A Cold Day on Hoth

Here we see a detachment of Imperial Snow Troopers--members of Blizzard Force--storming a Rebel defensive position on Hoth. This diorama was based on scenes during the attack on the Rebels' secret base on the ice planet Hoth in the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back.

This scene utilizes the Target exclusive Defense of Hoth Battle Pack, several individually carded Snow Troopers, a Rebel Trooper from the Target exclusive Special Action Figure Pack group of 3 3-packs, and a Power of the Force 2 E-Web Cannon. Perhaps the most exciting features of the Defense of Hoth Target Exclusive Battle pack are the two turrets. The DF .9 Anti-infantry battery (the white turret) fits right into the scene with a realistically weathered paint job and an off white paint scheme that pops right out of the snowy scenery. Rebel Troopers can hide inside the bunker within the base of the turret or snipe enemies from the opening crow's nest on the top of the turret. Even the somewhat cheesy red missile fits snugly into the turret's barrel and is barely noticeable. The radar-dish-like Anti-Vehicle cannon is also a really nice inclusion. A marked improvement from the POFT-2 version which featured a tank tread base that implied some sort of vehicle or droid and was disproportionately small and off scale to the Rebel Troopers. Now with the Shadows of the Dark Side collection's revamp we have a fine piece of full-scale artillery ready to repel Imperial attackers. There is also the addition of the heavy canon with tripod base seen in the film which rounds out the Rebel arsenal. Not pictured is K-3PO the all white Protocol Droid included in the set. Two downsides to the figures used here: some of the Snow Troopers that were released were sculpted in an incredibly wide stance which looks a bit unrealistic and makes posing difficult. Secondly Some of the Legacy Collection Snow Troopers' helmets don't adhere to their heads very well and when put on they pop up with a visible gap between helmet and the trooper's armor when the helmeted head is turned. Overall Hasbro's figures made for an excellent scene and the cold snowy upstate NY weather made for an excellent photo shoot. Stay tuned for more Hoth shoots and reviews!