Tag Archives: Star Wars

#3435: Hera Syndulla & Stormtrooper Commander

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

HERA SYNDULLA & STORMTROOPER COMMANDER

STAR WARS: REBELS (HASBRO)

“Hera supports any mission that undermines the authority of the Empire’s Stormtrooper commanders.”

Wow, it’s already September. And, contrary to how I’ve been running things for a bit the last few years, I say this from only about a week ago, rather than way back in the past. Well, with a new month under my belt, I’m going to try at least a little bit to get back into some more back catalog stuff. So, let’s do some Star Wars stuff. Ahsoka launched last week, which has put the Rebels cast back into focus for a bit. Let’s check out some of that, I guess!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Hera Syndulla and the Stormtrooper Commander were released in 2015 as part of the Star Wars: Rebels line’s third assortment of Mission Series two-packs.

HERA SYNDULLA

Hera was the final member of the core Ghost crew to get released.  This would mark the first of her two figures from during the show’s run, the other coming packed with an A-Wing during the Rogue One product line.  The figure stands about 3 1/2 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  All of the Rebels figures were at the reduced articulation, so it’s not like it’s a shock or anything.  To Hera’s credit, as a pilot figure, she’s does a great job of sitting, and I mean that in a totally not sarcastic way.  With the 3 3/4 inch line, it can be very easy to overcomplicate figures to the point of them not actually being able to sit in the vehicles they’re meant to go with.  Her sculpt was totally new to this release, though everything below the neck would be re-used for her later figure.  It’s a pretty stiff sculpt in terms of posing, which was pretty common for the early Rebels offerings.  She winds up looking a touch silly, especially next to the updated versions of the other characters.  Still, it’s far from the worst thing the line put out, and she does at least look pretty on-model for the character.  Her paint work is decent enough.  It’s a mix of basic and perhaps just a little bit sloppy around the edges.  Hera was packed with her small blaster pistol, which she can hold in either hand.  She notably can’t use the sculpted ankle holster for it, due to the relative scaling.

STORMTROOPER COMMANDER

There weren’t a *ton* of trooper variants for Rebels, but it’s still a Star Wars tie-in, so it’s not totally avoidable.  This one gets a new pauldron.  Woooooooo.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  He’s largely the same figure as the standard Rebels trooper.  The only difference is the new pauldron, denoting his rank.  It’s non-removable, which is a bit limiting, but not the end of the world.  I still quite like the sculpt.  It’s a good recreation of the animation design, and it’s got a fun and goofy flow to it.  The color work on this figure is pretty similar to the standard.  The exact shades are a little different, and the eyes are closer to the head band, but it looks pretty good for the most part.  The Stormtrooper Commander is packed with his blaster pistol, which, like the standard, he can hold in either hand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was unfortunately not on the up-and-up with Rebels during its early run, so I missed out on the earlier toys.   By the time I got into things, Hera had gotten a bit pricier on the after market.  I wound up getting this pair loose, waaaaaaaaaay back in early 2019, when they got traded into All Time.  They’re pretty basic and rudimentary figures, but they fit the style, and I definitely dig 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.

 

#3389: SCAR Trooper Mic

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

SCAR TROOPER MIC

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“SCAR Trooper Mic is part of a Special Commando Advanced Recon team called Scar Squadron. Also known as Task Force 99, this tight-knit group is accustomed to operating on its own in the most hostile environments.”

