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First Order Snowtrooper

September 21, 2016 | By Errex More

One aspect I really enjoyed from Episode VII was the variety of environments visited by the heroes, from the arid wastes of Jakku to the alpine ranges of Starkiller Base. And of course, they encountered a suitable array of enemies on each one.

On Starkiller Base, we got to see the new cold weather trooper design, and even though most of the action sequences involving them ended up on the cutting room floor, they were featured prominently during the super-weapon’s inaugural rally.

The First Order Snowtrooper design borrows heavily from the McQuarrie and Johnston sketches produced for the Episode V troopers, although the final result looks more refined and matches the upgraded feel from other First Order troops.

Particularly, the helmet design takes the whole “faceless enforcer” bit a little too far, as there is barely anything resembling a face in there but there is actually a good amount of sculpted detail all over the figure on both the armor and the insulation suit.

All of the rigid, armored pieces have smooth surfaces and even though the material used for the torso of the figure is not the same as that used on the head and limbs, the plated areas share a certain ceramic-like appearance that I find very appealing.

Articulation consists of swivel joints at hips and shoulders, topped with a ball-jointed neck. The skirt is molded as part of the legs and split in the middle to allow the figure to sit.

Paint on the Snowtrooper is minimal and consists mostly on solid black markings applied on the armor and a couple tiny, silver details on the faceplate. There is also a string of characters stenciled over the chest plate in light gray paint, which actually appear on the side of the helmet in the McQuarrie designed Snowtroopers.

First Order Snowtroopers come equipped with a new model blaster carbine and a backpack. Of these accessories, only the carbine displays some deco painted on.

Additionally, a couple of pieces are included to complete the “Snow” Build-A Weapon, this time a pair of blade-like attachments that can be clipped onto the forearms of most figures although frankly, they look rather silly.

Overall, the First Order Snowtrooper is my second favorite trooper design from the new movie. The figure just looks cool and it is very stable either with or without the included accessories on.