Fashionable Clones

So I picked up these Stormtroopers on an Ebay auction a while ago listed as “Fashionable Clones”. Given, it’s pretty apparent what these are, but I’ll go with fashionable, since at the end of the day these are very attractive figures.

So in the set, you get a white trooper and a black one, a Shadow Stormtrooper if you will. The package comes with a bubble amusingly shaped like a Stormtrooper helmet, and a card that would feature a lot of random art bits making it seem equal part tasteless and hilarious. I especially like the art snagged from Star Wars Battlefront’s cover in the top corner there.

The figures themselves seem to mock Kenner’s construction on these guys, hard plastic torsos with soft limbs. As you might expect it feels really cheap, the soft parts especially are too pliable which I find nerve-wracking, though they seem to be holding up well so it might just be my own paranoia. The blasters included are made of a nice, hard plastic, and are comparable to at least your average reproduction blaster. Lastly, the paint applications are of good quality on both of my two figures, they’re at least on par with anything Hasbro might make.

The white Stormtrooper looks almost just like the original, but definitely doesn’t feel the same in terms of plastic quality. A big issue is also that his stance is very narrow, which I am afraid to attempt fixing given I don’t want to risk breaking the plastic anywhere. A shame but no big deal given this guy provides great squad fodder without breaking the bank.  Were the Emperor to arrive, I’m sure the old man wouldn’t spot him in a crowd.

Real Kenner Stormtrooper on the right.

The “Shadow Stormtrooper”, is the real gem of this set, and mind you he looks very fashionable. He has the same quality issues as the white one, but the figure is far more interesting and unique. He is cast entirely in black plastic, with silver details painted on his eyes and chin. He makes a very interesting compliment to a collection of Kenner Imperials, given how iconic the Stormtrooper is. I do wish that he might have included a blue blaster to break up some of the black and contrast a bit more, but this is a small problem that can be easily remedied.

All in all, this is both an interesting and cool set. For what these are, they are of quality better than you might expect, and it’s also nice to be able to fill out a squad of Kenner Stormies with these that cost you a fraction of the price. They’re fairly common now, but down the road these might become more sought after once Episode VII comes out and the supply dries up. I recommend it if you're into collecting figures of the... less official kind.