Child Sized Coffin: Star Wars: MAFEX Stormtrooper

Not much is known in these parts about the higher end Star Wars figure lines. Spotted on multiple occasions at C2E2 or among the pages of online retailers, there has been a general curiosity and appreciation for the offerings of lines such as MAFEX, but official forays into them had never happened until very recently.

There can be absolutely no mistake, this is a beautiful figure. It’s been said here a few times over the years, but the OT Stormtrooper is one of the most recognizable trooper units of modern fictional times, but it is a very stark and bland design. In general, the Trooper looks good and menacing, and as a group, Stormtroopers look pretty intimidating. But just looking at one, the all-white armor really does yield a “seen this before” feeling. It doesn’t matter what company makes it, or when it was made, or anything, and this is not intended to be a slam on indisputably the most iconic looking soldier in human history, but it really is just a person in some all-white armor. The MAFEX Trooper has a glossy look to it, which makes the figure look nicer overall, as the occasions where the Trooper is more matte cause it to look extra bland. There certainly is something to be said for the simplicity of the design, and as a look for an individual who is intended to be part of a mass of alike individuals this armor has always been incredibly effective. The Stormtrooper comes with a real small number of accessories, namely the standard issue Imperial blaster rifle and a different set of hands that allow the Trooper to hold the blaster.

The holster pouch hanging off the hip has one exceptionally neat detail, and that is a strap which unpegs from the body of the holster to let the blaster be inserted, and then flips over the blaster and plugs into the body of the holster. It’s not just the plastic sleeve that is found on Black Series figures, and while it is something very little on a figure that doesn’t offer much in the way of bells and whistles, it is a nice detail. The other hands are just flat hands, if you want your Trooper to stand with its hands flat against the legs. Some of the MAFEX figures come with a total load of different hands *cough*Vader *cough*, but honestly, how many hands does any Stormtrooper need? Maybe like a pointing one or some fists, sure, but the four that this ones comes with offer more than enough in the way of options. (the number of hands that come with MAFEX Vader is the single reason for the enormous delay in getting an article on MAFEX Vader posted – mr) Also included in the set is a translucent plastic stand and a posing arm, so the Stormtrooper can take a pose and be held in place.

This figure scales well with Black Series figures, not only because both lines are in the 6” class, but also because the sculpts are fairly similar. Some minor differences can be seen pretty readily; for instance, the MAFEX Trooper’s helmet is slightly smaller than the Black Series Trooper’s. the arms on the MAFEX version are a bit slenderer as well. The armor appears to be larger on the MAFEX figure, but that is due to its being split along both sides, not a single piece the way it is on Black Series figures. Because the armor is not a single solid piece it is able to separate a little bit, which makes the torso look larger. The same can be said for the shoulder pads attached to the arms in Black Series examples, but attached as flaps to the armor on the MAFEX version. These armor differences do make the MAFEX Stormtrooper seem bigger, but the limbs and head are smaller when viewed side by side with the Black Series Trooper.

Black Series on the left, MAFEX on the right.

But to truly notice these differences, you really have to be looking for them. There has been plenty of exposure by now to the Black Series OT Stormtrooper, and this is not intended to be about those figures, but only to give a general sense of size and body proportions for the MAFEX version. The general MAFEX articulation appears to include a ball jointed two-part torso, unlike the solid torso of more ‘regular’ 6” figures. This gives the figure a better range of motion, but also makes it kind of fiddly. In addition to the torso joints, the figures also have a toe flexor, so the figure had the potential to strike those pushing off the ground or kneeling poses. There are issues with both of these additional joints. While not a problem, the two-part torso may be responsible for the slight size difference in the MAFEX Trooper, as it may have been necessary to ever so slightly tone down the body in order to accommodate the two pieces and maintain the general good looks of the Trooper. The two torso parts and the head are ball jointed, and on this copy at least, the tension in the joints is pretty weak. Moving the head or the torso sections with too much force or too dramatically or too quickly causes the parts to separate, primarily at the waist. This obviously causes issues with posing, as positioning the figure causes it to pop apart. It is easily put back into place however, but it is pretty frustrating to have to deal with each time you want to have the figure strike a different pose. At first it was thought that the ball joint in the waist was simply not pushed in all the way, but that ended up not being the case. The belt is clearly meant to cover the gap between the hips and the bottom of the torso, so the issue is not caused by a misassembled joint, but rather a loose one. When time permits, taking up the slack in this joint is high on the list of Coffin projects. (project completed, yesterday afternoon. - mr)

**And let it be known, that once the ball joint is lightly nail polished a bit, the torso holds together excellently, and can be moved with a reasonable amount of figure handling force with no issues whatsoever. It's almost like a totally different figure when one is not worried about the torso popping apart. Just a light coat of clear polish and poof! Good as new! I fixed the joints yesterday, and I've been happy about it all day today.**

The figure holds its own weight just fine, even with this loose torso, but does sometimes have trouble standing because of the flexible toe. Here’s where the translucent stand really comes in handy, as the Trooper can be posed however is desired and then just held in place by the stand. Without much experience with this type of figure, it is hard to understand that said stand is included to aide in posing such a poseable figure: common logic would indicate that if a figure is capable of so many poses, the figure should probably be able to achieve them without the aid of a stand. But, that is apparently not the case, and the intention of the stand is to accommodate the excellent range of motion. The stand sort of makes up for the looseness of the torso ball joints, but it does not make them less frustrating. But once again, that is an issue with this figure specifically, not something that is a problem for these kinds of figures. (I also own MAFEX Darth Vader, and have no joint issues with it whatsoever. – mr)

Detail-wise, there is not much to speak of, given the plain white Imperial armor. The helmet is very nice, but is what one expects from a Stormtrooper helmet. The blaster is very nicely detailed, having sharp details as opposed to the softer mold of Black Series blasters. It is a solid plastic, again not the rubbery of the Black Series weapons, and this allows for a very sharp, intricate looking part.

Were this figure the first exposure to the MAFEX line, its bad torso ball joints would be a real concern, and probably a turn off. But it is not the first exposure, so it is generally understood that the ball joints on this Stormtrooper just need to be tightened up. In fact, a brief nail polish treatment and the waist joint was good and strong and tight, like a brand new toy. And what a relief that was, because this is a great figure from a great line. It is a figure of really good quality, and of excellent aesthetic, and the fact that it can blend in with a large Black Series collection is a real bonus.