I'm inclined to relegate these to a "concept" type of figure, similar to the McQuarrie figures of several years back. These Jet Troopers do represent a strong influence of Doug Chaing's design sensibility. Sleek and uniform, definitely much more concerned with form (and appearance) over function. The red is very bold and eye-catching, especially when displayed among standard, clean white troopers.
The crustacean-inspired helmet has a similar effect that the battle droids in the prequel trilogy had...a design that makes one wonder who created them. With the battle droids, we learn it's the hive-dwelling insectoid Geonosians that not only manufactured the droids, but somewhat inspired their design as well. Could it be the same here with these unique troopers? Good cinematic design begs a story, and these troopers are certainly intriguing.
One can question the practicality of this particular armor...while it's sleek enough to provide some aerodynamic qualities, the jet pack placement and the helmet's extreme slit of of visor can distract a bit as to the true effectiveness of the design. But it sure look good...
I'm glad to have it in my collection as a good example of the sequel trilogy design. I'm saddened that such an interesting design was basically used as the ass-end of a lame joke and that these red-clad versions became nothing more than a "blink and you'll miss it" addition to the overwrought mess TROS was.
As a figure, it's solid enough. The undersuit is a step back to the too-tight ones that the initial FO trooper figures featured, making articulation and posing difficult.
The gloved hands are super stiff, especially the weapon-holding ones. Takes a bit of effort to get the figure to hold the weapons, but once on place, they're not moving. The helmet sits pretty high on the neck and with the swooped design, looks a little odd from some angles.
Really like the guns, especially the one pictured. truly a unique looking gun to go with the striking figure.
The stand is a mess. While the waist-grabber has the added support bar, it's hard to put it on the figure without stressing some of the armor and/or belt pieces. Also, it must be balanced a certain way to stay up. A standard crotch support stand should have been included.
Sidenote: I hope one is included with Jango and not just this ineffective one. For all the detail and care HT puts into rendering figures, it's always amazing to see them cheap out on stands.
And the box...love the photo on the back with the figure credits relegated to the bottom. It makes the package much more striking. It's a practice HT did with the TLJ line too. i wish they would do it with all of the SW figures.
Well that's my two-cents (and then some) on a figure I nearly cancelled. It's an eye-catching one to be sure, but not as timeless and evergreen as those old great SW trooper designs are.
