REVIEW: First Order Snowspeeder from “The Force Awakens”

November 11, 2016 – Sometimes a bargain is just too good to pass up, which explains why this review of the First Order Snowspeeder is over a year late.

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Ordinarily, we would ignore vehicles and action figures that never made it to the final cut of a movie, including the snowspeeder from the deleted chase scene in The Force Awakens.

But when the 3.75″ First Order Snowspeeder was recently marked down to only $10.00 on Amazon (regularly $29.99), this bargain made us give the flying block of plastic another look.

First Order Snowspeeder (3.75″ Scale from The Force Awakens)

The First Order Snowspeeder, released in Sept. 2015, is an all-new vehicle and easy to assemble. Just follow the picture manual or copy the cover art on the box.

The snowspeeder comes with three accessories: a removable cannon, a stand, and a spring-loaded projectile. The cannon can either be locked into position on the vehicle or it can stand independently, outside the vehicle, for another play option.

The boxed set only includes the Snowtrooper Officer (standing at left). The First Order snowtrooper (sitting) must be purchased separately.

The spring-loaded cannon comes with one missile.

The snowspeeder is nicely molded with lots of fine details throughout the vehicle body, including what appear to be rectangular and cylindrical containers toward the front. Measuring 10″L x 6″W x 4.5″H (25.5cm L x 15cm W x 11.5cm H), the vehicle is sturdy and compact enough for easy display.

Most Star Wars vehicle collectors will probably appreciate the snowspeeder because it is unique. And even though the chase scene was deleted, the vehicle is now part of Star Wars history.

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On the other hand, we can see why some collectors might skip this purchase. For starters, the color scheme is rather drab – a rectangular form of drab gray plastic with a couple light-blue seats. And the boxy design (it actually tapers narrower toward the front) is “just OK”.

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Some critics have described the vehicle as a flying sofa or couch. And they rightfully wonder why, on an ice-cold planet, there is no protective windshield or covering.

The TFA snowspeeder is plainly a kid’s toy and not targeted toward adult collectors. And even kids might find the vehicle somewhat lacking: The vehicle is on the small side and out of scale. Figures are a little difficult to seat because the two headrests are permanently angled forward instead of up or back, and the vehicle can only accommodate two figures (well, three, if you remove the cannon stand). There is one peg hole on the floor next to the driver’s seat, so you can secure a standing snowtrooper. But that’s it.

Don’t look for compartments or lids to open, vent covers to close, or any other doodads to twist, turn or manipulate because there are none. At most, there is a single landing gear under the carriage which can be propped open or close.

First Order Snowtrooper Officer

The snowspeeder comes with a First Order Snowtrooper Officer, an all-new figure. The snowtrooper is unique in that for the first time ever, it comes with a colorful pauldron (orange) to denote its rank.

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The action figure has five points of articulation (ball-socket head, swivel shoulders and swivel hips). He comes with a blaster and survival backpack. If you remove the ball-jointed head, you can also remove the pauldron.

If you can find this vehicle on sale or clearance, then it might make sense to buy it. The snowspeeder and the First Order Snowtrooper Officer could be nice additions to a re-imagined Battle of Hoth diorama. Or you could ditch the snowspeeder and simply grab this set to acquire the orange pauldron-wearing officer.

To match the box cover art featuring two snowtroopers, buy a separate Snow Mission First Order Snowtrooper (currently $4.99 USD at Amazon or $5.80 at Walmart). The build-a-weapon feature looks kind of silly. But when you add the snowtrooper to the snowspeeder and snowtrooper officer, you now have a combination ready for action.

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New Black Series Titanium Vehicles Nos. 28-31

October 2, 2016 – The newest Black Series titanium vehicles have arrived, and they will likely be making Titanium collectors salivate. They each pay homage to either Star Wars Rebels, The Force Awakens or the upcoming Rogue One movie.

(L to R): Inquisitor’s TIE Advanced Prototype (No. 28); Rebel U-Wing Fighter (No. 29); TIE Striker (No. 30); and Imperial Cargo Shuttle SW-0608 (No. 31)

The compact square red-and-black boxes, and the windows they provide to the vehicles, are some of the best packaging of any Star Wars line. But it’s what’s inside that will have collectors (or kids that play with these things) scrambling to acquire them.

Without their plastic display stands, each titanium vehicle is roughly 3 to 4 inches (7.6 to 10cm). The smallest (Inquisitor’s TIE Advanced Prototype) is only 2 1/4 inches (5.7cm) wide and less than 2 inches (5cm) tall.
The small toy vehicles are a mixture of metal and plastic, and overall, they feel solidly built. They aren’t really “titanium”, as that would drive up production costs. Most fuselages are made of some type of metal or unknown alloy while plastic is reserved for landing pads, engine cowlings, turrets, radar or antennae, and the display stand.

In the titanium series, some vehicles’ wings are metallic, others are made of plastic. List price is generally $5.00 or less.

Playability

Kids with tiny hands (or adults with some determination) can discover the hidden features of each vehicle, increasing their playability:

● Inquisitor’s TIE Advanced Prototype (No. 28): cockpit hatch opens/closes; both sets of wings (on 4 hinges) fold flat or open fully into a “C” curve

● Rebel U-Wing Fighter (No. 29): cockpit hatch opens/closes; both wings independently slide forward and back, so they can be posed anywhere between 90° (facing forward) and swept back to about 225° (left wing)/325° (right wing); landing gear beneath cockpit can be lowered

● TIE Striker (No. 30): cockpit can be opened/closed; tiny cannon beneath the fuselage can swivel left-right; both wings (on 2 hinges) can be angled slightly up or down. The wings are all metal so, thankfully, there is no chance of them drooping in the future.

● Imperial Cargo Shuttle SW-0608 (No. 31): cockpit cannot be opened, instead, a landing ramp opens beneath; both wings (on 2 hinges) can be angled up or slightly pointed down; four landing gear can be retracted

If you look closely, you can spot the canopies in the open position – or, in the case of the Imperial Cargo Shuttle (far right), a lowered landing ramp

If there is a weakness to the Black Series Titanium vehicle series, it may be the display stands. The plastic semi-translucent stands look rather cheap, though they are sturdy enough to support each vehicle. Over time, however, the stands will probably yellow with age.

Most vehicles don’t need stands. The exception is the TIE Striker (second from left), which has no landing gear and looks awkward in its resting position.

Which vehicle has the widest wing span? When fully extended, the U-Wing (bottom) wins. It measures 6 1/2 inches (16 1/2cm) wide from wing tip to wing tip. The Imperial Cargo Shuttle (top) is an inch shorter – 5 1/2 inches (14cm) at its widest.

If you are new to collecting Titanium vehicles, you will have some catching up to do. Fortunately, the vehicles are reasonably priced (currently $4.93 at Walmart). A better deal might be the occasional multipack. Amazon currently is offering a 4-vehicle boxed set for $13.59. The set includes Poe Dameron’s X-Wing, classic Millenium Falcon with the round radar dish, Biggs Darklighter’s X-Wing, and a TIE Fighter. They all come with black display stands.

For a more-or-less chronological list of Black Series Titanium vehicles to date, click HERE.

“So many vehicles, so little time….”