Arctic Stormtrooper (1995)

I mentioned in a recent post that I have a thing for environment specific figures. Specifically, enemy army builders. I suppose you can blame 1985’s Cobra Snow Serpents and Eels for this proclivity. Well, my preference for arctic figures extended not only to GI Joe, but other lines as well. Although I didn’t get too deep into the Sgt. Savage toys, I couldn’t resist an enemy solider dressed for cold weather.

The IRON stormtrooper was the backbone of General Blitz’s IRON Army. According to the file cards, 35 percent of their bodies are cybernetically enhanced. These cyborg soldiers also came in an arctic flavor. Oddly, though the regular troops were outfitted in long trenchcoats, the cold weather versions were not. Either robotic troops just don’t get cold, or a white trenchcoat was deemed unfashionable.

Maybe the Sgt. Savage style was just too much of a throwback to be successful in its time. Regardless, the series was a noble effort, and although many of the heroes’ figures just aren’t that interesting, the villains fare a bit better. There’s more detail to get into, from the cyber-Nazi headsculpt to the various hoses and plates located all over the figure. I particularly like the unexplained text on the helmet. What does it mean? Is it just there to look cool? Maybe it says something in Aurabesh. It is a Stormtrooper, after all. (insert nerd-joke rimshot)

One of the real oddities to me was the backpack. I wonder if it wasn’t originally intended to be a Real American Hero accessory. I say this not only because of the out-of-scale snowshoe, but also the action feature. This backpack has the unique ability to function as a whistle. This weird inclusion strikes me as something Hasbro would have tried during the “throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” mentailty of the early 90s. Sure, the pack would have been ridiculously big for a 3 & 3/4 inch figure, but come on, remember these?