Here we get an update to a rather old Hasbro figure.  Back in 1998, we were treated to a sub line of Power of the Force 2, known as “Expanded Universe.”  Nine figures made up the sub line, and they came in distinct packaging that also doubled as a cardboard backdrop.  The 9 figures hailed from various EU sources.  This was one of the fan favorites, and was from the Zahn trilogy.  Over a decade later, Hasbro decided to revisit the figure, and give it a complete overhaul.  I can’t say that it was ‘much needed”, but it is an impressive looking figure.  Of course, it was a source of frustration for many collectors, being part of the dreaded TRU EU wave that ended The Legacy Collection. 

In a bit of a twist, Hasbro released another “Spacetrooper” figure in the Blue Legacy line, and then repacked it in the first wave of this Red Legacy line.  That figure was sourced from the characters that briefly appeared in A New Hope, while the Falcon was being tractor beamed into the Death Star hangar deck.  Both spacetroopers in ANH were played by none other than Joe Johnston.  In the old EU, that trooper was a lightly armored version of the spacetrooper.  Armor was little more than standard stormtrooper gear with a backpack.  Heavier armored space troopers, complete with concealed weapons, were used during the Thrawn crisis, which is the source of this figure.

Of course, with the arrival of Disney and Great EU Purge, this particular character is no longer canon, leaving the Joe Johnston ANH version to hold the mantle of canon spacetrooper.  In the meantime, this figure always had a bit of a wow factor, due to the fact that it’s just a ginormous flying stormtrooper.  Even the POTF2 version was one of my early favorites.  While many collectors are either ambivalent, or might just want one or two, the scarcity of this particular figure made it just about impossible to army build, were one so inclined.

The figure is impressively sculpted, complete with then-standard super-articulation, plus the surprising inclusion of a ball jointed torso, giving this figure some added posability.  There are two removable pieces of shoulder armor, which seems to be somewhat unnecessary.  They do tend to pop out rather easily, especially when posing the figure with arms above the horizontal.  They pop back in easily enough, but it seams like this could have been engineered better.  The head has somewhat limited range of motion, but it has just enough to allow for a little expression.  There is a giant removable jetpack, and like the shoulder pads, tends to fit a little too loosely for my tastes. 

The spacetrooper figure does not come with any separate blaster weapons, but it does have two cannons built into the underside of each forearm.  In an example of an almost unforgivable oversight, this figure is bested by it’s POTF2 predecessor because in that 1998 version, there is an articulated hinged armor piece that conceals the arm blaster.  That’s almost as ridiculous as the vintage POTF EV-9D9 having a hinged mouth whereas the modern POTF2 version has not.  How do you go backwards in a key feature like this?  It’s upsetting, and enough to knock down the score of an otherwise very impressive figure.  I’m giving it an 8.

One other note, this figure was re-released later in the Shadows of the Dark Side packaging.  However, it is noteworthy that the repacked version is a brighter white, and seemingly not prone to yellowing, as both of my TLC figures have been.  That figure, for whatever reason, also included a hand-held blaster.  That SOTDS version is the preferable of the two, but you won’t get the BG-J38 piece with that one.

Credits

Carded sample on loan from the collection of Randy S

Build-A-Droid 

Spacetrooper contains the right leg of BG-J38.  This worker drone droid served as Jabba the Hutt’s personal dejarik and hologames droid.  Source:  Return of the Jedi

Verdict: No Action

Most likely because it was re-released (and improved upon!) in SOTDS, this figure is a standout from the hard-to-find TRU exclusive final wave of TLC in that it is NOT particularly expensive on the secondary market.  You can have one either carded or loose for maybe $20.  It’s a cool figure, and thankfully won’t break you if you want one today.

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.