Hot Toys Star Wars Stormtrooper

[Wor-Gar]

Yes. Bringing OCD to a whole new level.

Aren't we all?

 

[ZE_501]

ZE_501, I wish I could be as regimented as you are with my collection man, definitely makes you appreciate your stuff so much more when there's less of it. Less is definitely more, but dammit it's hard to deny all this cool stuff sometimes lol

Growing up, I went back and forth between amassing large-ish collections of whatever my interests were at the time, and then purging as either my interests changed or the perceived clutter bothered me.

Between maturing personal taste and moving a fair bit, I realized that a minimalist approach is what I like best. There's a hell of a lot out there to be enjoyed, but by continually editing I get to where I'm happiest visually, mentally, and I guess logistically too. Managing and maintaining large amounts of possessions is a pain as much as it is a luxury I'm grateful for.

It's two different thrills:

I love the idea of having a complete line, which is why I say if the switch was flipped in the other direction I'd just buy every awesome 1/6 release and have a big Star Wars collection...

...but I get the most enjoyment out of seeing my open, airy studio with white walls housing a brilliant red and blue Spider-Man next to a gang of gleaming white Stormtroopers surrounded in white space, alluding to aspects of pop-culture I love in a striking visual shorthand without having to amass a giant display. That's the artist in me channeling the austerity of modernism as influenced by Japanese and Scandinavian design. Interior Design was actually the first thing I studied in school, years ago.

There is a spiritual component to it as well although I'm not religious. There is only so much I want to amass, knowing I can't take any of it with me. I'm young yet but I'm not a kid anymore either. So I maintain an uneasy détente with consumerism.

So the toys work together and set off the space without becoming the space. This is what works for me; I know many on this board have the opposite approach in terms of what they like to see, and that's cool too. A big, thoughtfully displayed collection is damned impressive and I've seen a few on these boards. I don't expect everyone to take my approach, but yes...it has definite advantages for setting off favourite items and adding to their shelf presence, as it were.

[...] thanks to all the great pics and reviews in this thread, I just caved and ordered a set off ebay. Since I have an EX set on flex as SSC, I guess that means I'll end up wit ha set of 4, which is a good thing!

Anyone have any suggestions on what to use for ankle extensions in case I wanna make one of my shorty's a little taller? back in the day I used to chop up ballpoint pens to do this, but I imagine there's gotta be a better way these days.

The short trooper is amazing as-is in terms of mimicking the screen-look. I'm not sure I'd extend the ankles just because it appears to have lost the height in the torso region, which would throw off proportions were the legs extended.

 

[Reefer Shark]

Well put man, you make really good points for minimalism. Just having a kid, I'm finding myself with less time and patience to deal with large amounts of my stuff. I could see myself taking my collection in that direction at some point. I do purge every once in a while, I think we all have to or us collectors become hoarders pretty quickly lol. But yeah, the display ideas you have work really well, it's just deciding what theme you want to stick with that becomes so hard when you're really into so much stuff (like most of us are).

And since I have a pretty big "Office" of my own at home, I don't have to be concerned with how the wifey feels about all the figures and crap. I imagine if that were a factor, I would definitely have way less of this stuff.


Thanks for the tips on the shorty trooper. I do really dig him, and will definitely leave one as is. Was thinking I might bring the second short trooper to a different "in between" height. But I suppose I'll wait until I have all 4 together eventually and see how they look to me in person before making any decisions.

 

[momaw]

Finally took a few minutes to scan through ANH for the first time since picking these up and have an even greater appreciation for these.

Although I've repeatedly endorsed these (i.e. gushed) as the best 1/6 figure ever, I'm fully aware of minor inaccuracies. I'd say these are 99% there. Slightly flatter lower "face", i.e. tighter angle...tiny adjustments to the tubes (shortening and slight rise to the centre-top of each tube) and very slightly larger eyes, sharper sculpt to the ridges beneath the eyes. Introduce slight asymmetry if you want to get really nerdy.

