Simply Sci-fi
Jedi Knight
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2014
- Messages
- 428
When I first learned that Hasbro were to produce what was described as "Star Wars army men." I nearly jumped out of my chair. Viewing the first images of the models online, they appeared to be broadly scaled at 1:32 – the "army men" size. My only concern at that stage was that the range of poses was not great. I was aware that there were some vehicles for the range that were due for release also but I didn't pay a great deal of attention to them.
I was a keen collector of model soldiers as a child and I have continued my interest in models into later life. Having collected nearly all of the Star Wars kits available, I had noticed that 1:32 was a scale that had rarely been used. The larger size Revell Easy Kit X-Wing is broadly 1:32 scale. Traditionally 1:32 toy soldiers are sold unpainted, fairly cheaply in boxes of twenty or so. I expected Star Wars Command figures to be sold in a similar way, or perhaps in large bags. In that way, entire legions could be collected for a modest budget.
My shock upon finding Star Wars Command at my local Toys R Us was palpable. Far from the Star Wars "army men" being sold in simple packets, they were vac formed on to backing cards with a hefty price tag attached and also sold in expensive vehicle sets. There were only two poses at the most per "battalion" of troops. Out of all of the sets there is not a C-3PO or a Princess Leia (as far as I know). The scale is all over the place. The Snowtroopers are much smaller than the AT-AT Driver. The kneeling Hoth Rebel Trooper is a comparative giant. Darth Vader and Chewbacca are under-scaled full-stop. Much of the detailing is poor too. That being said, the Luke Skywalker X-Wing pilot is a work of genius. The miniature X-Wings, T.I.E Fighters and Snowspeeders are scandalously bent out of shape
The "game" that is meant to be played with Star Wars Command is for the soldiers to be set up and then knocked over like skittles. Children should really be left to make up their own games with toy soldiers as they have done since the beginning. For that all they need is the soldiers packed in a box. In my view Hasbro has seriously misunderstood the entire concept of toy soldiers. There is nothing stopping them from producing a large range of Star Wars 1:32 figures and making them good value. Accompanying scaled vehicles that do nothing except allow children to swoosh and zoom them by hand would be a great addition too.
I can only live in hope of the Star Wars Command series continuing and improving. Is there any news of that happening?
I was a keen collector of model soldiers as a child and I have continued my interest in models into later life. Having collected nearly all of the Star Wars kits available, I had noticed that 1:32 was a scale that had rarely been used. The larger size Revell Easy Kit X-Wing is broadly 1:32 scale. Traditionally 1:32 toy soldiers are sold unpainted, fairly cheaply in boxes of twenty or so. I expected Star Wars Command figures to be sold in a similar way, or perhaps in large bags. In that way, entire legions could be collected for a modest budget.
My shock upon finding Star Wars Command at my local Toys R Us was palpable. Far from the Star Wars "army men" being sold in simple packets, they were vac formed on to backing cards with a hefty price tag attached and also sold in expensive vehicle sets. There were only two poses at the most per "battalion" of troops. Out of all of the sets there is not a C-3PO or a Princess Leia (as far as I know). The scale is all over the place. The Snowtroopers are much smaller than the AT-AT Driver. The kneeling Hoth Rebel Trooper is a comparative giant. Darth Vader and Chewbacca are under-scaled full-stop. Much of the detailing is poor too. That being said, the Luke Skywalker X-Wing pilot is a work of genius. The miniature X-Wings, T.I.E Fighters and Snowspeeders are scandalously bent out of shape
The "game" that is meant to be played with Star Wars Command is for the soldiers to be set up and then knocked over like skittles. Children should really be left to make up their own games with toy soldiers as they have done since the beginning. For that all they need is the soldiers packed in a box. In my view Hasbro has seriously misunderstood the entire concept of toy soldiers. There is nothing stopping them from producing a large range of Star Wars 1:32 figures and making them good value. Accompanying scaled vehicles that do nothing except allow children to swoosh and zoom them by hand would be a great addition too.
I can only live in hope of the Star Wars Command series continuing and improving. Is there any news of that happening?
