Tag Archives: Clone Trooper

#3865: Clone Captain Rex

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

CLONE CAPTAIN REX

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“Rex served the Republic on the front lines during the Clone Wars, taking orders from Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano first as a captain and later a commander.”

Since The Clone Wars has little cross-over in terms of actors with the live action films it crosses over with, most of its original characters are portrayed through their entire runs by veteran voice actors, rather than the people that might play them in live action.  Some of them have made the jump with the same actor; Katee Sackoff as Bo-Katan is probably the best example.  What’s an interesting quirk of the nature of the Clone Troopers, who make up a solid portion of the show’s cast, is that they’re mostly new characters, but they’re voiced by an actor different than the one who portrayed them in live action.  This means that Captain Rex, easily the most prominent clone in the series, and really the most prominent clone in the wider franchise, spent the first decade and a half of his existence never having once been played by Temuera Morrison, the guy that originated the clones in the first place.  This was finally addressed in 2023, however, when Rex made his live action debut in Ahsoka via some key flashback sequences.  And, hey, Hasbro’s also taken advantage of that appearance to give us another Rex figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Clone Captain Rex is figure 16 in the Ahsoka show subline of Star Wars: The Black Series.  He’s in an assortment that also features the flashback version of Anakin from the same show, and they’re both based on their appearances from the earlier flashbacks, meaning Rex is in his Phase I armor.  Since the first Rex was in his later design, it makes this one a much needed variant.  The figure stands just over 6 inches tall and he has 31 points of articulation.  He’s built on the 2020 Clone Trooper body, rather than using the prior Rex body.  Technically, this does make him more accurate to specifically this armor set, and it’s not too bad a mold.  He gets a new pauldron, and belt with kama, which work about as well as they usually do.  The pauldron seems a bit floaty (I liked the affixed one from the last Rex mold), and the kama is a bit restricting, but those are both rather typical.  One minor but super cool touch is that he’s got a new left hand, which has a trigger finger, meaning he can *finally* hold both blaster pistols properly.  Yay!  His helmet is the standard Phase I style one, with the range finder added on.  Underneath, we get a head that looks to be very similar to the prior Rex, if it’s not actually the same sculpt.  It’s certainly a little sharper, though, and it fits better in the helmet.  His paint work aims for a cleaner look for Rex, which is true to the show, and also fits, this being Rex from earlier in the war.  It’s cleanly applied, and he generally looks pretty good.  Rex is packed with just his two blaster pistols.  It’s again accurate to the show, and I’m glad he can properly hold them, but also that feels really, really light.  I know that the Phase II helmet shouldn’t *technically* go on this body, but it might have been nice to at least get one as an option.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Rex’s appearance in Ahsoka was exceedingly exciting for me.  I literally jumped for joy.  And, as soon as I saw that Phase I armor, I was hopeful it might mean getting him in figure form.  It took a little bit longer than I expected, but I think it was worth it.  I like any chance to get another Rex, and I’ve always had a soft spot for the Phase I armor.  The figure winds up being mostly by the numbers, but, as silly as it may sound, that tweaked left hand *really* works for me.

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.

#3822: ARF Trooper – Assault on Geonosis

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

ARF TROOPER — ASSAULT ON GEONOSIS

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (HASBRO)

So, remember just last week when I was talking about the Biker Scout armor and its various derivatives?  Cool, let’s loop back to that.  Amongst the prequel era Biker Scout derivatives is the ARF Trooper, a modified version of the standard Clone armor that surfaced in The Clone Wars.  I’m a huge fan of that particular design, and I’ve made it one of my goals to track down every version of it released in Hasbro’s tie-in line.  During the episode “Landing At Point Rain,” the ARF armor gets a re-deco in Geonosis-inspired camo, which got toy coverage in the form of recurring clones Boil and Waxer, but also a not-named clone, you know, for some variety.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The ARF Trooper was released in 2011 as part of the “Assault on Geonosis” Battle Pack from Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars tie-in line, in a pack that also featured variants of Obi-Wan and the Geonosian Warrior.  The figure stands just shy of 4 inches tall and he has 26 points of articulation.  He’s using the standard ARF Trooper mold from the line, which also happens to be one of the line’s very best.  The articulation is just top notch, and the detailing is really fun.  Just generally a fantastic mold.  This one mixes it up on the paint front, as is the case with all the ARF Trooper variants.  It’s not *drastically* different from the ARF Boil and Waxer figures, of course, since they’re all Geonosis camo, but it’s different enough to say “hey, that’s different.”  The actual shades are yet another slightly tweaked set up, meaning were three for three on the colors being different.  He ditches the Boil and Waxer specific markings, swapping for a more generic set-up.  So, you know, different.  The ARF Trooper is packed with two styles of blaster, both long and medium, so that you can mix it up a bit.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Have I mentioned that I like the ARF Trooper design?  And also that I like the ARF Trooper mold?  Because I do.  And I do.  So, any chance I have to get another ARF figure I don’t have, I take.  Even if he isn’t *drastically* different from two other ARF Troopers I have already.  But he *is* different, and that’s the most important thing.  Yaaaaaaaaaaay!  New ARF Trooper!

