Box Back and Side (click to enlarge)
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Box Back and Side (click to enlarge)
| Catalog Entry | |
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Catalog Description:
STORMTROOPER (11 3/4") Soldier of the Imperial Empire. The fearsome drone of DARTH VADER's menacing legion.
Image Source: 1980 Meccano (French) Print Advertisement |
Description:
Let's face it, Stormtroopers were so cool looking that it was pretty tough to make a lame toy out of one. But Kenner accomplished just that with their large size Stormtrooper action figure. The thing had a measly six points of articulation: at the hips, shoulders and wrists. And, sadly, as was the case with the 33/4" version of the character, the head was immobile, so poor Stormtrooper couldn't even turn to look at the scenery as he was cruising along in his Imperial Troop Transporter or atop his Dewback. Consequently, the figure was woefully unposable; even with the movable wrists, it was tough to get it to hold its rifle with both hands. And don't get me started on that "holster." It's just a freakin' thread!
I'm sure tons of folks love this figure. And, I will admit, it does look pretty neat when posed beside Vader or set up with a squad of identical figures. But that doesn't excuse its mediocrity as a toy. It could have been a lot cooler.
Like all of these large figures, the Stormtrooper is no easy find in unused, packaged condition. Loose, however, it's fairly common, though many unpackaged examples have yellowed and the wrists have often been victimized by a process known as "vinyl migration," which renders them goopy, as though they've been melted. The Stormtrooper is among those large size figures rumored to have been issued in an Empire Strikes Back box. Very few examples have surfaced and it's still somewhat uncertain whether or not it was released in this packaging.
First Issued: 1979 (SW packaging)
Re-issues: 1980 (ESB packaging)*
* = Commercial Release Uncertain
| Parts List |
| 1 rifle |
| Black thread "holster," attached to hip |
