Stormtrooper — Star Wars The Black Series 40th Anniversary

Overview

Stormtrooper in the 40th Anniversary lineup is the Black Series tribute release of A New Hope’s iconic Imperial foot-soldier — the standard white-armoured Stormtrooper character class that defines the Empire’s combat presence across the original trilogy. Released individually carded in May 2017 in Kenner vintage-inspired packaging that replicated the original 1977 cardback art design. Mainline non-exclusive at $19.99. 23-joint articulation — tied with Luke Skywalker at #P3-40A-01 and Princess Leia at #P3-40A-03 for the highest joint count in the entire 40th Anniversary line. Two accessories: a basic blaster (the SE-14r sidearm) and a blaster rifle (the standard E-11 trooper weapon). The figure is structurally a re-release of the 2014 Black Series Stormtrooper #9 (figure id=2285), shipped at standard retail in the new commemorative packaging roughly three years after the original release.

The 2014 Source Re-Release

The Stormtrooper sculpt is the same one Hasbro released in 2014 as the Black Series Stormtrooper #9 — the foundational Stormtrooper body engineering that subsequent variant releases (the various exclusive paint variants, the Sandtrooper repaints, the trooper army-builder configurations) have built on. The 2017 40th Anniversary release uses the same body sculpt, same paint application, same accessory loadout — only the packaging changes from the standard Phase 3 Black Series cardback to the Kenner vintage-inspired commemorative cardback.

For collectors who own the 2014 source release, the 40th Anniversary version is functionally a duplicate body sculpt with commemorative packaging. For collectors building the complete 12-figure 40th Anniversary set, this Stormtrooper is essential despite duplicating the 2014 sculpt. The structural difference is entirely in the cardback presentation rather than the figure itself.

The Sandtrooper Parts Reuse

A specific engineering quirk worth flagging: Hasbro re-used parts from the previously released Black Series Sandtrooper figure (figure id=2069) — that’s why this Stormtrooper has a hole in the back which has no use. The hole is where the Sandtrooper’s backpack attached on the prior figure; on the standard Stormtrooper configuration, the hole serves no functional purpose and represents leftover tooling from the cost-saving parts-sharing approach.

For collectors comparing the figure against contemporary Stormtrooper releases, the leftover hole is a small visible compromise — the kind of cost-cutting that affects multiple Phase 3 figures. The hole sits on the back of the armour where it’s not immediately visible during front-facing display, but it’s structurally inappropriate to the standard Stormtrooper character configuration. The Sandtrooper at the 2014 release uses the same body with the backpack attached; the standard Stormtrooper inherits the body without the equipment that justified the mounting hole.

This is the same parts-reuse pattern that affects multiple Phase 3 trooper releases — Hasbro tools a body once and reuses it across multiple character variants without adapting the tooling for the specific configuration. The leftover hole is the visible artifact of this approach.

The Two-Accessory Loadout

Hasbro included two weapons with the Stormtrooper: a basic blaster (the SE-14r sidearm) and a blaster rifle (the standard E-11 trooper weapon). Both weapons fit well into the Stormtrooper’s hands. The dual-weapon configuration supports both standard combat-pose configurations across single-handed sidearm draw, two-handed rifle bracing, and weapon-stowed display options.

The basic blaster can be stowed away in the holster which is located on the left hip — it’s a tight fit, but works. The screen-accurate Imperial sidearm storage is captured through the holster engineering, supporting the canonical patrolling-with-rifle-and-stowed-sidearm display configuration. For collectors who want both weapons accessible, the rifle hand-grip and the holster-stowed blaster combination provides display flexibility.

For a $19.99 mainline release, the two-accessory loadout is appropriate to the standard Phase 3 trooper baseline. The 2014 source release shipped with the same configuration; the 40th Anniversary version inherits the loadout without expansion.

The Helmet and No Head Underneath

There is no head underneath the helmet. Standard Black Series Stormtrooper design choice; the figure ships in a single masked configuration without an unmasked head sculpt for reveal-state display. This is consistent with how Hasbro tools the Stormtrooper character class across the Black Series line — faceless army-builder figures with no kitbashing flexibility for unmasked variants.

For collectors who want the unmasked-trooper reveal display, this isn’t the right Stormtrooper figure. Subsequent Black Series Stormtrooper releases (the various exclusive variants, the helmet-removable specialty releases) have addressed the masked-vs-unmasked configuration question through different product approaches — but the standard 40th Anniversary release commits to the masked-only configuration consistent with the line’s army-builder positioning.

The Shoulder Articulation Limitation

A specific articulation engineering negative: even though the shoulders are ball-jointed, the shoulder armour limits how far the arms can go up. The Stormtrooper’s molded shoulder armour interferes with the full range of the ball-joint shoulder articulation — the figure can’t raise the arms straight up over the head the way an unrestricted ball-joint configuration would allow.

For collectors who want dynamic combat poses with overhead arm configurations, the shoulder-armour interference is a meaningful limitation. The figure handles standard combat-pose display configurations cleanly (firing-stance, sidearm draw, weapon-stowed) but doesn’t support the arms-overhead poses that some action display configurations require.

