Modern Biker Scout

Return of The Jedi really took the Imperial designs in a different direction with ones like the Biker Scouts and more so with the Royal Guards, but this profile is about the former. The Biker Scout’s been a guy who’s gotten his fair share of good toys, but the 2006 sculpt is the one I’m looking at today.

This is a really nice figure for the time he’s from. I think there was a lot of interesting stuff Hasbro was making then, but the quality on a lot of the mid-2000’s figures is a noticeable step down from what we expect nowadays (not to say newer is better, it isn’t always). Frankly, this figure has all of the articulation he needs, he’s plenty accurate, and the paint’s pretty good too. It’s really no wonder Hasbro sold this one for so many years, as this figure really doesn’t need too much updating. Hasbro’s recent/upcoming Black Series version tries to update this one a tad, but from my point of view you really don’t get much more with that one than you do with this older and cheaper one.

I really like the way Star Wars Battlefront uses these guys as snipers too. I think it fits them well, and it fills a hole in the Imperial army. All in all, this is a fun figure and all it really needs to be.

Kenner R2-D2

The original R2-D2 is a captivating figure. I’ve already expressed here how I’m a huge fan of R5-D4, but I like him for different reasons than the ones I think make R2 attractive. There’s something nice in R5-D4 as a representation of a generic astromech in Kenner form. R2 on the other hand, has a lot of character for a droid that speaks in beeps and boops.

I can’t call R2 an awesome sculpt like so many other vintage figures, given that there isn’t much of a sculpt to this one with most of his details being represented by a flat sticker. It’s so peculiar, yet it’s those sorts of oddities that really make this stuff interesting to me. As good a figure as Kenner was capable of sculpting, the sticker is probably sharper than anything they would’ve been able to do in 1977.

Perhaps the sticker could be attributed to the figure’s chrome head, which would’ve drained his budget a good bit. The dome is easily the most eye-catching part of this figure, and the painted bits over the chrome also go a long way to really breathe some life into this one. Another ingenious aesthetic decision was to ratchet the head, making the toy feel more mechanical when playing with it. In the end of the day, it’s a toy that’s cool for the amount of thought put into its design, it’s unique, and stands out to me for that.

Kenner Rebel Commando

Prior to my acquisition of him, the Rebel Soldier from ROTJ didn’t interest me as much. That’s not to say I had no interest in the figure, but he’s the kind that looks bland from the surface, yet upon further inspection is such a pleasant surprise.

I think this figure’s problem is that he’s a tad generic for a Star Wars design. He looks like a generic, green army man with little to distinguish him. Then again, it’s not like that’s a bad thing, rather I think it has a place in the line when so many of the designs are so outlandish. Perhaps a soft-goods piece like Endor Han had would’ve taken this figure a bit further, but he’s still a fine soldier that could be imagined in many scenarios besides Endor. It helps level things out for the Rebels when the Empire already had so many grunts.

This figure’s blaster is one of the best the line had to offer. I think it really shows how much Kenner had improved their quality by the time this figure was made. It’s a good looking gun brimming with little details, and by modern standards still looks pretty good. The strap nicely adds to the figure as well, allowing him to also carry the gun over his shoulder.

TPM Nute Gunray

Sadly, I feel like there’s something negative to be said when The Phantom Menace pops up on any occasion. If this were 1999, I can’t say for sure I’d have any interest in this figure, especially given the high retail price of these figures ($7 seems like a dream now, but fourteen year ago that was kind of high.). Years later, I find there is something to come back to with a few of these figures, Nute Gunray in particular.

Nute hasn’t seen but a few toy releases over the years, but I guess it’s understandable given the character isn’t too action oriented. This figure fits my needs for the character, featuring a fine sculpt on his robes, and good paint details in general. I do wish he featured some soft goods which would give him a much better range of motion in his arms, as the way he is the figure is very bulky and practically a statue. It also seems like a bit of a shame he didn’t include any parts, which I think was an issue with the line overall.

Again, back in the day this figure might not have seemed half as interesting, but time can change the way you look at things. For pocket change, he’s a fun character and a figure that’s aged well. From the Episode I line, this guy stands out as a bit of a gem.