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.

#3817: Elite Corps Clone Trooper – Combat on Kashyyk

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

ELITE CORPS CLONE TROOPER — COMBAT ON KASHYYK

STAR WARS: SAGA COLLECTION (HASBRO)

“The specialized troopers in the 41st Elite Corps are deployed on the beach of Kashyyyk to battle droid forces invading from the water. Swarms of droids overrun the beach but the elite troopers hold them back, supporting their Republic leaders… until the Emperor orders the corps’ commander to execute Order 66.”

Ah, whoa, whoops, looks like I dropped my review there yesterday.  Okay, that makes it seem like an accident.  It wasn’t.  At about 9:30 last night, I decided I just didn’t have the energy in me to write a review about Blue Centurion.  So, you know, something to look forward to for next week?  Today, I’m setting my sights back on Star Wars, though.  My favorite troopers have always been the Biker Scouts, so I’m always excited to see some variant of them show up elsewhere.  In Revenge of the Sith, that variant of them was green, which is extra exciting, and an excellent way to get me to buy another figure of a Clone Trooper, which is admittedly not super hard to do in the first place.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Elite Corps Clone Trooper was released as part of Star Wars: The Saga Collection, the franchise-spanning line that immediately followed the Revenge of the Sith tie-in.  He was figure #65, and one of the many that served as an extension of the RotS line’s run.  RotS was surprisingly light on the clone figures up front, so there were a lot of them here.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 22 points of articulation.  Structurally, he’s a straight re-paint of the Vintage Original Trilogy Collection Biker Scout.  Now, the thing is, it’s not strictly accurate; while the designs are certainly very close, there are a number of changes to the Elite Corps design, that obviously aren’t represented here.  But, on the flip side, it’s a really good mold, and it’s really fun to mess with.  The articulation’s great, and it doesn’t break up the sculpt too much to get there.  On top of that, his inaccuracy kind of makes him feel like he belongs with the similarly inaccurate clones from the RotS line.  So, you know, maybe not that bad?  His paint work also isn’t strictly speaking screen accurate, but it is strictly speaking pretty cool looking.  It gets the general vibe down, I feel, and that feels like the most important thing in light of the sculpt not being accurate to begin with.  There were two versions of the visor color (much like with the original Gree), and mine is the lighter of the two (which matches my Gree!  Hooray for consistency!), which I dig.  The Trooper was packed with a small blaster pistol and a medium sized blaster rifle, as well as a display stand that is not pictured.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I dig the general vibe of this design, but I can’t say I’m in love with the specifics of it, so figures that are more accurate don’t do as much for me.  In that regard, this figure feels strangely perfect for me.  And, in light of there being other, more accurate versions of the same design for those that want a proper one, he can just be a quirky step towards the accurate figure, and also go perfectly with my original Gree, who is also not accurate, but also still very much entertains me.  It’s because of this that, when I got the chance to snag this one, I swapped him with the more accurate 30th Anniversary figure already in my collection.  I don’t regret that swap, and I don’t regret getting this figure at all.

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.

