It's incredible that this month it's been exactly 4 1/2 YEARS
mad:
) since Hot Toys first showed their never-released Death Star Trooper figure. What a lost opportunity, and part of that frustrating pattern HT has so often fallen into - showing a figure, sometimes over and over, but then never releasing it.
I just finished my third and last (SW, ESB and now finally this one, ROTJ style) Death Star Trooper custom using the Hot Toys DST helmets that came with HT Leia/Wicket. Just waiting on the unique and unusual DL-21 pistol, also used by Dengar, Walrusman and Hoth Rebels, for this ROTJ-style version - currently he has a captured Rebel Commando rifle (which a DST does use against the Ewoks at one point in the movie.)
What has been fun is doing the distinct variations of DST from the three OT movies - there are differences in nearly everything from movie to movie: blaster type, holster type (or no holster,) boots, tunic/jumpsuit, shoulder logos, gloves, belt (both buckle types and greeblies.)
I guess we'll never know if HT would have done a variant DST for ROTJ like they did for the ROTJ-style stormie. The ROTJ style has the TIE Pilot jumpsuit (mostly - the officers still seem to have the ANH style tunic) and so there may have been enough difference for HT to do a variant, maybe using their Imperial Gunner jumpsuit.
I was SO excited for the HT DST and I guess these customs were my way of getting over my extreme disappointment in not getting it.