COMMANDO DROID

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

One of the things Clone Wars did was flesh out the ranks of the two opposing armies a bit more than what we saw in the movies.  Obviously, we got a lot of focus on the individual clones, but the Droids also got some new models not seen elsewhere.  A good number of them were more specialized, but one of the earliest additions to the more standard line-up was the Commando Droid, a more robust take on the standard Battle Droid.  As we finally start to get some more of the droid army in Black Series, we’ve finally made our way to some of those Clone Wars-original designs, meaning we finally get an update to the Commando Droid!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Commando Droid is figure 18 in the Clone Wars sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series‘ 4th Phase.  The Clone Wars line is really one of the slowest growing of the sub-lines; the Commando Droid is only 1 higher than Pre Vizsla, a figure released at the end of 2023.  It also makes the Commando Droid thus far the only Clone Wars-branded figure in the new standard packaging (though there’s already a Savage Opress in the deluxe equivalent).  The figure stands 6 inches tall and he has 32 points of articulation.  The articulation on this guy hits pretty much all of the notes it needs to, and doesn’t leave really any of his sculpted joints as false ones, which is always nice to see.  I was impressed by how the neck and shoulders worked; the ball joints coupled with the hinges make for an impressive range.  The only part I’m not too keen on is the knees, which don’t go quite as deep as I’d like; they pretty much stop at 90 degrees, which is bare minimum, but not great for lunging and stuff.  Thankfully, the hips and ankles have enough movement to offset.  The sculpt is an all-new one, and it’s a very strong one.  The Commando Droids only exist in the Clone Wars style, but this figure manages to capture the spirit of that design, while also making them feel at home with the rest of the more realistically-styled figures.  The detailing is all very sharp, and the articulation works into the sculpt well.  He’s also quite sturdy, which is an improvement to some of the other droid sculpts.  His paint work is more involved than you might expect.  There’s the base color work, of course, which is good and clean, but he’s also got a fair bit of weathering, which makes him seem a little more battle-hardened, which feels right for such a droid.  The Commando Droid is packed with a standard droid blaster and a vibro-blade.  The blaster fits very nicely in his hands, and the blade can be mounted on his back, albeit somewhat awkwardly.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’m a big fan of the Commando Droid, and have almost every version from the Clone Wars line.  That’s one of my very favorite molds from that era, so this one was one I was really looking forward to, but ever so slightly worried might not live up to my expectations, especially after being rather letdown by the Magnaguard.  But, I couldn’t bring myself to pass him up, so I snagged him when he hit.  He’s truly a fantastic figure, and a worthy successor to the old Clone Wars mold.  I’m very glad I didn’t skip this one.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.