How many times have you gone to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Once? Twice? Still have not gone or too numerous to count? What astounds me is that as much as the movie is accessible to the world right now, there is one thing that continues to elude the majority of fans…a readily available action figure line.
We already have a movement against Hasbro and other licensed memorabilia makers against the lack of Rey figures and collectibles…arguably the true hero of the story. What I don’t understand is that now that I have seen the movie twice, I wanted to be able to go into the store and walk out with a representation of what I just saw (unlike walking out of Avengers 2 and not wanting to see anything else from that movie). Unfortunately most of the toy pegs stay bare, or still hold remnants from the first wave of figures. Hasbro managed to put out what seems to be endless amounts of Finn (Jakku) figures, because that’s all I still see to this day. You would think Hasbro would have the foresight to put out at least an equal number if not more of their current wave of figures…including Finn in his Stormtrooper gear.
Unfortunately that was not the case. Under normal circumstances, you will not be able to go into the store of choice and pick up this figure. I was lucky enough to be in the right place in the right time, so I am able to bring you this review. Check it out and sound off and let me know if you think this figure is worth the fight…
The packaging is pretty much standard fare. If anything, Finn’s image on the packaging is actually pretty well done.
But with that said, I remember getting mildly upset that I ripped the corner of the box when opening the figure, and then remembering that this packaging is pretty much just headed for the trash.
The bio-blurb on the back of the packaging in four different languages is okay. I actually wish this was the first figure released instead of Finn (Jakku), but then I realized that the figure itself contains some spoilers.
One thing to note which is packaging related – the girl at the checkout at first dismissed the package until she saw the image on the back. She lit up and said “Oh my God, that’s Finn!” She went on to talk about how refreshing SW:TFA to focus on the point of view of one of the many Stormtroopers. She gushed over the figure and took her time to read the bio-blurb on the back, ignoring the line forming behind me. She then said that she wished she got to this figure first and will be on the lookout for another one if it comes in.
That being said, I guess the packaging is an effective tool in this retail game, but as a seasoned collector, it’s really just a means to deliver my figure safely.
Packaging Score: 6.5 out of 10 
I really have no complaints here. This figure comes with the same two weapons that comes with the regular First Order Stormtrooper and a removable helmet.
The helmet fits nice and securely over the figures head. What I like is that the helmet does not create any extra bulk or look too big for the body. Usually toy companies compensate by making the head smaller or the helmet bigger, which both throws the dimensions of the figure off. But even with the helmet on, Finn looks like any other Stormtrooper in the fleet. Very well done.
Either weapon can either fit nicely into the figure’s hands, or at least one can be mounted on the slot of the figure’s leg.
I can’t honestly think of any other accessory that could be included that was missing. The arrangement in the packaging was also nice and to me helps to sell this figure (although it really doesn’t need the help).
Accessories Score: 9 out of 10
The sculpting on this figure is well done. The figure’s body is definitely a stormtrooper. The figure’s head is undoubtedly the likeness of Finn/John Boyega. In fact, the head is a different sculpt from the first figure. The first Finn figure was sculpted in a kind of “angry” look, with his eyebrows arched. This head has his face in a more relaxed, calm look and the effect makes it look more like the character than the first figure.
With that said, this is not just the first Finn’s head mounted on a Stormtrooper’s body, like most people thought would happen. Looking at the picture to the right, you can start to see the differences between the basic Stormtrooper and the Finn Stormtrooper. The Finn Stormtrooper is slightly smaller, but also noticeably stockier in the body. Kudos to Hasbro for making these differences.
The helmet also contains the signature blood smear that occurred in the movie.
I would like to mention again that I’m not a huge “paint app” guy, but I do notice from time to time sloppy or unpainted areas. On this figure, there are white spots under its right leg that are clearly visible. Nothing a Sharpie couldn’t fix, but thought it needed to be mentioned.
Other than that, a well-sculpted, well-painted figure that fits in nicely with the other Stormtroopers.
Sculpt/Likeness Score: 9.5 out of10
Hasbro has figured out the formula when it comes to their 6″ figures. While there are points of articulation still missing that would have been nice, this figure still boasts 27+ points of articulation, pretty nice for a figure that is basically in a suit of armor.
Some things to note is the ball/hinge on the head that allows the figure to not only swivel left and right, but also shows great range of motion looking up and down. The ankle swivel and hinge also allows the figure to be posed in some dynamic poses. I like to take note that this figures has some pretty good balance and was not hard at all to stand it in various poses with arms up or down. I hope Hasbro continues this level of articulation and balance in most of their figures.
Some point of articulation could have been added. For one, the elbows would have been nicer if they were double-hinged (like the knees). There were some poses I could not perform because of the limited range of motion of the elbow. Another thing that could have been added is some waist swivel articulation. Just from looking at the figure, I don’t see why this was not added, so instead I have to assume that this was pretty much the laziness of Hasbro to add this in.
Very minor complaints and overall a great job on articulation.
Articulation Score: 8.5 out of10
I really hope I didn’t come off as angry in my introduction, but it is ridiculous that Hasbro can’t meet the demand of collectors when it comes to action figures. I once again go back to Playmates, who manages to keep Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles freshly stocked in almost every store I go to…and that includes the new characters. I bet if wanted, I would only have to go to two or three stores and come out with the whole TMNT collection.
That’s not so true with the Star Wars Black line that in my opinion continues to struggle with distribution. They only sort of have it right with their Marvel Legends line. Even though I mostly see older Marvel Legends, they at least are able to keep some of these on display for anyone to come in a purchase what they want. We really don’t get that same respect with Star Wars.
So if you can get your hands on the Finn Stormtrooper figure, go ahead and pick him up and count yourself lucky…there are plenty of fans who can’t.