#3760: Clone Trooper – Holiday Edition

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

CLONE TROOPER — HOLIDAY EDITION

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

Twas the night—er, day before Christmas, and all through the house, Ethan was realizing he hadn’t actually had a review go live on Christmas Eve in two years.  I didn’t used to do the themed review until the actual day, but last year I had two new Star Wars holiday-themed figures, so I did both days…well, sort of.  Anyway, there aren’t new holiday Black Series figures this year, but I’ve wound up with some old ones to fall back on, so let’s do that!  Here’s another Clone Trooper, because these guys are just everywhere.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Holiday Edition Clone Trooper was part of the debut run of Holiday Star Wars: The Black Series figures in 2020.  He was exclusive to GameStop and was figure 5 in the set of 5.  The figure stands just over 6 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  This guy is using the older style Clone base body, with the Phase II-style helmet.  These figures were released after the introduction of the newer style of Clone, but presumably the exclusive offerings had to be turned around at a quicker pace, hence the older molds.  The Walgreens Clone Lieutenant did the same thing, and he was from right around the same point.  The mold certainly has its limitations, but at the same time, it was solid for its time, and still looks pretty decent.  As with all of these figures, the deco is what’s really selling him.  It’s appropriately tacky, with sort of an ugly Christmas sweater set-up on the torso armor.  Apart from the fact that he’s a Clone Trooper who inexplicably has TIE Fighters and a Death Star on his sweater, it’s a nifty idea, and honestly pretty solidly executed.  Beyond that, he’s just got a lot of red and green, as well as the striped stockings look that’s been recurrent with this sub-line. The stripes are a bit inconsistent, but everything else is quite sharp.  The first year of holiday figures didn’t do any guns (amusing, since they were all some variation of trooper), but went instead with melee weaponry.  This guy gets the Knight of Ren’s sickle thing painted up like a candy cane.  I don’t know that it quite lands the way it was intended to, but it’s not terrible.  He’s also packed with a porg, who’s got a little tiny scarf painted on, and I just love that.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

In 2020, I was very definitely not going out and hunting exclusives, so I didn’t get any of these the first year.  This was the one from that batch I wanted the most, but I just never came across it.  Earlier this year, however, a set of them were traded in at All Time and I was able to snag a few of them, this guy included.  They continue to be exceptionally hokey, but I sure do love me some hokey decorations.

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.

#3758: Commander Gree

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

COMMANDER GREE

STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH (HASBRO)

“On the planet of Kashyyyk, Commander Gree serves Jedi Master Yoda and helps the Wookiees fight the invading Separatists. When the secret Order 66 is issued, Commander Gree suddenly turns on the Jedi, but Yoda senses his betrayal and quickly eliminates him.”

I am nothing if not willing to go through with the bit.  The bit in this case, of course, is doing a weekly Star Wars review based on one of the prequel movie tie-in lines, in order.  I did Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, so now it’s time to jump to Revenge of the Sith.  While I have nostalgic attachment to all of the prequels, and am willing to discuss my enjoyment of the first two…well, it’s not the worst of the prequels in terms of quality, but I think it’s the prequel I’ve always enjoyed the least, which is, of course, a big contrast, I think, from most people.  Look, I think it’s big dumb fun, but it’s also a real mess.  Honestly, that’s a sentence that describes the third entry in every Star Wars trilogy, so there you have it.  It does have cool clones, though, and in particular I’ve always been fond of Commander Gree.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Commander Gree was figure 59 in the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith tie-in line.  He was one of the late-run figures for the year, hitting retail right before the holidays, which also made him quite difficult to get.  the figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 13 points of articulation.  Gree made use of the second Phase II Clone Trooper from the line, dubbed “Super-Articulated” at the time.  It was a solid sculpt, and remained the best version of this style of clone for quite a ways after this line, and was re-used to a crazy degree, as you would well expect.  Gree is himself not too far off the standard armor, so it generally works just fine for him.  The main selling point here was the new deco for Gree.  Technically, it’s not entirely accurate to his on-screen appearance, specifically dealing with the details on the helmet, but it reads well enough, and it’s honestly fun and got a sufficient bit of pop to it, so I dig it.  There were two possible shades of green for his visor, darker and lighter.  Mine’s the lighter, which is the one I prefer, even if it’s the less accurate of the two.  Gree is packed with a standard blaster, a removable antenna, and a large missile-launcher-style blaster.  The launcher is laughably silly, but I can again dig it.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I recall finding both this guy and Bly in store shortly before Christmas when they hit, but it being so close to the holiday, I couldn’t get them, and my parents weren’t able to get them for me before the holiday craze wiped them out.  I didn’t have to wait too long for him, fortunately.  I recall him being a late winter purchase from Cosmic Comix, who had managed to get in some relatively recent figures and a reasonable enough price post-holidays.  Gree was my favorite clone from the film, and subsequently my favorite figure from this line, so he survived a good number of collection purges.  He honestly holds up really well.

#3718: Commander Bly

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

COMMANDER BLY

STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH (HASBRO)

“Equipped for battle on the exotic fungus planet of Felucia, Commander Bly fights alongside Jedi Knight Aayla Secura. When the secret Order 66 is issued, Commander Bly suddenly turns on Secura and the rest of the Jedi.”

