Editor’s Note:  This review has been updated with a second look…

Original Review:  Chris - 7/02/2014 8:14 PM

I started doing reviews on this site in August of 2010.  Naturally that means for the most part I’ve been reviewing the glorious Vintage Collection.  So it should come as no surprise that never in these almost four years have I panned an entire wave of figures.  I haven’t even come close.  Having already leveled negative criticism on 75% of wave 4 of the Black Series, this wave comes perilously closed to being universally panned by me.  Fortunately the Snowtrooper Commander saves a little face for an otherwise disappointing wave of figures.

First someone at Hasbro or Boss Fight or whatever outsourced consultant Hasbro is using these days did their homework.  The Snowtrooper Commander is not just simply a Snowtrooper with a rank badge.  There are a couple subtle differences.  First the cowl appears to be more solid than the pliable appearing cowl on the basic Snowtrooper.  Second the shoulder pads are inverted on the Snowtrooper Commander.  Both of these details have been captured in this mold, so kudos to big H.  There may be even more minute differences that I’m not aware of.  The gloves are different than the VTSC Snowtrooper figure.  The cuffs of the gloves on this Snowtrooper Commander figure overlap the sleeve whereas the gloves appear to tuck under the sleeve on the VTSC Snowtrooper figure.  I do not know whether or not this is a distinction between the two characters or simply an artistic decision made by the sculptor this time around.  I will say when watching film clips, it appears to me that many of the Snowtroopers have gloves matching this figure. 

There are a few negatives with this figure.  The hands on my sample pop off much too easily.  When articulating the elbow or trying to arm your figure, you’re as likely to perform an amputation as you are in achieving your intended goal.  I won’t lie.  This started to become annoying as I was trying to pose the figure.  The paint applications could be tighter, but it’s not nearly as bad as the other figure I’ve experienced from this wave.  The painted areas on the sculpted backpack appear to be off by a few millimeters.  The paint on the eye lenses is off to the right a bit too, but as the helmet is not an anatomical feature, it’s not as jarring as the misplaced eyes on the other figures.

The novelty of the collapsible stock on the E-11 blaster has officially worn off with me.  I think I enjoyed this feature once.  Once.  Now the collapsed stock just seems to get in the way.  But I do appreciate the closed trigger guard of the sculpt especially when the figure has a floating trigger finger as this Snowtrooper Commander figure does.  When the stock is fully extended, it never seems to meet the figure’s shoulder at the right spot.  This figure is no exception.  The stock is easily removed, so this is not meant as a criticism of the figure.  It’s just commentary.  A big “addition by subtraction” with this figure is the lack of a removable helmet.  Cynicism insists that I assume it was for cost cutting reasons, but it’s a benefit nonetheless.  As I’m not a chemist, I don’t know out of what material the kama is made.  It’s not cloth and it’s not a rigid plastic.  It’s some sort of malleable miracle material.  It has a more authentic look than the soft goods kama on the VTSC Snowtrooper, but does hinder the leg articulation a tad.

The marginal accuracy of paint application and the rubbery hands that don’t grip the forearm peg with enough conviction take this figure down a peg and the less then ideal range of achievable poses with the lower body take it down another.  But it’s still a win and the only “must buy” figure of this wave.  8 out of 10.

Updated Review:  Bret - 11/19/2018 07:05 AM

When Chris and I decided to revisit Phase 1 of The Black Series after we were done with our TVC retrospective, I had to go through my stored collection and make sure I could find all the figures and accessories for updated image galleries.  I was unable to find this Snowtrooper Commander figure, and told Chris, he’d have to shoot his.  Based on his response, I was pretty sure he was going to quit this site if it was up to him to photograph the figure.  A short while later, I was able to find mine, so Chris didn’t have retire. 

The figure, for the most part, is pretty darn good, especially with regard to its physical appearance.  It’s sculpted very well.  As Chris already pointed out, the commander has some details that seem to differentiate it from the basic troops, including the rank, shoulder pads, and gloves.  All that is present, so it’s an indication that Hasbro took some care when designing the figure.  The non-removable ball-jointed helmet is a nice design.  There’s a surprising range of motion, given that the shape would appear to inhibit that range of motion.  The paint applications aren’t the worst I’ve ever seen, but they’re not that great either.  The rank badge, which should be one of the highlights fo the figure, is sloppily painted, as are the lenses, and a few other details.  It’s not ruinous, but it definitely is a disappointment given the excellent sculpt.

The snowtrooper commander has the typical 14 points of articulation you’d expect, with the added nuance of a ball-jointed torso.  While such an enhancement is welcome, it was engineered somewhat weakly, and flexing it too far will expose the inner workings and make your figure look like a broken mannequin.  Being a trooper, I’d say that this figure would be well served if it had ball jointed hips and wrists, to give it the most posability.  The skirt is a nice pliant plastic, which doesn’t bother the leg articulation too much, but I’d have to say that I think soft goods, as in previous stormtroopers, would allow for a better figure, especially if it were upgraded with ball jointed hips.  The bulky legs and ankles don’t have the most range of a Hasbro figure, but it serves the purposed, I suppose.  The elbows ad shoulders are also bulky to the point of slightly restricting the arm range, and as Chris pointed out, the gloves pop off way too easily.

The accessories are two weapons.  A small pistol that tucks away tightly into the molded skirt holster.  In my sample, I had to jam the pistol to get a proper fit, but at least it worked, unlike Luke’s blaster in the Dagobah training figure.  Also included is the 3-piece E-11 blaster.  It was a nice idea as a novelty, but it needs to be retired.  Mine barely could hold it together, as the pieces were falling apart at the slightest provocation.  The figure could not really be posed in a satisfying THWG, even taking into account the near impossibility of the figure gripping the barrel with the second hand.  Even if the left hand would open wide enough to accommodate the barrel, the slightly restrictive nature of the bulky elbows does’t make any of the effort pay off. 

So between the bulky joints, pop off arms, fall apart E-11, and slightly underwhelming range of motion of all the joints, the figure ended up being really difficult to pose for these pictures.  It makes sense why Chris gave the figure an 8, because it looks great, contains a lot of detail, and has enough posability to avoid a bad score.  Looking at the figure standing there on the shelf, it’s a great looking figure and worthy of the score of 8.  However, I also now see why Chris had no interest in photographing it again for the retrospective. It was one of the more frustrating figures to get into meaningful poses, and not fall down or have the weapon explode apart.  Only, now, in the end, do I understand. 

I’m going to dock it an extra point for making my evening of figure photography a virtual nightmare.  I don’t think it’s a definitive offering, because this snowtrooper should have the more advanced modern articulation of ball jointed hips and wrists, and maybe even rocker ankles. 

Verdict: Re-sculpt (Very Low Priority) 

We certainly have a ton of snowtroopers over the years.  This figure has some room for improvement, and if released along with some other Hoth-themed figures and toys, it could make some sense to revisit down the road.  For now, this will do, along with some of the previous releases that many of us already army built.  The figure can be found on eBay for only a slight premium, but is pretty affordable.  You should consider getting at least one, since it is a well done officer figure.  Hasbro should take off the rank, flip the shoulder pads, and add better articulation before you consider buying too many of them.

Verdict Guide:
Re-sculpt = The figure is not definitive, and a new version should be developed.
Re-issue = This version is definitive (or close enough), and shows sufficient secondary market demand to warrant a straight repack.
No Action = This release does not require new attention.