Three Troop Builder Packs I Would Like To See

Posted by Chris on 07/06/22 at 07:05 AM Category: Vintage Collection

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I have been vocal that the last three troop builder packs have left me underwhelmed. The Phase I Clone Trooper pack missed the opportunity to include the needed Captain and Commander ranks. The Death Trooper pack lacks any newness, and the Rebel Soldier (Echo Base Battle Gear) pack wasn't a pressing need. None of this means that the troop builder pack expression still doesn't have a lot of life left in it. Hasbro just needs to expand the search. I have to be honest that two of these probably face long odds of being realized, but wish lists are unencumbered by practical constraints.

VC26 - Rebel Commando

We've already featured this figure as part of our Repack Request series HERE. It's odd that Hasbro tooled up an army builder, but is then letting that tooling languish. The original figure was released in 2010, and then released as a running change the following year as the black Rebel Commando, which is the more difficult of the two to acquire today. Both need to be re-released, and two additional head sculpts to complete the 4-pack would be incredible. This is the exact type of thing we've been asking for with arm builders that have exposed faces so it doesn't look like we have an army of clones...well...except for the ones that are actual clones. Mixing up the soft goods so that two of the figures come with the short sleeve coat would be a massive win. I would order many.

VC231 - Stormtrooper

And everyone reading this said, "no duh," in unison. This is the most obvious trooper builder pack candidate in the history of action figures. The upcoming Walmart VC231 - Stormtrooper is too good not to be widely and continuously available, but therein lies the problem. I have to imagine that Walmart's deal has some sort of exclusivity with the sculpt. Here's hoping that exclusivity deal is as short as Emperor Palpatine's reign. Well, as short as Yoda said it was going to be until Palpatine thew the Senate at him.

BD56 - Dark Trooper

If the above is a fantasy due to Walmart's exclusivity claims, this is probably a bigger fantasy due to an another reason. I really can't stand unsubstantiated collector conspiracy theories for the most part, but one is getting too conspicuous to ignore. Until proven otherwise, I'm operating under the assumption that the tooling assets from 2008 - 2009, that weren't re-issued during TVC 1.0, have either been lost or have degraded. But if the tooling is still accessible and viable, is there anyone who got enough of this figure when it was available? It was impossible to find as a popular army builder in a Toys R Us exclusive wave.