Figure Review: Sideshow Sandtrooper (White Pauldron Edition)

Following the Stormtroopers, Sideshow Collectibles released the Sandtrooper as their second Imperial Trooper from the Original Trilogy of the Star Wars Saga.

And this first Sandtrooper offering from Sideshow features the White Pauldron edition. For those like myself who are not as well-versed in the minute details of the Star Wars franchise, a quick check on the internet revealed that the White Pauldron Sandtrooper represents the designated rank of Sergeant.

Accessories

This Sandtrooper from Sideshow comes well-equipped with many accessories when compared with other 1/6 scale Sandtroopers released previously by other manufacturers such as Hasbro/Kenner and Medicom.

The Sandtrooper comes with the MG-15 blaster rifle, complete with a blaster/rifle scope.


The detailed Backpack and Shoulder Pouches are major improvements over all previous Sandtrooper releases. Since the Backpack and Shoulder Pouches are iconic parts of a Sandtrooper’s equipment that distinguished them from the standard Stormtroopers, the details that Sideshow has worked into these Backpacks and Pouches are among the many reasons why this Sandtrooper stands head and shoulders above the Sandtroopers from other manufacurers.




Head Sculpt

This Sandtrooper does not come with any head sculpt. The helmet is a fitted-on type with a ball joint.

Personally, I find that the helmet sits a bit too low on the Sandtrooper’s torso. This is easily corrected by either not pushing the helmet all the way down on its ball joint or by fitting a small piece of rubber foam (3inch by 1inch) into the helmet before fitting it into the joint.

Overall Figure

Overall this is a nice figure. There are some collectors who feel that the weathering on the Sandtrooper’s armor is a bit overdone and while I tend to agree with this observation, it is just a minor distraction for me. No major negatives as far as I am concerned.

The only complaint that I have regarding this figure is the looseness in the joints of the base body. This means that the figure have problems holding poses and generally is unable to stand on its own without a figure stand or some other kind of support. Somehow, all figures using Sideshow’s new armored body seem to suffer from the same loose joints issue.

Overall Rating

Overall, this is a very nice figure and is arguably one of the best 1/6 scale Sandtrooper figures we have seen so far.

A relatively high rating of 4 out of 5 (4/5) is probably a fair score for this great figure.