Star Wars Advent Calendar - Day 3

Still wish they would include a clone trooper with a green-highlighted helmet or uniform for the holidays. But this is still infinitely better (or, I guess I should say, "immensely superior") than a vanilla battle droid.

One can never have enough classic Stormtroopers. Probably the best of the licensed calendars today due to being a minifig and one that is a very useful army builder.

The new helmets are growing on me, but I really miss being able to turn them on the head.

@PixelTheDragon said:
" @Rob42 said:
"Another trooper that seems to have mislaid his gun somewhere. Standards of discipline appear to be seriously lacking in some parts of the Imperial military."

It’s not like he was going to hit anything with it anyway!"

But look at that blaster scorching. Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so accurate.

@ecleme11 said:
" @Blondie_Wan said:
"One thing I’ve long wondered about LEGO’s Advent calendars is why they always have the dates in the same places from year to year across themes "

Maybe they just re use the same template each year, with a different background image?"

Probably, likely also helps with the packaging process and to avoid errors?

@YanVanLan said:
" @ecleme11 said:
" @Blondie_Wan said:
"One thing I’ve long wondered about LEGO’s Advent calendars is why they always have the dates in the same places from year to year across themes "

Maybe they just re use the same template each year, with a different background image?"

Probably, likely also helps with the packaging process and to avoid errors?"

The contents and packaging is assembled by machine using a pre-programmed arrangement, so keeping it the same for any Advent Calendar set means they don't need to bother with multiple arrangements and limits the errors in quality control.

I imagine there's a human involved in loading the packaging into the assembly machines and unless they check the orientation of every piece of unassembled cardboard used for the set box beforehand there's occasionally a set assembled 'backwards' like we've seen reported where removing the inner tray and turning it around 180 degrees restores the correct alignment with the numbered doors.

I initially thought this was one of the troopers from the new movies as I saw the odd shape of the helmet, but then I realised it was a new design and it was a classic Stormtrooper. My first of this version. I think it looks great, though perhaps a named character might have been more exciting to start the countdown with!?

Today’s helmet is brought to you by Hasbro.

@PixelTheDragon:
Eh. If he’d thrown it just a little harder, he made that have finally hit something.

@Blondie_Wan:
Every one I’ve had did them in the same pattern. They may keep it consistent so the people packing them don’t have to worry about learning a new pattern each time. And then they hand out a few pints to the ones packing calendars for the UK, apparently, because it seems _every_year_ someone there gets mixed up contents, sometimes with a few duplicates (which means other stuff is missing). As for why they don’t just do them in sequential order, maybe the idea is so kids feel a sense of accomplishment finding the same number in the same spot every single year.

@ohrmazd:
I’m reminded of a short-lived police series called The Unusuals. In one episode, a perp is lying in wait, and when one of the cops walks into view, he unloads both barrels of a shotgun from point blank range. Purely by chance, the buckshot pattern leaves a perfect outline of the cop’s stance, without leaving so much as a scratch on his person.

I have a long-standing theory about Stormtroopers. The only time we saw basic Stormies shoot well, they were on a Star Destroyer. If they’re on a planet, or anything shaped like a planet, they could stand you in front of a barn and shoot away every part of the barn except the part you’re leaning on. Elite troopers (i.e. Sandtroopers, Snowtroopers, Scout Troopers, etc) are a different matter. They actually know which end to point at the enemy.

I am already on day 4!

I don’t know why but these helmets remind me of the ones on the Family Guy Star Wars parodies. They just seem too big and enlongated.

Those calendars are great army builders. I love this Stormtrooper helmet design. I think it's great and nicely detailed.

@fulcrumbop said:
"Still wish they would include a clone trooper with a green-highlighted helmet or uniform for the holidays. But this is still infinitely better (or, I guess I should say, "immensely superior") than a vanilla battle droid.
"

I kinda have to disagree with you there. At least you were guaranteed another army building minifig. The Stormtrooper helmet isnt that great and now I get to add him to my collection of five silly helmet Stormtroopers. With the Battle Droids theyre always the same and my army was a good size. Im honestly disappointed at the absence of the usual Battle Droid. (Unless a Stormtrooper every year is the new normal, in which case, I suppose its fine)

@Blondie_Wan:
Stormtroopers invading Tantive IV from an ISD (not remotely planet-shaped).
Sandtroopers on Tatooine (elite troops, exempt from the planet rule).

I came up with this theory years (decades?) ago, and so far nobody has been able to shoot holes in it. Certainly not a planet-bound regular Stormie who threw away his gun...

@Blondie_Wan said:
"I think the thing with stormtroopers being such lousy shots most of the time (though, tellingly, not when they’re shooting at Rebels on Tantive IV , and not when shooting offscreen at Jawas and Owen and Beru Lars) is that most of the time we see stormtroopers in action, they’re shooting at our plot-armored main heroes. It’s not that stormtroopers are really such bad shots, so much as that the heroes are preternaturally good at dodging and ducking.

(Also note that despite that, over the course of the OT regular stormtroopers still ultimately succeed in hitting Leia twice and Artoo and Threepio once apiece).

__________________________________________

Anyway, a great pick for Day 3. Nothing says “Merry Christmas” and “peace on Earth, good will to men” like the trigger-happy minion of an evil regime of space fascists. Hopefully a forthcoming reveal gives him a mug of blue eggnog."

“The Force is with them, and they are with the Force…”

Also, pretty sure the troopers that shot Leia and the droids were elite, even if you can’t tell by looking at them.

@SearchlightRG:
Regular Stormies shot Leia in Ep4, but they weren’t on a planet. In Ep6, we never see who shot her, or R2, so there’s no way to prove that it wasn’t a Scout Trooper or some other type of Imperial troop (maybe the AT-ST driver that Chewie chucked overboard?). In Ep5, the only Imperial troopers we see on Cloud City are regular Stormies, who put on an impressive laser light show anytime we see them onscreen during a firefight (Cloud City may not be spherical, but it’s presence within Bespin appears to count against them). However, we again never see who shoots C-3PO, so there’s no way to prove that it wasn’t one of the Imperial Officers we do see escorting the Hansicle to Slave I. I personally prefer to believe it was Jeremy Bulloch’s officer who pulled the trigger.