This is the recurring trade-off between screen-accurate armour sculpt and full articulation flexibility — Hasbro chose the screen-accurate armour silhouette over the articulation-clearance compromise that would have allowed wider arm range. For Stormtrooper army-builder collectors who prefer standing patrol-formation displays, the limitation doesn’t matter. For diorama collectors building active-combat scenes, the constraint requires careful pose selection.

Articulation

23 joints. Ball-jointed top neck, swivel-jointed lower neck, ball-jointed shoulders (with armour-clearance limitation noted above), swivel-jointed biceps, swivel joints above elbows, swivel joints below elbows, ball-jointed wrists, ball-jointed waist, ball-jointed hips, swivel-jointed thighs, swivel joints above knees, swivel joints below knees, ball-jointed ankles. Tied with Luke Farmboy at #P3-40A-01 and Princess Leia at #P3-40A-03 for the highest joint count in the 40th Anniversary line — substantially above the standard 17-joint Phase 3 baseline.

The dual-axis arm articulation (swivel biceps + swivel above-elbows + swivel below-elbows) and dual-axis knee articulation provide strong dynamic-pose flexibility for the figure’s combat configurations within the shoulder-armour constraint. The Stormtrooper stands well on his own without any balancing issues — the figure stands reliably across multiple combat-pose configurations.

The Permanent Belt

The belt is not removable. Standard integrated-equipment design pattern — the figure ships in a single configuration with the belt as a fixed sculpted element. The holster mounting is integrated into the belt structure, so removing the belt would compromise the holster-storage functionality.

For collectors who want costume kitbashing flexibility, the integrated belt is restrictive. For collectors who want a screen-accurate Imperial Stormtrooper at the canonical combat configuration, the integrated approach is appropriate.

Distribution and Mural Position

Standard mainline 40th Anniversary release at $19.99 through wide retail channels — Target, Walmart, Toys R Us (still operating in May 2017), Amazon, hobby shops. The mainline distribution and the standard pricing make this Stormtrooper accessible. Aftermarket pricing on the secondary market has remained reasonable due to broad initial availability and the figure’s army-builder collector demand.

The Stormtrooper sits in the broader 40th Anniversary lineup as one of the secondary character class releases — the line’s primary anchor figures cover the headline characters, and the Stormtrooper joins the broader A New Hope ensemble (Death Squad Commander at #P4-40A-DS2, Tusken Raider at #P4-40A-TU2, Jawa at #P4-40A-JW2) that round out the source material’s full character roster. For collectors building Imperial army displays, the 40th Anniversary Stormtrooper is an accessible building-block figure for trooper-formation configurations.

Other Stormtrooper Figures

The Stormtrooper has been the most-released Hasbro character class across the broader catalogue. Other notable Stormtrooper releases include the 2008 30th Anniversary Galactic Empire version (figure id=16), the McQuarrie Concept Series Saga release (figure id=435) and 30th Anniversary version (figure id=436), the Vintage Collection ESB-era release (figure id=815), the Power of the Force 2 release (figure id=1288), and the POTF2 With Battle Damage CommTech version (figure id=1325). The 40th Anniversary release is the dedicated Phase 3 Black Series ANH-era flagship version.

Secondary Market

Single-carded mainline release on Kenner vintage cardback, May 2017. Available at MSRP through standard retail and the secondary market with broad availability. Verify the basic blaster and the blaster rifle are both included. The smaller blaster is the more easily lost component during transit. No production variants documented beyond minor paint variation vs the 2014 source release.

Verdict

The Stormtrooper at the 2017 40th Anniversary line is a competent re-release of the 2014 source figure with the commemorative Kenner cardback as the primary value proposition. The 23-joint articulation count is among the highest in the line, the dual-weapon loadout supports multiple combat-pose configurations, the holster-stowed sidearm storage captures the screen-accurate Imperial trooper configuration, and the figure stands reliably on display.

The leftover hole in the back from the Sandtrooper parts-sharing tooling is the figure’s most defensible structural negative — a visible artifact of cost-saving engineering. The shoulder armour’s interference with full ball-joint shoulder range limits dynamic combat-pose flexibility. The duplicate body sculpt vs the 2014 source release means collectors with prior Black Series Stormtrooper figures are buying repeat tooling for the packaging variation. The integrated belt limits costume kitbashing options.

Buy this figure if you collect the 40th Anniversary line as a complete set, if you build Imperial Stormtrooper army displays, if you appreciate the Kenner vintage cardback packaging, or if you missed the 2014 Black Series Stormtrooper #9 at original release. The mainline distribution and the standard pricing make this an accessible building-block figure for Imperial trooper-formation configurations.

The Imperial foot-soldier with the highest articulation count in the line. The figure with the leftover Sandtrooper backpack hole and the shoulder-armour-constrained ball joints. The 2014 Stormtrooper in 1977 Kenner cardback wrapping. Mainline distribution, May 2017.

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Part of Star Wars The Black Series | Phase 4 40th Anniversary Collection. Related: Death Squad Commander P4-40A-DS2 | Darth Vader Legacy Pack P4-40A-00 | Han Solo (40th ANH) P3-40A-04.