We’ve arrived at another Friday review, and I’m once again doing a bit of clearing house on some of the hodge-podge of photographed Star Wars figures I haven’t yet reviewed.  Going into today’s review, I felt like I’d discussed the Revenge of the Sith tie-in line before, but a quick doublecheck showed that I have, in fact, reviewed nothing from this line.  Crazy.  Well, now’s as good a time as any to start, I suppose, so let’s kick things off with Commander Bly.  Everybody loves Bly!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Commander Bly was one of the last run Revenge of the Sith tie-in figures, hitting just before the holiday season in 2005, alongside fellow Clone Commander Gree.  Bly was actually intended to use the red color scheme used for the standard “Clone Commander” figure from the launch assortment for the line, but he was changed prior to the film’s release, so that figure had no direct counterpart on screen, and Hasbro had to follow-up with this update later.  There are also no less than three paint variations for Bly himself, as Hasbro kept tweaking him to be more accurate.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 22 points of articulation.  The clones were the best molds to come out of the RotS line, especially in terms of articulation.  This one’s a little restricted at the legs, largely due to the plastic kama, but he’s still quite posable, and also looks the part.  He’s the same mold as the not-Bly commander, which makes sense, since it was originally supposed to be him and all.  It’s got working holsters and a visor that goes up and down, which are both pretty standard for the character.  His paintwork, which was the subject of much adjustment, is the least adjusted version on mine, so he’s still got the white joints at the shoulders and lacks the brown detailing on the helmet and chest.  Still, it’s generally not bad, and the application’s all pretty clean, even if he does look a bit like mustard.  Bly was packed with the long blaster and two pistols, which the package dubbed “Battle Gear”.  He lost the grappling hook thing that the standard Commander had, which was kind of a bummer, but was also the least essential thing in the armament.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When this guy and Gree dropped, I really wanted them.  Unfortunately, they suffered from that last assortment syndrome, which made them both very rare for a while.  By the time I actually found them, they were aftermarket pricing, and I could really only afford one, so I just got Gree.  I didn’t get a Bly for over a decade, since he was always *just* above what I wanted to pay.  I did finally get a loose one courtesy of All Time.  It was a while back, maybe in early 2020?  That’s when I took the photos seen here, right around the same time I got the Black Series version.  He’s cool.  Like I said, the clones are really the best figures from Revenge of the Sith, and Bly’s one of the best clones, so just generally solid.

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.

#3630: ARC Trooper Commander

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

ARC TROOPER COMMADER

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0109: This is the third time I’ve reviewed a Captain Fordo that doesn’t bear the name “Captain Fordo.”

No, you’re not losing your mind, my review numbers really did jump by 300.  Apparently, I jumped *back* 300 in July of last year.  And none of you even told me.  For shame.  Well, I’m fixing it now.

You know, it’s been almost exactly a year since I’ve talked about the tie-in line for the 3D Clone Wars show.  That feels like a while, especially since it’s one of my top 2 Star Wars lines.  So, I’m taking a look at another one of those.  But, in an amusing turn of events, it’s a character that’s not even from the 3D show.  Weird, right?  Also, the last figure I looked at of this character was live-action styled, so, you know, there’s some fun coverage there, I guess.  So, without further ado, here’s another Captain Fordo!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Captain Fordo, who was dubbed “ARC Trooper Commander” on the box, was released in 2010 as part of the “Arc Troopers” Battle Pack from Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars tie-in line.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 24 points of articulation.  For the most part, Fordo is making use of parts from the line’s first version of Captain Rex.  He’s got a modified kama, which has slightly larger holsters, as well as a new shoulder pauldron with pouches on the front.  He’s also using a solid helmet, rather than the removable one from Rex.  He’s got a rangefinder, which is articulated.  Topping it all off, there’s also a removable wrist piece, which further changes up the look.  The core figure was a solid sculpt to begin with, and the new parts work well in conjunction with it.  The end result is a sensible upgrade of Fordo’s look to the 3D stylings.  Fordo’s paint work is pretty solid.  They’d moved away from doing the dirtied up white sections, which works better for Fordo’s 2D show origins.  They gave the markings on the armor a little bit more wear, however, which aids with his adapting to the new look.  Captain Fordo is packed with two modified blaster pistols, a rifle, and a display stand.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I love Fordo as a character, but getting figures of him can be pretty tricky.  This one in particular is a really rough one, since he’s not officially named, and just sort of thrown in with a random selection of other unnamed figures.  I wasn’t up on the line quite so much at the time, so I didn’t even know about his existence until well after he’d shot up in price on the aftermarket.  However, in the midst of me having a very bad year in 2021, one got traded into All Time, and I decided that was my time to jump on him.  He’s been waiting to be reviewed since then.  He’s not a perfect figure, but he’s another fun version of Fordo, and I’ll never knock that.