But these are nitpicks in the truest sense of the word. These differences are so minute as to be inconsequential, they're just not significantly off-model.

Even the way the armour hangs and sits between taller and shorter troopers...it's all there.

Regarding the apparent similarities to the SSC helmet sculpt...in my opinion it's something exaggerated by lens distortion and camera angles. The SSC helmet had one really good angle, so in a sense it was close enough to fool the eyes anyway, but the difference those last few percentage points make is exponential in terms of selling the sculpt.

All right, enough gushing already. I expect my cheque in the mail from Hot Toys.

How can differences between the screen versions and Hot Toys versions be "nitpicks in the truest sense of the word" and "so minute as to be inconsequential" but slight difference between the SS sculpt and the HT sculpt be "exponential in terms of selling the sculpt"?

That doesn't compute.

 

[momaw]

thanks to all the great pics and reviews in this thread, I just caved and ordered a set off ebay.

Me too

Cheaper than getting from sideshow direct as well (once shipping added).

 

[ZE_501]

How can differences between the screen versions and Hot Toys versions be "nitpicks in the truest sense of the word" and "so minute as to be inconsequential" but slight difference between the SS sculpt and the HT sculpt be "exponential in terms of selling the sculpt"?

That doesn't compute.

I can see how that may not have parsed right.

If HT is 99% there, and SSC is 95% there, (percentages being arbitrary) what I'm saying is that last little bit elevates the sculpt qualitatively. YMMV of course.





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[Pixelpiper]

But Sideshow's have the super cool floppy bodies, so when you pick them up, you can feel what it would be like if you were a giant picking up a real human. It's part of the God complex at the root of all figure collecting, and the sense of satisfaction can't simply be overlooked. And if you've watched Weekend at Bernie's you'll know how (easy it is) to pose them.

 

[Rmsceb]

But Sideshow's have the super cool floppy bodies, so when you pick them up, you can feel what it would be like if you were a giant picking up a real human. That sense of satisfaction can't simply be overlooked. And if you've watched Weekend at Bernie's you'll know how (easy it is) to pose them.

Pixel- a lot of young folk on here have NO idea what "Weekend At Bernie's" is! But I got the joke; very funny!!

 

[Pixelpiper]

Pixel- a lot of young folk on here have NO idea what "Weekend At Bernie's" is! But I got the joke; very funny!!

I always thought young people were a myth perpetuated by shadow lurkers as a scape-goat for the root of all trolling.

 

[YankeesFanboy]

Anyone unfamiliar with the genius that is WaB barely exists in my eyes.

 

[Rmsceb]

Anyone unfamiliar with the genius that is WaB barely exists in my eyes.

I concur with your analysis

 

[YankeesFanboy]

I concur with your analysis

You haven't lived until you've seen two idiots reanimate a corpse.

 

[K1NG J0RDAN]

So this is what the mailman handed me earlier...



They opened it and didn't even bother to reseal it. That's the way to treat a $460 package of collectibles, USPS!

 

[ZE_501]

On the bright side, Imperial Troops have entered the base!


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[Rambler]

Why the hell are they opening anything?

 

[K1NG J0RDAN]

Why the hell are they opening anything?

Guessing customs did it. But to not reseal it is pretty ridiculous.

 

[K1NG J0RDAN]

On the bright side, Imperial Troops have entered the base!


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Didn't have time to check things out but I'll see after I get off work in a bit. Fingers crossed the box isn't too beat up under that bubble wrap.

 

[CriterionCollector]

Didn't have time to check things out but I'll see after I get off work in a bit. Fingers crossed the box isn't too beat up under that bubble wrap.

My box came in perfect shape. I even had the seller mark the box, "Illegal drugs do not open." Still came perfect.

 

[ZE_501]

On the bright side, Imperial Troops have entered the base!


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[CriterionCollector]

I can't recall off the top of my head any images where the Stormtroopers had those smaller laser pistols. I only remember them using blasters and the blaster rifle. Can anyone refresh my memory?