Sideshow Collectibles Sandtrooper Deluxe Figure with Dewback PREVIEW

When I posted about dewbacks in my earlier posts HERE and HERE at the beginning of the month of May, little did I know that Sideshow Collectibles was in the process of putting together their own 1:6 scale Dewback sculpture. Well, this week Sideshow has released these official prototype preview pictures of their Star Wars Sandtrooper Deluxe Figure with 1:6 scale Dewback sculpture and wisely enough, these two are sold separately although the Dewback is considered as a 12-inch Figure Related Product and the deluxe Sandtrooper is its preferred companion product.

Since Hot Toys started on their DeluXe (DX) series in order that they can have a reason to price the figures higher and earn a little more profit (a LOT more if you multiply the increment with the total sales worldwide), it seems Sideshow wants in as well and has decided to embark on their own DX series too, starting with this Star Wars Military Series 1:6 scale Sandtrooper 12-inch Deluxe Figure.

The sandtrooper is a desert terrain stormtrooper. Sandtroopers are largely identical to standard stormtroopers except they have additional training in specialized areas.

Their armor consists of an 18-piece anti-blaster cocoon shell with heat-reflective coating worn over a temperature-control body glove.

The SD-48 Survival Pack - in Earth terms, a portable air-conditioning unit to keep the trooper cool

The sandtrooper helmet features automatic polarized lenses, a built-in comlink and breathing filters.

These stormtroopers are specifically designed for high temperature environments. Instead of depending on machinery that may not function in hostile environments, sandtroopers make use of local creatures for transportation.

The Sandtrooper Deluxe Figure - Desert Sands Detachment 12-inch Figure features: Armored Body with over 30+ points of articulation, Detailed and hand painted Sandtrooper helmet portrait, Highly detailed full body armor set with updated weathering deco, One (1) pair trigger grip hands, One (1) pair support hands, SD-48 Survival Pack with updated configuration, Long Cycle Filter, Short Cycle Filter, Grey Pauldron, Sergeant Pauldron, Two (2) Triple Magazine Waist Pouches, Triple Magazine Chest Pouch, Belt Pouch, BlasTech E-11 Blaster, BlasTech DLT-19 Heavy Blaster Rifle, RT-97C Heavy Blaster Rifle, BlasTech T-21 Light Repeating Blaster, Desert base stand cover, Lower support extendable figure stand with Star Wars logo

Found on the desert planet Tatooine, dewbacks are large lizards used by the locals as mounts and beasts of burden. These flat-toothed creatures can be found hauling goods for merchants or moisture farmers, pulling Podracer parts to starting grids, or serving stormtrooper patrols assigned to the planet's Imperial garrison. A dewback is able to withstand the heat and dust that often leads to mechanical breakdown in modern high-tech conveyances.

Click on the landscape pictures for a bigger and better view :)

The Dewback 12-inch Figure Related Products features: Highly detailed and textured Dewback sculpture with detailed paint application, Tatooine desert base sculpt, One (1) metal riders lance, Faux-leather reins, Four (4) detachable highly detailed and functioning faux-fur and fabric saddlebags, One (1) detachable roll out shelter, One (1) detachable faux-fur saddle horn cover

This Sideshow Collectibles 1:6 scale Dewback looks more realistic than the film version! Check out the scaly skin of this reptile from a galaxy far far away.

And here are pictures of the Sideshow Collectibles 1:6 scale dewback with its rider, the Sideshow STAR WARS Sandtrooper Deluxe 12-inch Figure. The lizard certainly looks big. On Sideshow's site, the weight for the dewback is listed as 27.00 lbs (12.25 kg) whereas the trooper is only 3.00 lbs (1.36 kg). OUCH! That's heavy shipping costs.

The stormtrooper detachment dispatched by Lord Darth Vader to investigate a crashed escape pod on Tatooine just prior to the Battle of Yavin consisted of sandtroopers. They had heavy weapons, survival gear, and shoulder pauldrons denoting rank.

The dewback that was eventually produced for the original 1977 STAR WARS movie was not created with movement in mind and so it was relegated to the background. In 1995, additional footage for the scene of the Imperial Sandtroopers searching for the droids was filmed in Yuma, Arizona for the 1997 Special Edition of "A New Hope". Computer-generated imagery was used to add dewbacks to the scene.