We have a lot of ground to cover here, so I feel like it’s best to start with some pro/con bullet lists for you non-reading types.  You can skim the bullets and then get on with your day.  Sound good?

Pros:

• Arm articulation is a revelation
• This is the best example of being able to pose ball jointed hips into a perfect neutral pose in the history of the line
• The white belt pouches cover the gap in the thigh armor as accurately as the full costume
• Those same pouches are completely pliable and do not hinder the articulation at all
• Sculpting lines are well defined and crisp
• Excellent range of motion at the knees

Cons:

• This is perhaps the most conspicuous lack of rocker ankles in the history of the line
• The shin armor flares too much where it meets the ankle, giving a “bell bottoms” appearance
• The helmet appears to be a nanotick undersized

Neutral:

• Due to a nitpicky technicality, this figure is specifically sourced only to Rogue One

First let’s talk about the elephant in the room:  this Stormtrooper lacks a holster.  That is accurate to its intended source of Rogue One as the Stormtroopers seen on Jedha and Scarif decided to forego the accessory, but this does somewhat limit the use of the figure as a truly accurate OT Stormtrooper.  Somewhat.  I was discussing the subject with John A, admin of the Vintage Collection Facebook Group, when I incorrectly said that all OT Stormtroopers wore holsters.  He pointed out that some Stomrtoopers in Return of the Jedi were also holster-less, and offered THIS IMAGE as definitive proof, as it clearly shows Stormtroopers with no holsters hanging off the port side of their belts.  Do you need more convincing?  The 501st Legion’s costume database for the ROTJ TK Stormtrooper lists the holster as optional, whereas it’s a requirement for armor based on Episodes IV and V.  So you can use this figure for Return of the Jedi displays, right?  Well, it depends how much you like to pick nits.  The abdominal armor on this figure is specific to the Rogue One Stormtrooper.  You can see a comparison of the two ab armors in THIS IMAGE.  Nitpicky?  Yes.  But Hasbro did make the effort to nail this particular detail, and that is commendable.  However in the truest sense, it locks this Stormtrooper into Rogue One.  Now does something this minor matter in this scale?  Not really.

While we’re speaking about the aesthetics, as mentioned above, I personally feel the helmet is ever so slightly under-scaled (but I’m not very confident in this opinion).  As Hasbro mentioned when the figure was announced at San Diego Comic Con 2018, the helmet has been ported over from the much-lauded helmet on the Rogue One line 5POA Stormtrooper.  That figure seems a tiny fraction more slender, and thus the helmet is minutely better proportioned.  I personally think the helmet on the VC143 Han Solo (Stormtrooper) figure is the new standard bearer when it comes to 3.75” Stormtrooper figures.  Your opinion may differ.  We will have to settle it in Thunderdome like gentlemen.  For the next gripe, we have to start with story time.  As your Northeast-based hosts of Bantha Skull will likely never travel to SDCC, we had to watch the stream of the Hasbro presentation.  I’ve been campaigning for an all new Stormtrooper for almost a decade.  When this new Stormtrooper was shown, Mr. Nomadscout texted me asking, “Are you alive?”  (i.e. did I die of joyful shock?)  My reply was, “I don’t know.”  I wasn’t sure if I loved this figure and the reason was the prodigious “bell bottom” flare at the bottom of the shin armor.  It still bothers me now that I have the figure in hand, but it’s not a deal-breaker.  The shin-to-ankle transition is aesthetically better on the VC41 based Stormtrooper figures. 

Now, let’s talk articulation.  This is some articulation.  The arm articulation is a joy.  The elbows bend beyond ninety degrees and that is a bit of a “Kumbaya” moment in the 3.75” scale.  Combine this with the ball jointed wrists and you can snap the figure from one shooting pose with the E-11 blaster to the next.  Speaking of which, the figure’s trigger finger isn’t quite long enough to fit inside the accessory’s trigger guard. The lower body has just as much articulation as the upper body, but the demise of rocker ankles in the 3.75” scale has never been more missed than on this figure.  Whenever the legs are placed in extreme combat poses, the figure’s foot is conspicuously riding on edge, and it breaks the illusion a bit.  You can definitely get the figure in aggressive fighting stances, but it takes a bit of trial and error to get there.  Some figures beg to be posed.  I can’t say that about this figure.  It takes some minor effort.

I love this figure. I could even say I’m in love with this figure, but I’m keeping my options open.  We won’t be sending out “save the date” notifications.  This means I won’t be an “I’ll buy everyone I see” army builder, but I will get a case of them at least, and despite the Rogue One specifics, it will be my “go to” Stormtrooper.  For now at least.  The “definitive” status we’ve selected for the info block is because this is the definitive Rogue One Stormtrooper, but a definitive OT Stormtrooper still awaits.  Due to the issues noted above, I can’t give this figure a perfect score, but it earns a 9 out of 10.

At the time of this review, this figure is available from site sponsor Entertainment Earth:

Star Wars Vintage Collection Stormtrooper Action Figure (sponsored)

If you’re reading this review some time in the future, you’re likely only option is the secondary market: