Documenting Reproduction and Original Vintage Star Wars Weapons & Accessories Since 2009 

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The Imperial Blaster has a number of colour variations. Some examples may appear translucent. TIG believes the translucent effect is created during the injection moulding process and is a result of an insufficient amount of dye being added to the plastic and/or poorly mixed pigment granules. The translucency can sometimes be visible to the naked eye but is better seen when held to a light source. Although translucent coloured versions are not strictly variants TIG has opted to feature and list some of the known examples.

The Blue / Black Imperial Blaster was released with the following figures:

1, Stormtrooper

2, Boba Fett 

3, Death Squad Commander AKA Star Destroyer Commander

4, Hammerhead

5, Walrusman

The Blue Imperial Blaster* was released with the following figures:

1, Imperial Commander

2, IG-88

* This version of the Imperial Blaster was also included in the Action Figure Survival Kit pack

The Solid Black Imperial Blaster was released with the following figure:

1, Luke Stormtrooper Outfit

2, Thall Joben and Kez-Iban from the Droids series of figures

The Silver Imperial Blaster was released with the following figure:

1, Kea Moll from the Glasslite Droids series

Note: The above list is just a simple guide for matching up the weapon colours to the relevant figures.

Due to the length of time the Imperial Blaster was in production, and the range of figures that it accompanied, a great number of sculpt and colour variations were produced which this page aims to catalogue.

Imperial Blaster V1a - V1c Mould Variations Shot.

 
The V1 Imperial blaster can be found with a few interesting mould differences such as dents and circles. It is believed that these differences are due to wear in the mould tool caused by the sheer volume of plastic injected into it over time during the production process. TIG will highlight some of these variations and their colour appearances below.

V1-a Fat, Dent, Small Circle on the clip.

Exists in the colours Blue, Dark Grey/Black. 

V1-a Fat, Dent, no Circle on the clip.

Exists in the colours Blue. 

V1-b Thin, Dent, no Small Circle. 

Exists in the colours Dark Grey/Black, Dark Green, Blue.  

V1-c Thin, no Dent, no Small Circle.

Exists in the colours Dark Blue, Translucent Green.

V1-c - Solid Black, POTF Luke In Stormtrooper Disguise.

The Solid Black V1 blaster is the singular correct blaster for Luke In Stormtrooper Disguise.

The Solid Black blaster was also issued with the Droids series figures Thall Joben and Kez-Iban.

Update - May 2015: TIG has seen the photos of the two Trilogo Luke Stormtrooper MOCs that came to light this month. Close up pictures reveal the blaster to be a Blue / Black V1 mould. While this might be evidence enough for some to state that Luke Stormtrooper came with a Blue / Black blaster, TIG believes this to be an anomaly.

Due to the overwhelming amount of incorrect packaging for the Trilogo line, TIG considers the two MOC examples to be packing errors only.

This variation of the Imperial Blaster is gritty in appearance and can also feature an EPM (Ejector Pin Mark - sometimes called a mould circle) on the magazine clip. Note: the EPM on the clip can vary from flush, indented, raised, to no EPM present at all.

V2 - Blue / Black, Deep EPM on the Magazine. This blaster can also appear with a flush EPM.

V2 - Blue, Indented EPM on the Magazine.

V2 - Blue / Green, Deep EPM on the Magazine.

V2 - No EPM present.

The V3 Imperial Blaster features a squared-off and flat side clip. The corners of the magazine are more rounded.

V3 - Blue / Black.

V3 - Blue.

The V4 Imperial Blaster is much sharper than previous sculpts. It features a triangular and pointed side clip and the sculpting at the end of the barrel is more defined (see highlighted points in the first picture below).

This sculpt can also be identified by the unique pattern on the handle grip.

V4 - Blue / Black.

V4 - Blue / Black, Semi-Translucent.

V4 - Blue.

V4 - Translucent Green.

The V5 Imperial Blaster has very sharp details and is much more squared-off than other versions. 

It can also have a small circle at the top of the magazine although examples have turned up without this. TIG can verify that the V5 blaster has been issued in Taiwan packaging.  

V5 - Dark Grey / Black, Small Circle on Magazine.

V5 - Dark Grey / Black, No Circle on Magazine.

The V6 Lili Ledy imperial blaster can be either a V3 or V7 mould.

TIG has so far identified three colour variants: Blue / Black, Solid Black, and Solid Blue.

V6 - Blue / Black Lili Ledy Imperial Blaster.

The V7 Imperial Blaster can be identified by a bar under the magazine clip. See highlighted photo below. Colours also exist in Blue, Blue / Black, and Semi Translucent Green.

V7 - Green / Blue.

Update JULY 2015: The V8 has long been believed to be a PBP exclusive version. However, TIG recently discovered a V8 packaged inside a Hong Kong-issued Palitoy Survival Kit Mailer. Please contact us if you know of any other instances of the V8 appearing in Hong Kong (or other) packaging.

The main identifier for the V8 has always been the mould break point in front of the scope highlighted on the second picture.

Argentina produced a number of figures under the Top Toys license which included the Stormtrooper.

