Topic: Rebels, pirates, imperials and citizens.

[JDeck]

I agree with Starchaser! This Sandtrooper provides so much variety in use & equipment thanks to your modifications. I've seen customizers using tiny magnets for truly smart mods. So I might incorporate some oof those as well down the line. Having added so many features and accessories this makes it a premium action figure in 1/18 scale! I wish Hasbro would give us that amout of accessories for making us pay $12.99 or 15,99€...
Excellent job as said before and much thanks for sharing your work!

- Philipp


P.S.: That's a well done movie, indeed! Witzland means "jokeland" translated directly. Reminds me a bit of how the Jedi Jocland Danva is pronounced. Great job on Vitzland there!

Thank you! It would be so awesome if Hasbro made a premium Stormtrooper, with a bunch of accessories, in 1/18. I'd pay extra for it. They could definitely make Jedha patrol troopers, like the HotToys ones. Have Commander, Sergeant, and Corporal. With Pauldrons, Backpacks, different weapons and accessories.

Thanks for the interpretation, that makes a lot of sense. I'm not sure why they named him that. Reiser was more of the comic relief. That is probably the best war movie in my opinion, because it doesn't sugar-coat anything, unlike the Russian version.

I like him. Off to share.

Thank you Tamer!

[JDeck]

I pretty much rounded out the rest of the Squad. First is Sergeant "Rollo". He is equipped with a white paulderon, long-range communication backpack, comlink and an RT-97C blaster. Being a Sergeant, his role is to lead the Attack Team. Also he communicates on the comlink with other Sergeants in the platoon. His position is (in this case) #7,  positioning himself on the opposite flank of position #1.
   I gave him an Evo trooper backpack, it was light enough, I only needed the one magnet, in the "donut" on the back. I gave him the comlink, from the TVC deathstar escape Luke. I utilized the peg, and I just drilled a corresponding hole in the belt.

With him is TK-0220, "OTTO". He is a Grenadier, equipped with thermal detonators, missile launcher, and E-11, with holster. His role is to destroy enemy defences. His position is #4.
   The holster is from Scan crew figure. Grenades are glued to his belt, from GI JOE figure. The missile launcher is from GI JOE.

Next is Corporal "raze". He is equipped with a black paulderon, backpack and either a DLT-19, or an E-WEB, depending on the mission. His role is the leader of the defense team, and to offer cover fire for the attack team. His position is #1.
    Just like the Sergeant, the small backpack from the Navy commando, is small enough I only needed one magnet.

   His assistant TK-9393 "GeGe", helps with maintaining the machine gun, or offers cover fire while the gun is in the cooling phase. His position is #2.
    All I did was give him a holster for his E-11, from a scan crewman.

The rest of the Squad are standard Stormtroopers, equipped with E-11s, and some accessories, including grappling hooks, computers, thermal detonators, etc. I hope to build a diorama of the Squad in action, fairly soon.

[Starchaser]

Nicely done. Clearly thought out roles and I love all the appropriate kit for each specialist.

[Tamer]

Oh yeah, I can see you put a lot of thought into this squad. I like them. Off to the front pages.

[JDeck]

Nicely done. Clearly thought out roles and I love all the appropriate kit for each specialist.

  Thank you! I just adapted WW2 German infantry tactics. Basically you have a machine gunner, assistant, and the rest are riflemen. Speed was their main tactic. The machine gunner pins down the enemy, while the Assault team rushes in. It's a part of the "Blitzkrieg" offence. Actually the term "Stormtrooper" originated in WW1. They basically used the same tactics.

Oh yeah, I can see you put a lot of thought into this squad. I like them. Off to the front pages.

Thank you again! I've had plenty of time while waiting for them to come. Just think if I had waited until DS pre-order came in. Lol.

[Moronarama]

Man, the level of detail you have put into the squad is amazing.  The all look really good.  Do you have a diorama you're planning on displaying them in?  It would be cool to see them all laid out and in action.

[JDeck]

Man, the level of detail you have put into the squad is amazing.  The all look really good.  Do you have a diorama you're planning on displaying them in?  It would be cool to see them all laid out and in action.

Thank you. Yes, I will be making a diorama of some kind, using the entire squad in a fighting scene. I'm thinking of a defensive scene, using the E-WEB in a docking bay/Imperial storehouse/Imperial weapons cache, something like that. I've given it a good amount of thought, and even started building some props, and things.

[Tamer]

I would love to see you review this figure in the review section. To me it looks like it might be the best Stormtrooper we have had yet and that is saying a lot. I wonder how many different 3.75" Stormtroopers they have made? I bet someone knows. It has to be over a dozen I am thinking. I mean we pretty much get one with each new line. Sculpting and Arty looks pretty nice.

[JDeck]

I would love to see you review this figure in the review section. To me it looks like it might be the best Stormtrooper we have had yet and that is saying a lot. I wonder how many different 3.75" Stormtroopers they have made? I bet someone knows. It has to be over a dozen I am thinking. I mean we pretty much get one with each new line. Sculpting and Arty looks pretty nice.

I nominate Darth Moore to review, he's always thorough. I just think it's 10/10. It's the Rogue One version, which is great to me, but if someone is  looking for an ANH version, they might have more to gripe about.  I've been waiting for a Stormtrooper like this for a very long time. Even the TBS 6" isn't as good of a sculpt as the R1 TVC. The only figure I can say is better would be the 1/12 Bandai Stormtrooper. The TVC even has a nice sheen to the plastic. Just be careful with the knee joints, especially while it's new. I've heard of guys breaking the legs off. As long as you're careful it's not a big deal. I just think it's a great Stormtrooper. I wouldn't have bought two cases, if it was anything less. I remember the TBS 3.75 Stormtrooper was supposed to be definitive, and I was extremely dissatisfied, but this TVC R1, until they make an ANH/TESB version, this is definitive. But that's all I got to say about that.

