Review : Snow Trooper Officer (Toys R Us Exclusive), The Force Awakens (2015) Star Wars Black Series

One of the things The Force Awakens seems to be doing so well is evolving the various Imperial Storm Trooper types into the First Order troops of 30 years later. I love the basic Storm Trooper upgrade and am really pleased that the Snow Trooper has been given the same treatment.

We will be getting the basic Snow Trooper from the Force Awakens in a later wave, but Toys R Us have picked up the Snow Trooper Officer as an exclusive.

The Snow Trooper Officer arrives in the standard Black Series Red & Black box, but with a few changes to the standard releases. First off there is no number on the red panel or on the reverse, this is replaced simply by the Character name repeated four times in four different languages. Toys R Us have also added a silver disc to the front of the box which is emboss stamped as exclusive with the R from the Toys R Us logo in the centre. This is a nice point of difference for MIB collectors, and I hope perhaps the other exclusives follow a similar design.

Once unpacked you are presented with the Trooper itself, a blaster and a back pack. The Trooper stands 6" tall so is comparable to the standard First Order Trooper. The helmet is reminiscent of the Empire Strikes Back Snow Troopers with its swept back section, but the face plate has been updated to the ipod age and is very sleek down to what we assume are two breathing apparatus. The eye visor is reduced to a very thin black strip directly between the head piece and the front face plate. The helmet on mine had another couple of dings, like the ones I found on Phasma, which is disappointing. There is also a visible seam on the helmet where it has been cast as two pieces and then joined. That being said the helmet is nicely decorated with the breathing valves painted silver, and some black decals or panels either side of the chin and across the rear of the helmet.

The point of difference on this figure vs the standard release is the addition of the Officer Pauldron, an idea taken from the Sand Troopers in A New Hope, expanded upon to a degree in Revenge of the Sith & Clone Wars and established recently in Rebels. The Pauldron is case it a black softer plastic and is a seperate piece which slots over the neck before the head is added. The Pauldron will see use again in the upcoming Amazon 4-pack where it will be included on a standard Storm Trooper - time will tell if this is the exact same piece or if a new one is moulded per trooper type? The orange is a lot darker than that used on the Sand Trooper, it almost looks red in some lights, and is painted very neatly into the panel with a uniform black trim left round the outside.

Unlike the Flame Trooper, which borrows a lot of parts from the standard First Order Trooper, the Snow Trooper is made up of completely new armour pieces that are exclusive to the Snow Trooper designation. The chest piece is a rounded piece broken only by a recessed control panel or access panel of sorts - which again is an element taken directly from the Original Trilogy Snow Trooper

The chest armour sits overlaps a similar piece that extends down the back of the figure into which there is the socket to attach the back pack. The back pack again is based on the Imperial Snow Trooper design and sits neatly into the socket to complete the figure. Both shoulders have a smooth shoulder pad and a set of bracers that cover the whole forearm.

Around the waist of the figure is a utility belt, from which also flows the skirt which is another familiar element. The skirt, like the under clothing, are a slighly matt finish vs the glossier armour which allows for some variance in colour and finish on what is essentially a white figure. The skirt also has two ribbed panels built in at either side which break up the smooth design and add some texture. Under the skirt is an armoured cod piece and then what appear to be a quilted/insulated pair of trousers go down to some boots. For an entirely white figure, the paint is well applied with the various black panels picked out with no splash or paint bleed and with decals all picked out neatly on the chest area.

Articulation starts of ever so slightly disappointingly as the head is pretty much fixed in position due to the rear of the helmet and the pauldron. Things look up at the shoulders which use the method of sliding the shoulder armour into the torso when the arms are raised. That means the the Snow Trooper can get the arms out to the side, although not a full 90 degrees. The elbows rotate and bend, and at a push a two handed weapon pose can be achieved - although a larger rifle would be required.

The Torso is jointed under the chest armour so can be tweaked to either side. The legs are held back by the skirt to a degree, but the skirt has a degree of flexibility so the legs can get into a running or kneeling position thanks to ball jointed hips, thigh swivels and double jointed knees. The feet are jointed but held pretty much in place by the overhang of the boot covers - not that this figure needs much tweaking to stand up, he is pretty stable at all times.

The blaster is not the standard First Order Storm Trooper issue, but is the same larger version that Phasma carries. It is cast in what looks to be black plastic, with white trim painted on top with some parts picked out in silver - very neatly done.

So not a lot wrong with the figure? Well no, not really. The only negative I have mentioned is a bit of blocked articulation and the slight defects in the helmet. Without looking like I am becoming a TFA fan-boy with not a bad word to say (I can assure you I am not), this is my third 5 out of 5 figure from TFA so far. I also look forward to adding a squad of regular troopers behind this officer AND (no pressure Hasbro) hopefully seeing them release an Original Trilogy Snow Trooper into the range.

If you can find this figure - then don't hesitate, pick him up now as we have no idea how exclusive or rather limited this chap will be.