Hasbro – Star Wars Black Series Sandtrooper (Black Pauldron)

Rounding out Hasbro’s Star Wars Black Series wave 5 is the Sandtrooper from Episode 1V: A New Hope. While this is a brand new release, the only thing here that’s truly “new” is the paint, or, rather, the lack thereof, on the figure’s pauldron (shoulder pad-thing). The Sandtrooper from wave 1 was a squad leader, as designated by the orange coloring of the pauldron, so there wouldn’t be too many of them out in the field among the troops. Still, pauldron designations didn’t stop many of us from army-building the heck out of him because new, hotly anticipated line + something very close to a Stormtrooper = many fans went a little bananas, and many displays are now adorned with quite a few orange pauldrons.

The thing is, though, that this new version of the Sandtrooper is the actual “army builder” because the black pauldron is for the enlisted troops, not the squad leaders, so hopefully this figure will appear in similar numbers to the first release. Since this figure comes packed with three other highly sought-after figures (Darth Vader, Jedi Luke, and Chewbacca), there’s a good chance this guy may be released in good numbers. So let’s take a look at this new Sandtrooper and see how he compares to the wave 1 release!

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The packaging is all-new for this wave, and that blue detailing is darn eye-catching and difficult to resist. I didn’t think I’d be picking up another Sandtrooper, but when I saw this guy at Walgreens, I couldn’t resist. What’s also interesting here, and something I’ve never noticed before so it may not be “new” and just new to me, is the Disney logo on the back of the box. Even though this deal has been in place for a while now, it’s still crazy to see a Disney logo on a piece of Star Wars merchendice. It makes sense, but still. Weird.

Again, this is the same figure as the wave 1 Sandtrooper. His pauldron is an unpainted black, and his weathering is a bit lighter, but that it — those are the only differences. His weapons and backpack are also exactly the same, right down to the paint apps.

I find that I prefer the lighter weathering of this new version. In comparison, the wave 1 figure is almost too weathered, and the yellow is a bit off-putting. Now, this never bothered me before, mind you. I was perfectly happy with my wave 1 Sandtroopers, but now that I have these side-by-side, I definitely prefer the lighter weathering effects applied to the new figure, but, just to be clear, that is solely based on personal preference, so your mileage will definitely vary here. I’m not sure if I plan to add more of this version to my Sandtrooper army, but I may snag just one more because I do like the weathering effects.

Since this figure, aside from some other more subtle deco details, is the exact same figure we got in wave 1, the determining factor here in terms of value is the pauldron — is the black pauldron worth the $19.99 retail price this figure commands? Many collectors made their own black pauldrons simply by slapping some black paint over the orange. That’s the road I may take here — having several blacks and one orange makes more sense for a troop, so the much cheaper black-paint route is making a lot of sense here.

What do you think? Is this version worth picking up? Share your thoughts below!

Oh yeah — this figure is currently popping up at Walgreens stores, but it should be widely available at all retailers that carry the line very soon. Happy hunting!

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