Editor’s Note:  This review has been updated with our second look at TVC…

Original Review:  Chris - 8/5/12 7:13 PM

You take the good.  You take the bad.  You them both and there you have VC112 Sandtrooper.  At times brilliant and at times slightly missing the mark, this figure earns a fairly high mark due to the good outweighing the “meh”.  Before delving into the figure, I think it’s safe to say that Davin Felth must have compromising photos of some Hasbro executive.  For some reason, Sandtoopers have had a near omnipresence in the line since 2005.  Not only is the Vintage Collection bookended with Sandtrooper figures in the second and penultimate waves, but a black pauldroned Sandtrooper will appear in the inaugural Legacy Collection wave in 2013.  This is despite the fact that the aforementioned second wave figure played a large part in the slow decay of the line’s viability at brick and mortar retail.  Also, it’s sufficed to say Hasbro does not have a grasp of the difference between squad builders and army builders.  So why did the last wave of Vintage Collection have to go to online only distribution again?

Having said all of that, drawing any parallels between the VC14 Sandtrooper and this VC112 Sandtrooper would be a cheap shot.  VC14 was just wrong.  It was a figure without a classification stuck between Stormtrooper and Sandtrooper.  In his review on Jedi Temple Archives, Paul Harrison correctly points out that the iconic Sandtrooper is the orange pauldroned version.  This is the figure that should have been included in the second wave.  And one has to wonder if this was the figure that was carried forward and carried forward and carried forward, would the fate of the line have turned out differently? 

So I need to start off with what’s wrong with the figure.  I have to admit that I’d be oblivious to these were it not for our own admin and armor aficionado, Ruadh, who has pointed them out to me during my amateur customization attempts.  There are two obvious problems.  First is that Hasbro continues to include the Stormtrooper belt with their Sandtrooper figures despite having a readily available mold of the Sandtrooper belt from the 2005 Evolutions set.  Sandtooper belts have black pouches.  Stormtrooper belts have white pouches.  Use the right dang belt, Hasbro!  Now you might be saying “But Lunchbox, the card from the VC14 figure clearly shows a Sandtrooper wearing a Stormtrooper belt”.  Well, that’s because that card features a Sandtrooper added for the Special Edition and you’re a terrible person.  The orange pauldron Sandtrooper(s) of your memory wore the proper Sandtooper belt.  The next issue isn’t so readily correctable. The black pouch that hangs off the pauldron is actually supposed to be attached to the shoulder.  Since Sandtroopers appear to be a constantly tweaked fixture in the line-up, perhaps that black pouch could someday be moved to the correct location on the shoulder.  It would preferably be removable since not all Sandtroopers have this piece of equipment.  I’ve been complaining about the VOTC Stormtrooper left hand since it first appeared, and I’m still complaining about its rigidly sculpted and nearly closed grip.  A new hand would greatly improve all Sand/Storm Troopers going forward.

Once you excuse the imperfections that are only important to obsessive fanboys, you end up with the best Sandtrooper to date.  The collapsible stock of the E-11 blaster is great at any scale, but amazing at this scale.  The dirt and weathering on the figure are brilliant.  The inclusion of the security droid plus the ability to make appear floating is a nice addition if you prefer your editions special.  You should be well familiar with articulation on this figure by now.  The ball jointed hips really take the posability to the next level.  This is a figure that you’ve bought several times, but you should really buy it one more time.  9 out of 10.

P.S.  If “when the world never seems to be living up to your dreams” is now stuck in your head, I apologize.

Another great figure from wave 3 (or 4.5) from the Vintage Collection. I don’t think I have to go into too much detail and can let the pics speak for themselves.  One point deduction because it’s a little difficult to strike an aiming pose with the BlasTech A280.

Updated Review: Bret - 5/14/18. 07:05 AM

Chris was obviously in a rare mood to write when he did the original review.  And he was very correct to apologize for putting that song in my head.  He’s going to hear from HR soon.

As for the figure, it’s kind of taxing to critique the 476th sandtrooper figure that Hasbro has made over the past 20+ years.  Chris covered just about everything you need to know about what is important for Hasbro to cover when doing a Sandtrooper.  The main takeaway is that it is not okay to expect any collector to have the figure do double duty as a sandtrooper and stormtrooper.  They’re different.  Whether intentional, or just a byproduct of the hectic production behind Episode IV, they’re simply not the same.  VC112 also seems to be an apology for the ill-conceived VC14, which is the same exact sculpt, however that trooper is disturbingly clean as a whistle.  In my opinion, this is a much better colored figure, but Hasbro may have gone a bit overboard in the dirt and weathering aspect.  It’s sandy/dusty out there, not muddy.

If Hasbro fixed a couple of minor things, it might be perfect:

• The ammo pouch should be a separate piece from the shoulder pauldron, and removable (while leaving the pauldron in place) to accommodate for on-screen loadout variations.
• The belt should have black pouches
• The wrists should be ball joints, and the hands should be a less rigid plastic to better accommodate the all-important THWG.
• Careful with the dirt wash.  Something between a mud bath and random bird poop stains.  We definitely don’t want any clean sandtroopers.
• I’m not a huge fan of the style of ball jointed head.  It’s an overly large bright white ball, which unfortunately is too conspicuous when the helmet is moved around. (Note to Hasbro:  DO NOT MAKE A REMOVABLE HELMET SANDTROOPER)
• Again, don’t ever issue a sandtrooper figure meant to double as a stormtrooper.  Go all out and include the necessary sandtrooper-specific details.

Verdict:  No Action 

All that said, you’d think this was a terrible figure.  But I agree with Chris, in that all of those items combined only move the dial back a point or two.  This figure is about as close has Hasbro has come to a perfect sandtrooper.  The negatives are generally very minor, but fixing them would do wonders. The figure doesn’t have that much of a premium on ebay.  Even though there are things that could easily make this figure a 10, I think we’re good for a while.  No reason to take up a valuable Vintage Collection slot so soon.  There’s just not enough value to a new figure, given the small room for improvement.  We should be happy with the many variants we have, with which you can mix and match equipment to make a formidable squad of Sandtroopers.  Let’s hold the course for now.  On the other hand, if you’re talking a Rogue One version of the Jedha Patrol trooper...

One other note:  This figure was “pre-released” in the variant packaging pictured in the gallery above, as it was one of 6 figures included in the SDCC Carbon Chamber set, using throwback card art.  The same exact figure is reviewed here, as it was released shortly thereafter as VC122.

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.