It’s become a ritual and it’s only the second year. Star Wars Force Friday is announced, I tell myself not to get crazy. The figures look good and I’m only going to buy one of each. One of each. Troopers. Troopers are meant to be in at least pairs, right? No, only get one. This Hovertank Pilot looks amazing, just get one. Open the figure. I NEED MORE!
I have no willpower when it comes to troopers. Stormtroopers, classic or First Order. Biker Scouts. Sandtroopers. Flametroopers. FO Snowtroopers. Clone Troopers. I have to buy at least two of each. At least. And if there is a model kit, add to the ranks because model plus trooper equals hog heaven for Robo. And now it looks like Rogue One is my Pandora’s Box, all of these trooper variations and ranks looking fantastic in their colors and armors.
So when it was announced that Toys R Us would have an exclusive Hovertank Pilot available on Force Friday, I knew that would have to be my first stop. And I’m glad I did because my Walmarts did a whole lot of nothing as far as Force Friday is concerned. It was treated as any ol’ stock night, with only a couple stores getting anything even Star Wars related. So to see Toy R Us throw a little party, even if it was for only four or five of us diehards, warmed my Wookiee-loving heart. Getting a tank driver was even better.
The package is what we’re used to with the Black Series line. Black and red. I’m kind of surprised a new color scheme wasn’t rolled out for a new movie, but maybe that honor is reserved for the numbered episode movies. Or Hasbro just really likes how the red makes the figure pop in the package. I can’t blame them for that if that’s even a smidge close to the truth.
This figure isn’t numbered because of it’s exclusivity. But I’m after the figure, so out of the package it comes.
The sculpting is great. Yes, it’s slightly soft around the edges because it’s a mass-market retail figure, but all the little details are there. The figure cuts a mean silhouette, looking like an battle worn soldier in a half suit of armor. Which, after hanging around with a member of the 501st at several conventions over the summer and hearing about the restrictions of the classic Stormtrooper armor firsthand, sitting is a luxury when it comes to the Empire. But that’s a design choice and it’s perfectly represented from screen to plastic here. Even the undershirt is ribbed and the pants have a fabric texture.
Yeah, I just made you look at figure crotch. You can send hate mail to Pabs.
But those two shots emphasize something that catches my eye and makes me like this figure even more. Weathering. The armor on this figure looks dirty and I appreciate that. It adds a little extra oomph to what could have been a clean-as-a-whistle, slightly boring trooper. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Death Star inspection spit-shined troopers too but the grubbiness of Rogue One is adding to my overall excitement. It’s old-school ’70s/’80s Star Wars again. Bring it on! So the toys matching that grunge tugs at my nostalgics.
I’m just making up phrases at this point. That’s how much I’m digging this figure, it’s caused my sentencing to wanderize. I’m digging it muchly.
The tank pilot comes with only one accessory, which seems to be a modified E-11 blaster rifle. Like I said, I’ve been hanging with the 501st, so I fear my tech knowledge that doesn’t extend much further than the OT Stormtrooper. But the sculpt is very close to the blaster that came with the first Black Series trooper, just modified in a couple of spots.
You can see the addition of what I now know to be a flashlight on the right side of the barrel, while the clip on the left side is thinner and longer than the original. Not a huge difference but just that little extra appreciated mile.
Best of all, the tank pilot can hold the gun in a natural position. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but after the First Order Stormtrooper’s difficulty in doing that seemingly simple task this is a triumph, especially since this trooper shares the same hinge-and-swivel elbows. Gone are the days of double-jointed goodness in the arms of troopers, I think.
The shoulders here are impressive in that the shoulder armor tucks into the body when you raise the arms up, allowing for full range up to horizontal, along with the ability to hold the gun straight out in front of the figure with both hands. That’s a lot of words to say “it’s ding-dang arms move real nice.” Check the video review for fewer words and more action.
The rest of the articulation is great. Amazing range in the torso, double knees, up and down hinge on the right wrist. Even the little armor bits hanging down from the belt are made of a soft material so it doesn’t affect forward movement of the leg.
Sculpt, paint, articulation — they all come together to give the figure a nice, natural look in a lot of poses.
All that we’re missing now is a Hovertank …
Comparing to an Original Trilogy Stormtrooper, the size seems to be slightly small, but then again, the OT Stormy is old and a little bulky and oddly proportioned. And that’s not me hating it; I am still very fond of it despite my love for the model kit version. But I would not say no to a new version for Rogue One.
So, do I like the Hovertank Pilot? Well, it’s the only Black Series figure I’ve opened since Force Friday despite also getting a Death Trooper, K-2SO, and Cassian Andor. I have messed with it constantly over the past two days. And most importantly, I like this figure enough to pass on the S.H. Figuarts version. Yeah, process that. I think it’s the sculpted pant details and weathering on the Black Series as opposed to the clean smoothness of the SHF that wins me over. Yes, the Black Series is missing those cool designation stripes across the upper body and shoulder pads but we’re talking about Hasbro. This trooper shares the same armor as the Scarif Stormtrooper who is also getting the one-two punch of a figure in the regular line and then a Walmart exclusive paint deco, so I gotta believe that another version of the tank driver will get made too. I’m begging you, Hasbro. And if you do not listen, then to hell with you! I will paint it myself!
That’s a Conan the Barbarian reference for no good reason, so unbunch.
Bottom line: Figure good. Go find. Buy. Be happy.