Back in 2021, Hasbro decided to officially launch a comics based subline of Black Seties, as a way of touching on some Expanded Universe stuff, be they Legends or current canon. They’ve kept it to one run of figures per year, each focusing on a different portion of the comics. Last year, they launched a sub-brand within the sub-line, in the form of Imperial Task Force 99, a group of elite troopers that are the Empire’s answer to the Bad Batch. We got the squad’s leader Sgt Kreel last year, and this year we’re getting Mic, the team’s answer to Tech. Let’s see how he turned out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

SCAR Trooper Mic is the second figure in the third round of the comics-inspired sub-line of Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Black Series. I already looked at the Mara Jade, and there’s also a variant on Doctor Aphra. The figure is roughly 6 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation. Like Kreel, Mic is built on the upgraded 2020 Stormtrooper body. As a deviation on the standard trooper, it makes sense, and it helps that it’s still a very good mold. Where Kreel swapped out the torso for a new one, Mic keeps that piece consistent, instead getting a unique helmet sculpt, which features a modified visor and attached antenna. He also gets the extra wrist add-on piece that we got with Kreel, adding some nice internal continuity. Mic’s color work isn’t far removed from the standard Stormtrooper. He gets a little more color on the helmet, but that’s really it. The application is all pretty clean, and he matches well with other troopers. Mix is packed with a standard trooper blaster and a backpack. The pack is an all new sculpt, with extending thrusters. They’re a little janky to move back and forth, but it’s still a fun feature.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I only knew of most of the Marvel Star Wars run through indirect stuff, so the Kreel figure was really my first interaction with these guys. I liked him a fair bit, so I was intrigued by the rest of his squad. Mic is perhaps not as impressive a standalone piece as Kreel was, but he’s still a solid figure.

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

#3366: Mandalorian Police Officer

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

MANDALORIAN POLICE OFFICER

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (HASBRO)

“Mandalorian officers maintain order on Mandalore. Because this planet of warriors has become a world of peace, the guards are seldom needed for more than minor issues. But the Death Watch group has begun committing acts of violence, so the officers are prepared with riot shields and weapons, in case all peaceful solutions fail.”

When Mandalorian culture was brought into Clone Wars‘ second season, there was a great focus on the divide in the two sides of Mandalore; while the antagonistic Death Watch were violent and warlike, the masses at large had attempted to take on a more peaceful stance.  The toys, of course, largely focused on the more visually exciting Death Watch side of things, but we did at least get some token coverage for the peace keepers, in the form of the Mandalorian Police Officer.  They’re ultimately a minor part of the show, but a cool look is a cool look, especially when it comes to Star Wars.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Mandalorian Police Officer is from the second wave of 2010 offerings for the Clone Wars tie-in line.  He’s figure #9 in that year’s line-up, making him the second figure in his assortment, following up the similarly-themed Pre Vizsla figure.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 14 points of articulation.  While the line was generally improving on the articulation front at this point, this guy doesn’t quite benefit from that.  Instead, he’s using the early line non-trooper articulation scheme, meaning he’s got decent movement on his arms, but only the basic hip movement, with no knee or ankle joints.  I suppose, given his more peaceful nature, that this isn’t as horribly limiting, but it’s a little bit of a bummer.  His sculpt was an all-new one, and one which would remain unique for this figure.  It’s generally pretty solid, capturing the knight-like design from the show rather well.  He’s a bit more angular and stylized than some of the line’s other figures, and his proportions look a little strange, especially with the arms being as long as they are relative to the other parts of the body.  The visor is also rather loose fitting, and doesn’t quite sit the way it’s supposed to when it’s down.  Beyond that, though, he does what he needs to.  His color work is more on the drab side; in the show, the police sported variations of grey (fitting the generally off-white colors of the peaceful Mandalorians), and that’s what we get here.  Application’s generally pretty good, and he looks like he should, which is the important thing.  The officer is packed with his baton and riot shield, as well as a missile launcher and missile, which can be mounted on the back of the shield.  There was also a display stand, as had become standard for the line at this point.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This guy wasn’t my main want from this assortment back in the day (that was Pre Vizsla), but he was a close second.  I always thought this was a pretty cool design, and it’s a shame they never did too much with it.  I picked this figure up new, just before starting my freshman year of college.  He and Pre were two of the last items I got before moving into my dorm, and were in fact picked up while I was shopping for dorm stuff.  I intended to use these two to slow down my figure buying, but that…didn’t happen.

