We need a new Biker Scout figure, the existing one must die

[JediTricks]

While setting up my AT-AT with Imperials, I used one of my VTSC Biker Scout figures to pilot the white speeder bike that comes with the AT-AT. However, the figure's limitations reminded me why I never army-built him in the first place, and now that we have a better speeder bike for him to ride, it's even more frustrating that we don't have a good enough figure to ride it.

Now that the Saga Dlx speeder bike mold has been recovered, 2 things need to happen:

1) The bike needs materials tweaking, stronger front forks, better springs for freestanding.

2) A new Biker Scout figure must be made to replace the existing turkey, one that can ride the bike correctly.

This thread deals with the Biker Scout issue, which is perhaps the bigger one in my eyes.

The existing Biker Scout figure isn't very good, people need to get over it so we can move on. It's got an awkward pose, the sculpt isn't as sharp as the other vintage-style figures, the helmet is too small, and the joints can't really look good riding the bike. I know a lot of you guys are infatuated with that figure, but just like VOTC Han, slowly the tide must turn to recognize the figure's inferiority in the face of a vastly-improving modern line. VOTC and its sequel lines were right on the cusp of that change, and many of the figures in there don't hold up all that well to modern scrutiny. Sure, many are good, but they could be better, and not by frankensteining their body parts onto figures that don't fit their scale.

Here's what I think a new Biker Scout needs:

• - A bigger helmet is a must, the existing one is too small. You know how I can tell? THE PICTURE ON THE CARD!!! It's right next to the figure, you can see it's a taller, slightly wider helmet, and it sits lower on the neck.
• - He needs a specialized neck joint because of how high up his gaze goes compared to how low his torso goes on the bike. Really, he needs a smaller ball-joint inside his head, and then a second tilting joint at the neck.
• - Then he needs specially-cut ball-hinged shoulders since he rides with his arms out in front of him and close together, the existing figure cannot really do this. The armor design allows for this, and it shouldn't affect the aesthetic of the figure.
• - Perhaps he also needs up-and-down ball-hinged hands, but this is a luxury to the others. It'd make control-grips look better though.
• - The torso joint needs to be redesigned, it's got poor range of motion and is unattractive when engaged, this either needs to be a rearranged ball joint (going down to up instead of up to down), or better yet, a ball joint above and below the stomach panel.
• - The hip joints need to be ball-hinged, the bike is too wide for them to ride on any other way. Luckily again, this armor is designed to do that, so it wouldn't be as hard to add as a clone or stormie. The joints need to get past 90 degrees to look great.
• - The knees need to bend past 90 degrees, this is pretty easy for a knee joint.
• - The feet joints could use a little more up-and-down range, they're jointed but a tad limited.

Bottom line, we need a new Biker Scout figure, stat!

[bigbarada]

Yes, I agree. I loved the 2006 Biker Scout figure when it first came out, but its limitations started to become evident really quickly. The tiny helmet being the most glaring and annoying flaw. He definitely needs better range of motion on all his joints and needs to be designed specifically to interact with the Speeder Bike.

We got an all new AT-AT driver just 3 years after the Saga2 figure and an all-new Bespin Luke only 2 years after the VTAC figure. The precedent is there, there is no reason that the Biker Scout can't be resculpted from scratch.

[DarkJedi5]

I'm gonna jump on the new Biker Scout bandwagon as well but I really would like to see them do the speeder bike itself over from scratch in addition. The Saga deluxe bike isn't bad but I really never liked the spring-legs action and thought that if they could just be moved back and forth and stay put and then have the bike come with a clear plastic stand would be 100 times better.

[AmanaMatt]

We need an all new Bike in a bad way......I am all for that

I agree that the current Biker Scout needs a new helmet, but I like the rest. That said, if Hasbro wanted to do an all new one with greater poseability, I would be all for it...you can never have too many Biker Scouts

[Darth Awgmon]

JT,
I totally agree with your assessment on needing a new Biker Scout, but after reading that first post, I think you need to get out more often. It was like a doctoral thesis or something.

[JediTricks]

While we do need a new Speeder Bike, that's a separate discussion and a question we've already asked Hasbro (their answer was not likely right now).

I don't understand the favorable take on the body of this figure, it's not as good as the Snowtrooper or TAC Stormtrooper in terms of natural posing or crispness of sculpt.

Awgmon, if you think that's long, you ain't seen nuthin' yet, I've got posts in this forum long enough to fill the library of congress. Heck, I put down enough words from the Hasbro Comic-Con interview to make a small novel, and that didn't even feel particularly long. My thread about why the prequels aren't Star Wars according to Lucas himself, that was a long post and when I was done, I did feel like I deserved a doctorate.

[Darth Awgmon]

Awgmon, if you think that's long, you ain't seen nuthin' yet, I've got posts in this forum long enough to fill the library of congress. Heck, I put down enough words from the Hasbro Comic-Con interview to make a small novel, and that didn't even feel particularly long.

Thank you for that Comic-Con interview, JT. It cured a years-long case of insomnia....

[DarkArtist]

i agree a new updated Biker Scout would be a nice welcome and JT your ideas are awesome. i think Hasbro is going to stay with the current mold since they seem to always repack him or recard him...

are the hoth scout trooper any better on the bikes or are the same.

[LTBasker]

I would agree that it needs a superior replacement if there was actually a reason for it to be anymore than it already is. I've given up on expecting Hasbro to ever release a decent speederbike; the recent TRU release pretty much shows that they, for some reason, are more than happy to continue to release mediocre versions.

So, the Biker Scout is pretty much just meant to stand on a shelf and look decent. Aside from the tiny head, I feel the current one does that perfectly. It's as fun as a Biker Scout can be without the speederbike, and the sculpting looks good enough to me. Strange, though, the vintage line managed to get a pretty decent scale with the helmet, I don't understand how this has eluded Hasbro's sculptors 3 times since '96.

[JediTricks]

i agree a new updated Biker Scout would be a nice welcome and JT your ideas are awesome. i think Hasbro is going to stay with the current mold since they seem to always repack him or recard him...

are the hoth scout trooper any better on the bikes or are the same.

Until fans demand change, Hasbro has no reason to update the existing Biker Scout figure. When there's enough chatter about it, that's what makes it happen.

I looked at the Hoth Scout at the store the other day, it's kitbashed from the VTAC Snowtrooper crotch and legs, and no it doesn't seem to fit significantly better on the bike. It sits straight up on the bike better, but not in a riding pose.

I would agree that it needs a superior replacement if there was actually a reason for it to be anymore than it already is. I've given up on expecting Hasbro to ever release a decent speederbike; the recent TRU release pretty much shows that they, for some reason, are more than happy to continue to release mediocre versions.

So, the Biker Scout is pretty much just meant to stand on a shelf and look decent. Aside from the tiny head, I feel the current one does that perfectly. It's as fun as a Biker Scout can be without the speederbike, and the sculpting looks good enough to me. Strange, though, the vintage line managed to get a pretty decent scale with the helmet, I don't understand how this has eluded Hasbro's sculptors 3 times since '96.

Hasbro said going forward we'd see more of the Saga bike, but ultimately I think even that bike just isn't as good as we remembered it being.

As for just standing there and looking decent, I really don't feel it delivers there. It has awkward proportions and looks bad in poses. And as you said, they just cannot get the helmet to look right.