The Black Series 6" #03 Sandtrooper

I passed on Darth Maul, as I only want to have OT figures in this line. Maul is #02, so skipping him brings us to this guy.

It's no secret that over the past few years we have had more than our fill of Sandtroopers! After the peg warming disaster in 2011, most of us were not too excited to hear that Hasbro planned a Sandtrooper for the first wave of the 6" line. that all changed when the figures for this line hit the shelves! Just seeing the figure in the package makes you want to buy this figure. My opinion is this figure is the BEST in the wave. The deco, the articulation and loads of accessories make this one a worth while purchase.



The figure comes with three different weapons. Two Rifles and the standard Blastech E-11 pistol.



The pauldron is removable, as well as the backpack. The ammo pouch that rests on the troopers shoulder is also removable. There is a hole in the backpack that it snaps into.




Hasbro really seemed to get it right with this figure. There are some differences between the Sandtrooper and Stormtrooper armor, and all of these are represented well. The scale is great, and there is more articulation on this figure than expected. Neck, head, arms, biceps, wrists, torso, hips, quads, knees and ankles! Ball jointed shoulders and hips at that. The neck joint is the same as Luke, although the ball is a different size. An easy head swap to make a Luke Stormtrooper will not work, but I am sure if the line is successful we will get one soon enough. The feature to move the head up and down as well as left to right allows a lot of pose-ability. This figure also lacks a joint at the waist. Hasbro seems to prefer a ball jointed torso instead of standard swivel waist joints. I think for 20.00 a figure, we should get both!



Now, some guys may complain about the deco. Like the other figures, there have been several reports of different paint apps. I bought two of the Sandtrooper, and both of mine have practically identical paint. There is a lot of dirt on the helmet. Honestly a bit too much, compared to the rest of the body. There are also some strange red markings around the lower torso, on one arm, and under both eyes. I know it is to represent sand, but I have never seen RED sand. I tried to show that in some photos, but I think my flash washed most of it out.



There is one thing that should be pointed out as a flaw. The pins used to hold the joints in place are white. Which is fine, when they go through WHITE armor. Not so much when the black body suite has a white pin showing. The joints also look somewhat out of place because the whole figure has a dirty wash applied. This does not apply to the pins used in the joints, or the ankles, so you have a dirty wash with bright clean white spots showing through. You should be able to see these in the photo below.



Now, something that will no doubt be a concern. The price point. 20.00 a figure makes troop building a bit on the expensive side. I have seen guys throw down 100.00 plus and assemble a pretty nice squad. I bought two. Would I like to buy at least one more? Yes. However I think I will hold off for the inevitable repaint. Hasbro will no doubt re issue this figure with other color pauldrons. I would LOVE to see this guy come with a Dewback! Are there other companies that can give you a 6" or larger scale figure for the same price? Yes. Are they better quality with better articulation? That is open for debate. If your looking for a great Star Wars figure that has more to offer than a 3 3/4 figure, pick this figure up. If you can find one! This seems to be the most popular in the wave. After buying two of them myself, I can see why. At least if you buy more than one you have options. You can give them each a different weapon, take the ammo pouch off of one, or take the pauldron and pack off and make him the enlisted trooper. Others have already custom painted the pauldrons black and white to represent every rank. So far with the Black Series 6" line, this is my favorite figure.

Please click the link to enjoy more photos of the Sandtrooper, as well as the Luke and R2-D2 figures from the 6" Black Series
https://s1135.photobucket.com/user/djw121/library/Black%20Series%20wave%201