney Shop, retailing for $42.  That was definitely a bit more affordable then trying to hunt the figure down individually.  The real trick was the quantity limit, which was capped at 2 per site.  So if you followed the rules, you could really only get a max of 4 sets.  Somehow, I managed to get 4 sets from Pulse, and 2 more from Disney, so I consider myself lucky.  Your mileage may have varied on that.

So what do you get for $42?  Four VC140 stormtroopers, 4 E-12 blasters, 2 DLT-19 heavy rifles, and an orange pauldron to make one of the figures into an officer.  The figure is identical to VC140 in sculpt, however, collectors had varying degrees of success when it came to the paint applications.  Some images on social media showed samples with paint apps that badly missed the mark.  Some samples were much better, but it was definitely hit or miss.  Looking at my samples alone, they don’t look bad, although I can see they’re not perfect.  But there is definitely a difference when comparing these side by side with a VC140 example.  I’m not the biggest stickler for such things, so the dip in quality paint doesn’t bother me personally, but hardcore collectors definitely weren’t thrilled in general.  It remains to be seen if yellowing becomes an issue over time.  It may be difficult to see in one of the comparison images in the gallery above, but some of my VC140’s have slight yellowing already, while others are still bright white. 

As for the accessories, one notable miss are the silver paint details on the E-11’s that are present for the VC140 release, but absent here.  The shoulder pauldron allows you to recreate a stormtrooper officer which was not seen in film, but was a prevalent enemy of Cal Kestis in Jedi: Fallen Order.  So hopefully, along with the recently released Gaming Greats figures, we soon get a Cal figure to make canon use of the pauldron option.

The cardboard box is pretty bare bones, but the artwork definitely makes this a step up from the old white mailer boxes that Kenner/Hasbro used to send out.  Still, it’s meant to help save on costs, as the full color TVC cards and plastic bubbles are more expensive to produce and contribute to the high costs of individual figures.

But here’s the part that makes it bittersweet.  A mere two and a half months after this set was revealed, Hasbro unveiled images of the upcoming deluxe figure assortment.  In that assortment is the Imperial Stormtrooper with E-Web cannon.  That figure sports rocker ankles and the elimination of the flared shin armor.  This was soon followed up by the individually carded 096 Episode IV Stormtrooper (using the new rocker-ankled sculpt).  So while this four pack was a much needed set that opens the door for future army building opportunities, the announcement of a superior sculpt that corrected the shortcomings of the original was a bit of a kick in the crotch.

This is a nice opportunity to army build (despite the purchase limits) a great figure, if you can handle potentially sloppy paint apps to some degree.  If you can also forgive the upgraded stormtrooper releases that are coming so soon on the heels of this set, then you are in good shape to enjoy this.  I’m glad I snagged a few sets, and look forward to adding even better troopers to the ranks.