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.

#3490: ARC Trooper Fives

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , , ,

ARC TROOPER FIVES

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“Fives trained with Domino Squad on Kamino before being stationed at the Rishi Moon outpost. While on Kamino for medical testing, he discovered a terrifying secret about the clones’ origins.”

There are a number of recurring Clones over the course of The Clone Wars, but there are few that have quite as intricate a story as Domino Squad.  Introduced during the first season episode “Rookies,” the squad’s members are noted for their tendency to, much like the game pieces they are named after, fall.  By the end of their first episode, only two remained, Fives and Echo, who would go on to go from Rookies to ARC Troopers during their run on the show.  Fives initially had the longest run of the squad, surviving until the end of the Clone Conspiracy arc, where he discovers the truth about Order 66.  He’s subsequently had his thunder stolen a little bit with the reveal that Echo actually survived his presumed death at the Citadel, but that doesn’t make Fives any less important.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

ARC Trooper Fives is number 16 in the Clone Wars sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series’ Phase IV run.  Like Jesse from last week, he’s a Walmart-exclusive, which continues to be a bit of a bummer.  Honestly, even more of a bummer, really, given how major a character Fives is within the context of Clone Wars.  Like Echo and Jesse, Fives is presented here in his ARC Trooper loadout.  It makes the most sense by far for him, since he spends so much time in this particular gear.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  If you’ve read my reviews of Echo and Jesse, then you pretty much know the ins and outs of this sculpt, because he’s virtually identical to those two.  Fives shares the upper pouch placement with Jesse, which is accurate to the source material.  He also gets a new head sculpt under the helmet, which is fairly similar to Echo’s, but sports the appropriate facial hair.  I kind of expected the beard to just be painted on, but it’s actually sculpted, which was certainly a plus.  Fives’ color scheme is accurate to the cartoon, so it’s got a similar vibe to the other two, but some of the patterns are shifted around in order to make him more clearly unique from the other two.  Application is generally pretty clean, but on mine, the blue on the helmet fin is a little off-set, so it’s not quite centered the way it should be.  Like Jesse, Fives is only packed with a pair of blaster pistols.  It’s again pretty frustrating, given that he *still* doesn’t have trigger fingers on both hands, but he was at least more frequently seen with just the pistols.  Still, I’d like to at least have the option, given how much re-use he’s sporting.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’m honestly shocked it took as long as it did for Fives to get added to Black Series.  I kind of expected him to be the one that debuted this mold, so Echo and Jesse both beating him to market was definitely odd.  I was definitely not thrilled to find out he was an exclusive, either, but thankfully, I had Max looking out for me, and he managed to snag me one without much issue.  He feels a touch anticlimactic, I suppose, having already gotten the others and all, but I’m glad I at least have him finally.

#3485: Clone Commander Jesse

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

CLONE COMMANDER JESSE

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“Hard-fighting patriot Jesse proudly wears the Galactic Republic’s symbol on his helmet and as a face tattoo. After Order 66, however, his loyalty shifts from the Republic to the Emperor.”

