Imperial Jumptrooper

June 14, 2009 | By More


Imperial Jumptrooper, Force Unleashed, Expanded Universe, Star Wars®, Star Wars Action Figures®,  Action Figure Review

Imperial Jumptrooper, Force Unleashed, Expanded Universe, Star Wars®, Star Wars Action Figures®,  Action Figure ReviewI always say I’m not really an Expanded Universe collector. And then something comes out that catches my eye. I tend to go for the EU pieces that could be from a film. Tsui Choi is a good example of this. There were various Jedi shown from different races in the prequels and his race, while not shown as a Jedi, is from the films. It’s very plausible he would exist in the films’ universe.

This review focuses on another one of those type characters, the Imperial Jumptrooper. In Episodes 2 & 3 we were introduced to a variety of special purpose clone troopers. Commandos, BARC Troopers, Airborne, they were all there. So, I can believe this guy can exist in the Imperial forces in the time period between Episode 3 and “Star Wars: A New Hope.”

Imperial Jumptrooper, Force Unleashed, Expanded Universe, Star Wars®, Star Wars Action Figures®,  Action Figure ReviewAppearance:

This character is taken, if my information is correct from the upcoming “Force Unleashed” video game. As the game hasn’t been released, I cant tell you if he matches up to his in game appearance or not. So we’ll have to go on general ascetics. This character is an obvious hybrid of ANH era Stormtrooper and biker scout. According to the card back, these troops would use short bursts from their jetpack to fight in battle. (See bottom picture.)

And so, my first issue with this figure is highlighted. If he uses a jet pack in battle, where is it? I could understand if it was integrated into the armor. But, I would still expect it to be obvious this fellow had a jet pack.

That being said, I kind of dig the overall character design. His armor does appear to be bulkier than a standard trooper, which would make sense for a flying character. The shoulder pads and knee pads are a little funky, but not horrible. The way the knee pads work reminds me of the vintage GI Joe figure Airborne.

He’s got some sort of oxygen tank on the chest plate. There’s a a hose to connect it up with his face mask. Mine tends to pop out of the chest plate when I turn his head.

I’m not a huge fan of the groin pieces on this figure. There’s a joint that runs across from left to right on it. Apparently, this is an access hatch if he has to go behind a bush in the middle of a battle.

The biggest letdown on this figure is the paint. I’m guessing that all of the grey lines on the helmet are to get him to look more like the game version. To me they just look too thick. They are pretty sloppy as well. The black on the rest of the figure is sloppy as well.

The grey rope thingee on his back just look like a blob. This is one spot where the sculpt looks soft. Maybe it was suppose to be covered with a jet pack?

Imperial Jumptrooper, Force Unleashed, Expanded Universe, Star Wars®, Star Wars Action Figures®,  Action Figure ReviewMy last paint question is: Why does he only get dirty up to his ankles? I would expect a flying character to have dirt everywhere. Or no where, as if he just jetted through a speeder wash.

Fun:

You would expect with a name like Imperial Jumptrooper this guy would be action packed. With the missing jet pack, he’s just another ground troop.

That’s not to say the articulation isn’t good on this guy. Actually, he not bad. The balljointed shoulders seem a bit bulky compared to the rest of the arms, as if there was a trade off in sculpt versus play value.

Imperial Jumptrooper, Force Unleashed, Expanded Universe, Star Wars®, Star Wars Action Figures®,  Action Figure ReviewThere are three things packed in with the jump trooper. A stand, a gun, and a Force Unleashed code. Since the game isn’t out, the code will do me no good at the moment. The stand is a generic EU one. I was expecting with all the Force Unleashed press, it would be specific, but it’s not.

Which brings us to his weapon. The card back tells us Jumptroopers used “long-range rail detonators to eliminate all enemy targets from any vantage point.” This guy appears to have a standard issue E-11 Stormtrooper rifle. The one card picture show the muzzle area all lit up with a red glow, obviously not present on this version.

Imperial Jumptrooper, Force Unleashed, Expanded Universe, Star Wars®, Star Wars Action Figures®,  Action Figure ReviewOverall:

The Jumptrooper is a figure you could use to fill out your Imperial ranks. I just wish Hasbro would given him a jetpack and a cool gun. It’s a bit odd how the pictures on the front and back of the card don’t quite match one another. My guess is this guy was created from very early pre-production game artwork.

While not a spectacular figure, I bet there are some customizers out there that could give this guy a paint overhaul and jet pack and really make him shine.

Engineernerd Score: 80/100

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Imperial Jumptrooper, Force Unleashed, Expanded Universe, Star Wars®, Star Wars Action Figures®,  Action Figure Review

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Comments (3)

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  1. Engineernerd says:

    Okay, I finally got this game for Wii (used). I have to say that there are Jetpack troopers in the game, which makes this figure an even bigger disappointment for me. ~sigh~

  2. Errex says:

    Well, giving him the big gun from the weapon lockers that come with Saga Legends figures helps a little bit, but yes, it should have come with a rocket pack.

  3. Engineernerd says:

    As hard as those guys are to fight in the game, I expect more from the figure. And for the record, I have not seen a Felucian riding a Rancor. Shaak Ti yes, Felucian no.