[Darth More]

Thanks for the flowers, JD! I’ll count all completely new takes Hasbro have done over the decades. Right now I just feel embarrassed because I tend to need so much time to finish one review (like Sa(e)ltFace)...took the final comparison shots of the Speeder Bike, but my computer is low of storage. I had to delete quite some data to gain some storage back...
Your Stormtroopers look absolutely brilliant! Now, over 42 years after Star Wars saw the light of day we finally have the definitive Stormtrooper! And it’s yours. Tamer is absolutely right - as always.

[JDeck]

Thanks for the flowers, JD! I’ll count all completely new takes Hasbro have done over the decades. Right now I just feel embarrassed because I tend to need so much time to finish one review (like Sa(e)ltFace)...took the final comparison shots of the Speeder Bike, but my computer is low of storage. I had to delete quite some data to gain some storage back...
Your Stormtroopers look absolutely brilliant! Now, over 42 years after Star Wars saw the light of day we finally have the definitive Stormtrooper! And it’s yours. Tamer is absolutely right - as always.

I like your reviews,  I like knowing exactly what I'm going to get, as opposed to someone's opinion.  However. You've had figure experience, and have seen the evolution of many figures, your opinion would be advantageous. Your skills combined would make you a fantastic reviewer. Much better than me, I just give my arbitrary opinion.

With all of that said and done, I can offer my criticism, from a customizer's point of view, which is different from, collector's  Having experience with both Mimban Trooper, ( repaint) and TVC R1 Stormtrooper, from my pov, it's  still a 10/10. You can "boil and pop" arms and waist without having to crack open the chest piece. To me that's a game changer in Stormtrooper customizing. Not to mention the hidden shoulder joints.  The joints are really tight when you first open them. I couldn't get the Paulderon to stay on without  the head popping off, at a single breeze. With time, and the plastic stretching, it became a non issue. The same goes with elbows and knees. The hands eventually soften to a point they can hold things not initially intended, like a grenade.  With a great figure, even the drawbacks, can be a silver lining. I can't see a single flaw, therefore I disqualify myself from an honest review.

[Tamer]

Man, love the thought going on here. I could see you two doing a joint review. I can't argue with any of the points here though.

[Darth More]

I agree, that's a thrilling topic here. I hope I understand everything correctly. If I did so, I think you're a little too critical about yourself, JD.
I started collecting in 2005, am a 90 kid and grew up with the Sequels. I think that disqualifies me for appreciating the Original Trilogy as if I was born in the 60/70s...I still love the OT! However I think ot would've been somewhat different if I had got the chance to watch STAR WARS in theatres in '77.

I saw you edited your comment. I still wanted to thank you for your critique. Any feedback is always welcome and much appreciated!
I try to keep it as simple as possible and actually thought about the pictures myself a few days ago. I also talked with FialaFernbrugg about my posts on here and if he was able to load my threads with no problems. He confirmed that he had no issues. I'm lucky here with my excellent internet connection and have no issues at all using Apple's Safari on my cell phone. BUT I do have serious issues with my Windows laptop from 2008. It takes AGES to load my threads with tons of pictures with FireFox and my outdated Vista...
I'm not sure if that's what you meant in your previous comment.

On the other hand I think many and detailed pictures make and build a good review. But not too many of course. I'll take care of that in the future to find a good balance, though.
The archives of rebelscum, 4lomkuss and JTA had a big impact on me, too.

So if I understand  your criticism correctly, I'm too scientific?

I agree that rebelscum and other fan sites cover that already. They already provide the very best reference that I could've ever imagined when I found them in 2006.
So I don't need to make a similar review. I'm just having fun doing so. That's also a reason why I'm not that motivated to start a YouTube career. There are so many excellent reviewers out there already! So my channel would be obsolet. What I do plan though are videos of my customs since there aren't many people showing their customs in public.

Doing a joint review with you on the "Evolution of Stormtroopers" would be an honor!

And here's what I got to say:
There's no doubt you have much more experience in customizing than me. I'm just missing time. Git enough insoiration and ideas though - the list for projects is long.
I like to keep my reviews as neutral and informative as possible. Still, I like to comment on the item at the end.
Talking about being neutral: Well, I wouldn't pick a collectible to review if I didn't think it's worth the time. So that's to be considered here, too. But I don't hesitate to express my criticism if I have any.

I thank you for letting me know your opinion. And to be honest I am critical about myself, too! Sometimes I think my content is too childish, too much and too time-consuming.

So I'll give my best to keep it simple.

Thanks JD!

- Philipp


Add: Star Wars were my holy everything until 2012 when I really started to get into customizing. So I liked to keep my Hasbro stuff as new as possible (although I opened my figures, I only handled them with gloves). But in 2012 I decided to go the opposite direction and became a loose collector. And I don't regret it. Today I think I found my balance buying most stuff loose, but also getting stuff new when it's available & affordable. There's too much TVC goodness that I will not find any cheaper on ebay later on...

[(SID)]

Just saying THESE are the figures I want. Amazing. The rifles alone make me envious.

[Tamer]

yeah, JDeck should get into casting and make more of those rifles, blaster effects, etc. 

I know I would buy a set. Talk about the way we all want to man up our Stormies.