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First Order Flametrooper

October 5, 2016 | By Errex More

Even though we got to see a myriad of specialized troopers back in the Original Trilogy days, one of the more interesting First Order trooper designs we got to see in the Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie is that of the Flametrooper.

The figure I’ll be reviewing today is from the 3.75-inch line, which means it has the now customary five points of articulation (swivel hips, swivel shoulders and ball jointed head).

The Flametrooper sculpt captures perfectly the new armor design, including the added bulk on the torso. The helmet has a very minimalist design, with smooth, flowing curves and a really thin visor.

The figure has a fairly relaxed pose from the waist up, but the legs are sculpted in a slightly dynamic pose, with feet wide apart and the left foot placed in a slightly forward stance, which causes some instability when you try to make the Flametrooper stand without his gear on, as neither foot is sculpted to rest flat on the ground.

The Flametrooper is equipped with a three-canister backpack (normally, two of them would contain the fuel while the thrid one would hold a propellant), and a flamethrower gun that has a flexible rubber hose that connects to the backpack.

The combined weight of these accessories actually helps in finding a stable pose for the Flametrooper.

The paintjob on the Flametrooper is minimal, consisting in a few blocks of matte black paint to represent the body glove under the armor pieces and a few elements on the flamethrower itself. The white plastic used for this figure has a certain quality that makes it appear as if the armor was actually made from a ceramic material, adding to the appearance of the Flametrooper.

This time around, the Build-A-Weapon piece included appears to be some sort of bulky shield that the Flametrooper can grab hold of, and he can even stay upright while doing so, but the piece still looks rather cumbersome on the figure.

Overall, I like this Flametrooper although it is also true that these are precisely the type of characters that would benefit greatly of articulation that allowed for two-handed poses with their weapons.

In the end, I cannot help but feel that all the resources and effort poured into designing these extra pieces would have been better used on a continuation to the Build-A-Droid lline or even better yet, for improved articulation on the action figures.