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

#3363: Wicket

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

WICKET

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

Isn’t it great how the Star Wars movies are all spaced out in such a way that you’re bound to be celebrating some sort of anniversary for them, almost every year?  The more recent theme on the Hasbro side has the been the 40th anniversaries of the Original Trilogy films, and up to bat this year is Return of the Jedi and its original 1983 release.  As with all the other 40th celebrations, Black Series is getting a couple of rounds of retro carded figures, which are a mix of old and new offerings.  There’s but one new offering in the very first of those assortments, and it’s one of those devilishly divisive Ewoks.  But it’s not just any Ewok: it’s Wicket!  He’s, like, the best one!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Wicket was released alongside re-carded versions of Endor Leia, Endor Han, the Scout Trooper, and Skiff Guard Lando in the first series of the RotJ Retro Carded Black Series figures.  As noted in the intro, he’s the only unique figure this time around, and he’s our third Ewok in the line.  As the main Ewok, it’s a little surprising that it’s taken quite this long to release him, but he’s at least a good choice for an anniversary.  As of right now, he’s exclusive to the Retro Card, but it wouldn’t be that shocking to see him show up in the standard line later, as they’ve done with a few of the other anniversary figures.  The figure stands 3 inches tall and he has 20 points of articulation.  Given how small he is, he’s honestly got a pretty impressive articulation set-up.  The only major joint missing is the knee, but that would probably have broken the legs up too much, and it admittedly doesn’t mess with the movement too badly, due to the range on the hips and ankles.  Wicket’s sculpt is all-new, and it’s a very strong one.  He’s very small, of course, but that’s proper scaling for him, so it makes sense.  Even with his smaller stature, there’s a ton of texturing, and it’s got a great likeness of the Wicket costume from the movie.  The face in particular really captures the look of the character.  His hood is a separate piece, which can be removed if you’re so inclined, but it’s not really much to look at that way.  He just looks extra goofy.  But, it’s cool to have the option, and it stays in place very well.  Wicket’s paint work is pretty well handled, with accenting on his hood and his fur.  The fur jumps a bit in intensity from piece to piece, but the head is again the best work, with a rather subtle set-up, as well as gloss on the eyes that really helps to make they pop up against the rest of the face.  Wicket is packed with his spear, which is his signature weapon.  Presumably to make up for his smaller size while still occupying the standard price point, Wicket also gets a bow, an arrow, and two different styles of club.  They’re not things that he uses in the movie, but they’re good base Ewok weapons, and it’s not like he *couldn’t* have used them at some point, and it does give you extra options.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Back when I was still operating under the delusion that I was only buying a very select run of figures from Black Series (in 2013, when the line first launched), Wicket was one of the figures on my list that I was definitely buying.  I assumed he’d be the first Ewok at the time, and also thought we’d be seeing him sooner than ten years into the line, but I knew I wanted him all the same.  In an otherwise kind of lack-luster launch wave for the 40th RotJ figures, Wicket was a pretty exciting figure, and in hand, I really dig him.  Sure, you’re paying full price for a figure that’s half the size, but there feels like an extra attention to detail on this one, and to me he feels like a better deal than Yoda and R2 were.  And he’s just a fun little guy.

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.

#3361: Pre Vizsla

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

PRE VIZSLA

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (HASBRO)

“Pre Vizsla is governor of Concordia, the moon orbiting Mandalore. Vizsla appears to support peace and criticizes the Death Watch, a violent group of Mandalorians who want to return to their warrior past. But when Obi-Wan discovers the Vizsla is actually the leader of the Death Watch, the governor tries to silence the Jedi in a duel — darksaber to lightsaber.”

