Welcome to our review of the 2019 exclusive Imperial Jumptrooper from the Star Wars Black Series 6 inch action figure range. The Jumptrooper was exclusive to Gamestop stores in the United States, but across the rest of the world was available for specialist stores to order as a shared exclusive. It is the first exclusive to be directly supplied via Hasbro UK to the UK market and as such saw wider availability at a standard £19.99 RRP rather than the usual premium put on exclusives in the UK as retailers had to import them at cost from Hasbro in the Far East.
Packaging 3/5
The Jumptrooper arrives in the standard phase 3 red and black packaging. The figure had been called Rocket Trooper in some press and news stories pre-release, but Hasbro have settled on Imperial Jumptrooper as the name.
As the figure has been sold directly for the UK and European market, the tradeoff seems to be the use of over stickers on what we assume is the US packaging. The worst of these is a black strip on the front that cuts right across the Gregory Titus artwork and is applied at an angle on mine so it is not even straight.
On the back too is a further sticker covering the bottom quarter and now carrying the various word warning in select European languages.
Above this we do get a repeat of the Titus artwork and a short bio
"An elite squadron within the Imperial ranks, jumptroopers (also known as rocket troopers) were outfitted with jetpacks and utilized in tight spaces. They were trained to act in unison, often swarming and overwhelming their targets".
As you open the figure we find another relative first for the Jumptrooper, a packed in stand which sits nearly hidden at the base of the inner tray behind the artwork and name plate on the front of the box.
As this is a European release, we also find a folded safety leaflet tucked behind the figure tray as it is withdrawn.
Paint & Sculpt 4/5
The Jumptrooper is essentially the body of the previous released Imperial Stormtrooper from 2014. Onto this Hasbro have added a very nice new sculpted helmet which includes a more pronounced brow and ridge and breathing tubes in semi-flexible plastic that snake round to the backpack. The paint is neat and well executed with gloss black visors and grey and yellow trim across the helmet, with the usual blue on the two side vents.
The backpack itself is relatively small and cast in gloss white with a touch of paint detail to bring out the vents and boosters. It slots into the back of the figure by means of the hole the Imperial Stormtrooper has on the back of the torso.
The shoulder armour has been changed to an extended version, the left of which is cast in bright yellow to add a touch more colour to the figure. Onto these are applied Imperial decals.
Being the same body as the 2014 Stormtrooper, the rest of the figure carries the same design, construction and of course flaws. The armour is cast white and looks great and the suit underneath is then cast in or painted black for contrast. The legs remain a little bow logged and the holster is placed on the left of the body when the trigger hand for the blaster is on the right.
Accessories 3/5
Our Jumptrooper is armed with an E-11 Blaster, which is again an older and well used cast. As these Jumptroopers are based on their Star Wars Rebels appearance, and not Battlefront 2, the weapon choice is accurate.
The blaster is neatly painted too with a silver dry brush over the cast black. It fits into the right hand where there is a flexi trigger finger to slot into place. It will go in the left hand, just not as neatly. When not in use it slots into the holster on the belt.
And what about that stand? Well its certainly an innovative design and rather than a peg and hole solution, it has a sleeve at the front of the triangle into which the whole foot of one leg is designed to fit.
The fit is certainly not snug, but works for a good amount of neutral posing and some action poses where you can retain the balance of the figure by keeping both feet on the ground.
The trouble beyond this for say a running pose or a jump is that with such a loose fit and the foot sitting at the the point of the triangle is that the figure still topples too easily. While I applaud Hasbro for trying with these stands, I think they need to consider the shape/design if these are going to work going forward.
Articulation 3/5
We have 18 points of articulation on our Jumptrooper, although that does not equate into great articulation. The head is ball jointed and of course can rotate and pivot, but only within the constraints of those breathing tubes. Beneath this the torso joint allows for rotation of the upper body and also does give some ab crunch movement which I think is crucial for flying poses.
The arms are ball jointed at the shoulder, but held in place by that shoulder armour so they cant raise up the full distance we'd normally see. Beneath that the bicep swivel is also held back by the extension of the shoulder amour over them. As an older release we get to see the double elbow joint on the figure and the arms end with the pivot wrist.
The bow-legged legs start with a hip ball joint that is pretty much restricted to slight tweaks in position due to the leg armour, under this is a thigh swivel which can be rotated in and out to help leg stance. The knees are double jointed and the ankles on rockers.
The ankle rockers on our figure was stuck and had to be scraped clear of excess plastic. But aside from this the joints are tight and secure.
The figure has enough articulation for basic flying poses, which is great. If Hasbro wanted to include a stand in this figure, then I feel a good flight stand would have been a better inclusion as it really does bring the figure to life.
Summary
The Imperial Jumptrooper is a very good choice for an exclusive considering it is a niche character and a tweak to an existing sculpt. It also symbolises a couple of firsts for the UK at least when we see the price and availability from Hasbro UK - and of course that stand.
As a figure it looks great. Well sculpted, even considering the age of the body, and well coloured and painted. The articulation is a little lacking at shoulder and hips, but to make this work would have mean sacrificing the looks somewhat - so I guess the compromise is OK.
The figures issues are part inherited from the original Stormtrooper such as the bow-legs and the oddly placed holster. And also new, with that stand not delivering on what was originally promised. MIB collectors may also be disappointed with the way Hasbro UK are having to oversticker the boxes for the UK market, particularly if it remains so haphazard.
With that all considered, the Imperial Jumptrooper is going to score 3 out of 5 on our scale. A steady release with a few flaws.
