We were hoping Bandai would get more into “never before made” territory in their Star Wars S.H. Figuarts line, but I’m not going to deny it; I’ll buy another Stormtrooper and Darth Vader. Slave to the plastic…
That or I’m a complete sucker. Probably a bit of both.
The A New Hope Stormtrooper looks to use most of the Rogue One Stormtrooper body, if not all of it, but the helmet seems to be tweaked. Eyes slightly smaller, thinner overall, the stubs on both sides of the chin different. Honestly, I passed on the RO Trooper because of the bucket, but this is more up my alley.
Rogue One on the left, A New Hope on the right.
It also comes with new weapons besides the trusty E-11.
And then something Bandai has missed so far: the holster. Such a forgettable thing but useful when there’s extra guns.
I eventually kind of regretted passing on the updated trooper so this is perfect for me. Always need new Stormtroopers!
MSRP is about $57 and releases in October.
Then there’s this guy…
Like the Stormtrooper, this Vader reuses a lot from the previous version, which was a drastic improvement over Bandai original effort. But also like the trooper, this Vader seems to improve the helmet, which I had my gripes with, while also focusing on the chest box.
A New Hope on the left, Return of the Jedi on the right.
Other features to make it Return of the Jedi inspired is the unmasked head, along with a removable dome and severed hand. I have to say, the sculpt for the exposed wires at the wrist is really gummy and soft but it’s something I never display.
I’m happier with the tweaked helmet but the torso gap still stands out at me. I know, it’s functional and can be hidden with a cloth robe replacement, but I wanted to point it out. Not that it’s going to stop me, just look at this thing.
Tricky Bandai, sneaking these in. That’s a little more confirmation that they are coming, right? RIGHT??
Vader’s price is closer to $60 and also releases in October. No word on when pre-orders go up, but the listings say “Coming soon will be canceled at general retailers (presence or absence of reservation handling depends on the dealer)” Hmmm…
It also says ” By combining with the “SH Figuarts Luke Skywalker (Episode VI)” resold the same month, the climax of the climax scene in the play is at its peak!” So I guess that means Jedi Luke is seeing another re-release?
