He may have a blaster rifle, but can he hit anything? We better hope so, as he is the Stormtrooper Commander, and the latest subject of our reviews of the Star Wars constraction sets. Straight from the classic Star Wars film, he leads an army known for missing their targets and hitting their heads on the tops of door frames. But is he competent enough to break the mold? Read, and watch, the review to find out!

A special thanks goes out to LEGO for sending BZPower this set so I can share my opinions about it. It retails for $25 USD and comes with 100 pieces.

Presentation
From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.

The box is what we've come to expect from the Star Wars constraction line: Figure front and center, some classic Star Wars background features, and the proper logos. The back shows off the set a bit more, including the missile launching capability and the 2-in-1 option to rebuild the rifle into a smaller rifle that you might find on a regular Stormtrooper. This alternate rifle also holsters into this back.

Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?

While a lot of these constraction figures have similar builds, especially among the troopers, there are always little surprises in each set. Here we have a few extra Technic pieces not usually used in these sets mounted to the back, which will later allow the rifle to be equipped and out of the way. After that it is business as usual with the armor. The rifle is a fun little Technic build. I appreciate how all of these rifles in so many different troopers all have different builds.

Set Design
Now that the set is complete, we can critique how it looks from every angle. New or interesting pieces can also be examined here.

There are a handful of new and/or interesting parts. I can't stop loving the pauldron armor, and we get two more in white here. The new thick thigh armor is featured here in white. The Stormtrooper helmet looks great. And finally there is the plastic shoulder garment showing off his rank.

He is, basically, a Stormtrooper. We have seen the First Order troopers in late 2015 and more recently the Sandtrooper and Shadowtrooper sets from Rogue One. They all have similar builds, though all are with their unique attributes. This Stormtrooper looks different because of his shoulder garment with the 1x3 tiles hosted over the chest (though just like the Shadowtrooper). He has some new parts like the thigh armor. The gun has two different builds. But, at the same time, it is a generic bad guy with armor snapped on. Luckily he can stand and look cool.

Playability
The other half of the fun is in playing with the set. How well does the set function and is it enjoyable to play with.

With no gear functions, playability is limited to looking cool and using the rifle's firing mechanism. These can both happen two ways, as the rifle can be rebuilt to a smaller, standard rifle, and at that point you are encouraged to take off the rank guard so he looks like a standard Stormtrooper. This is great for army building, as you can have a variety of troopers standing at the ready with the Stormtrooper Commander calling the shots.

Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?

Pros
What's to like?

• Nice new parts.
• Standard Stormtrooper in your collection.
• Looks cool.
• Figure and rifle can be rebuilt for two different poses and ranks.

Cons
What's not to like?

• Standard trooper design, after 2 years of troopers.
• $25 is a bit much for a standard design and character.

On his own, the Stormtrooper looks cool as a staple of the classic Star Wars films. Compared to other figures we have gotten, he is pretty generic. As a parts pack, there are plenty of great parts to use in MOCs. There are some great reasons to get this set, but unfortunately it is not as flashy as a few others we have seen. Perhaps you want to build an army of Stormtroopers?

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