Original Review:  Bret 2010-04-30 02:52 PM

Outstanding figure.  Terrific new sculpt.  Super articulation.  Nice head sculpt.  Good paint job, Especially the imperial insignia on the shoulders.  He grips the pistol well, and it fits in the holster.  The only thing the might have been cooler is if the hat was removeable, but it’s no big deal.  The scanning equipment accessory is nice, and actually has some wheels on the bottom, allowing this character to push it around, since he has no help. Hasbro once again has teased us with a running change along with the second part of the scanning equipment, but anyone who speaks of this too loudly is mysteriously “erased”.  How ‘bout those Mets?

Updated Review:  Bret 2018-12-21 07:05 AM

This figure was a fan favorite and collector grail when it first appeared as a pack in with the POTF2 Falcon carry case.  It was later voted as a fan’s choice figure, and was repainted for the OTC line in 2004.  You can clearly see in the comparison shot how much improvement there was by the time this figure was released in 2009, just 5 years later.  It’s about as close to a generic background Imperial as you can get, so for those of you that like to ruin Hasbro’s work (and my groin), you could conceivably go nuts with this figure and turn it into all sorts of diorama fodder.  At first glance, I had thought this was the same sculpt as the imperial officer, but it is clearly a new sculpt, with details molded into the jumpsuit, like cargo pockets for his whatnots.  Any time Hasbro creates a figure that can store his whatnots, it’s reason to celebrate.  It’s even better than a shmata. 

The super-articulated sculpt is nothing particularly eye-opening, but it does have everything you could reasonably want from the character.  He’s got a decent range of motion at all the joints, he stands solidly, and he can be posed dynamically.  My one complaint is that he doesn’t hold the blaster well.  In the images, it’s actually barely balanced in his right hand.  Happliy, he does come with a holster, which secures the blaster nicely.  The paint job is simple, but does have a few details like the silver pocket data cylinders, and the superbly applied Imperial insignia on each shoulder.  My complaint about the paint resides solely in the vary obvious ankle joints, which are mismatched as gray.  The blaster is a solid gunmetal color, as opposed to the typical black.  As for the head, I couldn’t locate the specific figure, but the head is very familiar to me, and I had thought it was recycled somewhere else, but I can’t confirm.  I’ll have to assume my memory is garbage, which is always the right choice. 

The figure came with a nice accessory.  A large scanning equipment crate.  The wheels are articulated, so it can be rolled.  Hasbro, as was promised multiple times in the TLC line, announced somewhere back in the day that we should expect a running range, which would have given a new head sculpt and a new piece of scanning equipment.  That never materialized in the main line as expected, but was rescued later in the TVC K-Mart exclusive special 2-packs.  Hilarious story (to Chris):  During my sabbatical from Bantha Skull in which I only could be reached by typing “Mark Bavaro” somewhere on the site, Chris had done the galleries and reviews for the TVC K-Mart set.  I owned the sets, but strangely never opened them.  In researching this figure,  I learned from Chris’s handiwork exactly how freakin’ awesome that second scanning equipment crate actually is.  I had no idea!  I should problem read Bantha Skull more often.  That piece is actually the crate that sits on top of this rolling cart, which is what the 2-man crew actually takes on board the Falcon.  I honestly had no idea that was a thing.  I had the packs in storage, and the entire time, I never realized (or remembered) that the other crate was there.  Ha!  Chris is probably rolling right now.

So the figure is very cool, and basically definitive.  Perhaps a removable cap would be a little improvement, but not enough to actually re-release this figure in the basic line.  The accessory is neat, but you really want the other piece of it, otherwise this thing is just a glorified push cart.  The figure itself, with the same headsculpt, was in one of the sets, while the other had his partner in crime, which had an alternate head sculpt.  The straight repack is more or less identical, although on my sample, his eyebrows on the TLC version make him look angrier, while he looks kinder in the TVC 2-pack. It’s probably incidental, rather than intentional.  Solid figure, big accessory.  It’s elevated another point if you have the companion pieces, but even on it’s own, it scores a solid 7.

Credits

Carded sample on loan from the collection of Randy S

Build-A-Droid 

Imperial Scanning Crew contains the right leg for the astromech R3-A2.  This droid can be spotted in Echo Base.  Specifically, it was in the background just before Major Bren Derlin had to inform Princess Leia that the blast doors needed to close for the night, with Luke still outside.  Source:  Empire Strikes Back.

Verdict: No Action

The figure was pretty popular, and is essentially the definitive version.  Personally, I’d recommend the TVC 2-pack, even though on my sample the paint applications are a little sloppier on that face.  This figure can be had for about $20-25.  Not bad.  No real reason to re-release.

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.