Cross-posted to Fanmode

There’s clearly something about Imperial Stormtroopers that inspires affection. Witness the crowds drawn to Danny Choo’s grooving in Japan, the 501st Legion‘s devotion or the amusing Flickr group. The what and the why remain obscure.

Is it their everyman quality? None of us have a Jedi’s superpowers and few of us have a Corellian smuggler’s cool. But an endearingly incompetent underling who is embarrassed by teddy bears and tricksy doors, and has a manipulative evil boss? We could all be that guy.

Perhaps it’s the outfit that appeals. Simple, cool and immediately recognisable, the Stormtrooper armour has become iconic in the 30 years since the release of the first movie.

Whatever the reason, Stormtroopers are inarguably, if improbably, popular.

Toy-wise, the Stormtrooper has had many a figure with varying results. The vintage Kenner figure was a decent attempt for its time, the Power of the Force 2 line featured a ridiculously buffed up Stormtrooper and there are sixth-scale figures costing over a hundred dollars if your Stormtrooper fixation runs particularly deep.

Hasbro’s latest Imperial Stormtrooper figure is the 20th figure in its 2007 Star Wars 30th Anniversary Collection line. The line features strong sculpts and improved articulation at kid-friendly prices. The Imperial Stormtrooper is typical of the line but not without its disappointments.
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