Top Toys figures were taken from moulds which were made from actual Kenner figures (much like bootleg production), therefore the figures ended up smaller in scale than their Kenner counterparts.

The black Top Toys Imperial Blaster is significantly different to its Kenner counterparts. It is much simpler in design and has a number of square edges.

V9 - Top Toys Original Variant, Black.

This Black coloured Top Toys variant floats when placed on water. It will rise back to the surface when submerged.

V9 - Top Toys Variant, Blue.

Discovered in 2013, this Top Toys variant is a Blue colour and floats in water. If submerged it will float back to the top. The plastic material is flexible and bears the same EPM on the magazine clip as the black version.

TIG believes this is a genuine Top Toys blaster. If you have this Blue version please contact us to help with the verification process.

Evidence from Takara 12 back MOC examples suggest that this blaster was issued with the unique Takara sculpt Stormtrooper with 'Japan' Coo.

Note: on some Takara Stormtrooper 12 back MOCs it's possible to find a regular sculpt Kenner Stormtrooper issued with a standard imperial blaster. However, the Takara V10 blaster has much sharper details which can be seen circled in the photo below.

June 2014 update: Imperial Gunnery has removed and archived the photos for the second V10 Takara Imperial Blaster with the less sharp details. Following discussion with collectors, it is now agreed that this second version is not an authentic Takara.

For more information see the TIG Forum thread: V10 Takara Imperial Blaster

The Glasslite Droids series Kea Moll comes with an Imperial blaster that is moulded in Silver.

Note: this is a Modern Blaster that has been cast in the style of the Vintage Imperial Blaster and was issued with the Boba Fett figure from the 2010 Vintage (Modern) Collection. This Blaster sinks when placed in water.

This REPRO is cast in plastic (not painted). It can be identified by an L shape that is cut sharply into the mould - located near the end of the barrel (Highlighted in the first picture below).

This REPRO Imperial Blaster is one of the most common on the market. It was made in the 1990s and was mass produced.
The plastic used on this type of REPRO is less flexible than the originals and feels cheap. It also appears to be more shiny.

V1 - Imperial Blaster REPRO cast in Dark Grey.

V1 - Imperial Blaster REPRO is cast in Black.

V1 - Imperial Blaster REPRO is cast in Blue.

V1 - Imperial Blaster REPRO is cast in Light Grey.

(Note: the Imperial Blaster was never released in Grey).

This REPRO Imperial Blaster is made of Black plastic and is not painted. It is easy to identify because it has almost no detailing.

 V2 - Cast in Black Plastic. Lacks detail on the handle grip.

V2 - Cast in Blue Plastic. Lacks detail on the handle grip.

This is a very interesting REPRO weapon as it's made of Lead! This could possibly have been homemade or even a bootleg weapon.

V3 - Lead Repro.

This REPRO Imperial Blaster is cast in Black Plastic (not painted) and can be identified by the following factors -

The grip handle is quite pointed and angular (See picture below).

There is a circle above the magazine clip.

The circle / dot at the end of the barrel is incorrect.

The weapon is slightly fatter than the originals.

V4 - Black Repro.

This repro comes from a set of six floating blasters (read more HERE). It mimics an original by floating when placed on water and rising back to the surface when submerged. The blaster is cast in a Rigid, Shiny, Black plastic with Excess Flashing.

V5 - Black.

Update Nov 2016. Here is another floating example with slightly different mould details and the flashing cleaned up.

This REPRO blaster is found with the Black and White Reproduction Stormtrooper two-pack that was released during 2012.  

This REPRO of the Argentinian Top Toys Stormtrooper blaster was advertised (then pulled) from eBay in April 2013. The seller claimed it was one of only five made as a limited edition run and that it was painted.

This repro first appeared on the market in November 2014. It comes from Mexico and is made from resin. It attempts to duplicate a black Lili Ledy blaster and as can be seen from the comparison photo is difficult to tell from an original. This blaster sounds like an original during the drop test but fails the float test and will sink when placed in water.

Imperial Blaster REPRO V9

This blaster is believed to be a new repro that hit the market sometime late in 2014. It has excess flashing and in-hand has a slight Green colour to it. There is no sprue tree break on the bottom of the magazine and the handle lacks crisp detail.

The blaster compares well to an original for the drop test. For the float test it will float even when pressure is applied. The blaster feels rigid with just a small amount of flexibility.

On the side with the indent, there is a small semi-circle inside the indent (highlighted in below pic).

The scope also contains some kind of indent (highlighted in below pic).

First reported in July 2015, this repro was advertised in batches of 25 and 50 and included the Bespin blaster and the Rebel blaster. They were advertised by the seller on eBay as:

"a cheap and cheerful alternative whilst you maybe source original weapons..."

On close inspection this repro will not fool anyone as it is so poorly moulded. The batch examples nearly all feature 'blobs' and an uneven and irregular matte surface texture.

Flexibilty is zero and batch specimens we have tested have broken under pressure revealing a white inner plastic.

The repros all sink when placed in water.

You can read the full report on this batch of repros over at the forum HERE