As an interquel, Star Wars: The Clone Wars was slightly limited in what it could do to show real change and growth for its characters, especially the central characters whose fates we’ve already seen unfold. In order to keep some of that intrigue going, the show relied on the clones to really carry forward growth and development.  Clone Trooper Jesse began his run in the show as a rank and file member of the 501st, eventually graduating up to ARC Trooper, and even replacing Rex as commander of the 332nd company during the events of Order 66, in effect becoming the face of the troopers that fall that day.  That’s really not so bad a run.  And, hey, he’s also got a Black Series figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Clone Commander Jesse is figure 12 in the Clone Wars sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series’ Phase IV incarnation.  He’s a Walmart exclusive, which is less than ideal, but also not incredibly surprising, given just how much of the Clone Wars stuff has wound up with them.  Jesse is clearly based on his post-ARC Trooper promotion design, with his name signifying that he’s specifically based on the show’s finale.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  For the most part, Jesse is using the ARC Trooper tooling introduced by Echo back in 2021.  It’s a sensible re-use, what with them all having the same basic set-up to start with.  Apart from its restriction at the hips, it’s also a pretty solid sculpt as well, making its re-use totally acceptable.  He does get a new head under the helmet, showcasing Jesse’s fully shaved head, as well as a slight tweak to the body, with his ammo pouch moving from the left shoulder to the right.  The head is consistent with Echo’s in terms of styling and likeness, so they look like the same guy, but that guy isn’t necessarily Temuera Morrison.  One slight mix-up on the design is that Jesse keeps the exact same helmet mold as Echo, who had a range finder, while Jesse never did.  It’s on a peg, so you can pop it out if you’re so inclined, but it does leave a hole on that one side.  Beyond the sculpt change-ups, it’s paint work that really differentiates him.  He keeps the same basic color scheme, while changing up enough of what goes where to make him clearly a different guy.  In particular, I love how the Republic cog graffiti on the helmet and matching tattoo on the underlying head turned out.  Jesse is packed with a pair of blaster pistols…and that’s it.  Given his tendency to use larger style blasters in the show, it’s a bummer that he didn’t at least get the mid-sized blaster as well, especially with the price.  Also, he still doesn’t have a trigger finger on the left hand, so he can’t properly dual-wield the two blasters he has.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

With all the love Vintage Collection has been getting on the Clones, I was beginning to worry Black Series was going to miss out on the named guys like Jesse.  I was less than thrilled by him being an exclusive, given the VC got to be a regular release, but I was thankfully able to get some assistance getting one from someone that wound up with an extra he didn’t need.  He’s cool.  He’s definitely light on accessories, and I’m still not a fan of this whole exclusive game, but I’m glad to have him.

#3349: ARF Trooper

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

ARF TROOPER

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (HASBRO)

“These Advanced Reconnaissance Fighters often operate All-Terrain Recon Transport (AT-RT) walkers on scouting or combat operations. Riding atop these armed vehicles, ARF troopers can swiftly sweep through an area and cut down battle droids in their path.”

We’ve had environment and job specific troopers in Star Wars since the very beginning.  It’s on one hand very practical, and on the other a great way to justify more toys and other merch.  So, as the franchise has grown, so too have the variants on the troopers.  Within Clone Wars, there already some built-in armor variants going in, but a few more variants were quickly built-in.  Debuting in the theatrical film that launched the series were the ARF Troopers, a subset of clones with a unique helmet inspired by the Scout Troopers of the Original Trilogy.  The design cropped up a good number of times during the show, as well as a good number of times in the accompanying toyline.  I’m looking at the first of the toyline releases today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The ARF Trooper is figure CW10, released in the second assortment of the second generation of Hasbro’s Clone Wars line.  Since the first assortment was all re-packs moved to the new packaging style, the second assortment served as the first batch of real new figures for this adjusted version of the line, and the ARF Trooper was its first proper clone.  The figure stands a little over 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 26 points of articulation.  The ARF Trooper marked a notable step forward for the line, taking the already quite posable standard Clone Trooper body, and replacing the pelvis and upper legs to change the hip joints to universals, rather than the usual t-crotch.  This allowed the figure a great deal more mobility, and was just generally pretty awesome.  He also got a new head sculpt, based on the different helmet design.  Boy is it a sleek design, and boy does it look great in toy form.  Put the whole thing together, and you’ve got one of the slickest Clone sculpts the line ever produced.  The ARF Trooper’s paint work is fairly decent.  It’s largely pretty basic, but there’s some fun smaller detail work on the helmet, which has more going on than the usual Clone Trooper helmet.  The ARF Trooper is packed with a standard DC-15S blaster, a D-6 rotary blaster, and a firing missile.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I remember this figure first dropping.  It was right after I’d started my senior year of high school.  I remember finding him and his assortment-mate Commander Gree at retail fairly quickly.  And then I very vividly remember passing on them both because I had a date with a girl the next night and I thought it would be a wiser investment of my money to spend it on the date.  A week later, the girl had dumped me, and I had no new Clone Wars figures to console me.  Lesson learned.  Thankfully, by the end of the year, I’d gotten another chance, and I wound up with both of the figures I’d missed.  The ARF Trooper was at the time and remains to this day my very favorite mold from this line, and it all started with this guy.  He’s so much fun, and it’s a genuine goal of mine to own all of the variants of the mold.  Someday I’ll get there!