Recommended music: INXS – Suicide Blonde
“Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear.” “Better late than never” also works for our first #StarWarsSaturday of the year. Tonight, we’re heading back to the snowy plains of Hoth during The Empire Strikes Back. From the Hasbro Star Wars: Shadow Of The Dark Side line, it’s another Hoth Rebel Trooper!
Rebel pilots and gunners are in their ships, while other troopers stand ready at their battle stations for the ground assault. The shield is down, and the ion cannon has fired. When things look bleakest for the Rebellion, Wedge Antilles and his gunner, Wes Janson, manage to use their harpoons and tow cables to bring down an AT-AT. You can spot a pair of Rebel Troopers running through the chaos, one of whom is carrying a standalone cannon.
This unnamed Rebel Trooper also appeared in Hasbro’s Defense of Hoth 3-Pack, which came with an anti-vehicle cannon, a laser tower, K-3PO, and another Rebel Trooper. The set was a great deal when it came out, since the Shadow of the Dark Side line had many repacks and launched alongside The Vintage Collection in fall 2010.
This figure is a slight repaint of the 2009 Hoth Rebel Trooper from The Legacy Collection. This time, the goatee and hair are blonde rather than the earlier, darker color. It would have been nice if Hasbro had made this head look like one of the blonde-mustached soldiers from the movie, but it still brings some variety to your troops. The figure was also released later in 2010 as part of the Target-exclusive The Vintage Collection Special Action Figure Set. That version in the 9-pack is identical to this one, so I won’t cover it in a separate post.
The Empire Strikes Back turned 45 last May! I “figure” there will be a new Episode V figure to share here for the rest of the anniversary year. Happy 45 years and counting to TESB!
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