Tamashii Nations Movie Realization Series: Taiko Stormtrooper

 

As the end of this year lurches closer, thoughts begin to turn to upcoming figure releases, and it seems that perhaps no other line that the Coffin collects is set to be more prolific in 2019 than this one. A number of Star Wars characters have been revealed, including New Trilogy characters and most recently, a totally cool looking IG-88, as well as some others from the concurrent Marvel line, which is not on my radar, aside from the just-revealed and STUNNING Black Panther. But, there is a backlog of Tamashii Nations Star Wars figures around here, so let’s try to do something about that with this, the taiko drummer Stormtrooper.

This guy actually entered my collection a while ago, part of our big buy of these figures at this years’ C2E2. But for some reason writing on these figures has proven difficult, but is getting easier now that I’ve gotten through a couple of them. My wife bought this one, actually, and so it is her figure. When she was in high school, my wife was a member of the Japanese Club and got involved in taiko drumming, so this figure got her attention.

The base figure is a stylized Imperial Stormtrooper, and that base figure will appear again and again with some differences and modifications that will honestly make Stormtroopers very different from each other, something that this line specifically really excels at. There are currently four Stormtroopers of various kinds in my collection of these, and all of them are different. This one is maybe the most different, and the torso is different from the other three in order to incorporate the giant, chest mounted drum, which we’ll talk about in a little bit. The body is very poseable and comes with an assortment of hands, not as many with this figure as with some others, but there are really only a few things that this guy needs alternate hands for. The figure is a very nice off white color, not the stark white of Imperial Stormtrooper armor but not just dirty or weathered. Somehow, the different white makes the figure look more realistic, as that blinding white of Imperial armor is difficult to find believable in any actual world fashion.

The helmet is terrific, having that layered panel behind the head armor arrangement that almost definitely has a real name, but obviously I don’t know it. The face is clearly an Imperial Stormtrooper, just as both Darth Vader and Boba Fett were, but is embellished just enough to make a tried and true design look like something totally new and innovative. Shoulder pads and a knee-length skirt of those same layered armor panels complete the defensive look, and close inspection reveals that the plates are sculpted to look like they are held together with some kind of cord or material, so that the plates would hang instead of being fused together or something more Western in practice, creating kind of a plate-based chainmail armor. You know, how chainmail is supposed to be easier to move around in and lighter while still providing good defense and protection? Trying not to sound too simple here, but the look of the plates here makes me think of a neck protector that a hockey goalie would have hanging from their helmet, obviously a solid panel to provide protection but not a thing that is static or attached in such a way that it is not flexible or moveable. The forearms and shins are encircled in armor as well, with paint in between each slat of the armor.

The taiko Trooper comes with few accessories, but they are all relevant to its role. Central to the figure is a large, circular drum, mounted on a silver harness that is intended to give the appearance of the drum being held between the jaws of a large metal dragon head. The drum assembly is one single piece, although the drum is able to tilt horizontally on a swivel. The assembly is totally, totally awesome, as it is gorgeously sculpted and is accented with what looks to be rust along the dragon head. It is such an excellent piece, and it is by far the thing that makes this figure. The drum attaches to the Trooper by a pair of pegs that plug into holes on the chest, which is also scooped out a bit to accommodate the drum assembly. This part is by far the star of the show.

The other accessories are a pair of drumsticks that are far more detailed than an accessory of this size probably should be, a conch shell horn, and a banner sporting the Imperial insignia that attaches to the back of the figure via a long grey pole. The drumsticks can be held in the figures’ hands, as can the conch horn, as can the banner, which honestly was a little bit of a surprise. This gives the option of having this, or another, figure wave the banner, and could maybe spice up a display or battle scene a little, but for the taiko Trooper that would mean detaching the drum, leaving a large and unsightly gap in the chest. Positioning can make a difference with this, if you wanted, and then viewed from a certain, position-friendly angle this is a quality look.

There are no other accessories, no weapons of any kind. This isn’t a fighting unit, it’s a communication and logistical unit, so while it makes sense that the Trooper carries no weaponry, it does feel a little . . . lacking. Conversely, the line does contain a Stormtrooper that essentially comes with just a blaster, and that figure looks a bit incomplete as well, as it doesn’t come with any big time or attention-grabbing accessories. Most of these figures at least come with a sword, but the taiko Trooper does not. The taiko Trooper does have the fantastic drum assembly, and that all by itself is worth the price once you get it out of the box and set up. But, as collectors, we sometimes get overly enamored with part counts and accessory lists, so at times, a figure that just comes as it is, such as this one, can seem a little flat until you really discover the excellence of it.

The excellent poseability of the figure and the pretty unconventional nature of a martial drummer make for some intriguing posing options, as the Trooper can strike all manner of drumming action poses. And, unfettered by a combat role, the figure can focus on posing and looking good, which it excels at, rather than needing to look tough or menacing or anything.

The more I look at these figures, and the more of them are added to my collection, the more I start to wish there was some fiction for them. I’d love to get some feudal Japanese Star Wars, with the characters ported over into that world. Something that is consistently appealing about these figures is that they are rendered in a style that is true to the spirit: this may or may not have been mentioned in the reviews on Darth Vader and Boba Fett, but the weapons and accessories are period accurate and appropriate. Vader’s lightsaber could be a regular, solid, physical sword; Fett’s blaster has a hammer and could be a black powder weapon. These aren’t laser blasters and weapons layered on top of old Japanese frames. These don’t feel like versions of characters from a fiction; they feel like characters of a fiction, and I for one would totally welcome the arrival of said fiction.