If you’re going to try recreating Boba Fett at regular intervals, I suppose sometimes it just pays to go back to the source.  In The Clone Wars‘ second season, that’s what the franchise did, giving mass audiences their first glimpse at the Mandalorians.  Oh, sure, it’s all very passé these days, since they now make up a very large chunk of the franchise’s offerings, but this was back before that, when we were just learning about it all.  Leading the villainous contingent of Mandalorians was Pre Vizsla, voiced by none other than Jon Favreau, who was not yet involved in Star Wars.  Oh how times have changed.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Pre Vizsla was released in the second wave for the 2010 incarnation of Hasbro’s Clone Wars tie-in line, a wave which, in what would become fairly standard for the line, had been preceded by one entirely populated by repacks of main characters.  Vizsla was figure #8, making him the first of the new figures in his assortment, numerically.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 26 points of articulation.  Hasbro was getting pretty serious about actually articulating these figures by this point, and Pre represents the line at its peak in terms of mobility, rivaling the ARF Trooper, which was the best of the Clones.  It grants him quite a bit of playability, which is always a plus.  The figure’s sculpt was all-new; parts of it would be re-used for the standard Death Watch trooper later the same year, but for the start it would be unique.  It’s a pretty strong offering.  He’s notably skinnier than the clones, which was true to the character.  His helmet was a removable piece, with an unmasked sculpt beneath it.  The unmasked head is a touch on the small side, but not terribly so, and it matches up well with Vizsla’s earlier appearances on the show.  His half cape piece is cloth; it’s a little bit oversized for the scale, but it’s certainly a better set-up than a sculpted piece might have been, as it preserves the articulation.  Vizsla’s paint work is decent; the base set-up is all there, and he certainly captures the color scheme from the show.  You can see that they were intending the body to be re-used for standard Mandos from the start here, though; the Pre-specific elements are largely painted over the standard armor.  Pre is packed with the Dark Saber (making its toy debut here), as well as two dual pistols, and a display stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

By the time of Clone Wars‘ second season, I was actually starting to get a bit more invested in it, and I remember the trailer that showed off Vizsla and his Mando goons for the first time.  It was very cool, and I was very excited.  This figure was one of the ones I was most looking forward to from the line, and I recall getting both him and the Mandalorian Police Officer while I was out buying things for my first college dorm room.  They were meant to be my last toy purchase for a while but…uh, I didn’t stick to that for long.

#3356: Cad Bane

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

CAD BAND

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (HASBRO)

“Cad Bane is hired by Darth Sidious to break into the Jedi Temple and steal a holocron containing the secret names of future Jedi. The resourceful and cunning bounty hunter carefully puts his plan in place using schematics of the temple, a techno-service droid and an unscrupulous shapeshifter.”

Cad Bane was introduced at the end of Clone Wars‘ first season, following in the tradition of every post-Empire entry in the franchise trying to create the next Boba Fett. In his defense, he’s probably the closest the franchise actually got to that mark, by virtue of just aiming more to be his own thing from the start, thereby making him feel a little less artificial.  The same year that Cad Bane debuted on Clone Wars, he also got his very first action figure via the tie-in toyline, and I’m taking a look at that one today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cad Bane was released in the fourth wave of the 2009 re-launch of Hasbro’s Clone Wars line, where he was figure CW22.  He was released alongside Clone Trooper Denal (who Bane notably impersonates after killing him in “Cargo of Doom”), as well as space versions of Anakin and Ahsoka.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 11 points of articulation.  Bane’s articulation is lesser compared to the best in the line, lacking any movement below the hips, as well as having rather restricted motion on the elbows.  Also, due to the construction of his elbow joints, his arms have a tendency to fall apart in the middle a lot.  All of this makes him a figure that’s just really not great for posing.  He’s really just built for standing there.  Given how much Bane does in the show, it’s kind of a shame.  There were later versions with better articulation, but this one still wound up with the most releases by far, so the mold was just really persistent.  The actual sculpt is at least pretty decent.  Not a spot on recreation of the animation model, but pretty close, and about on par with the best of the earlier run sculpts, at least in terms of accuracy.  His paint work is respectable; the colors match with his show design closely enough, and the blue skin gives him a nice and unique look.  Cad was packed with a removable hat (which started the trend of Cad Banes with hats that are hard to keep in place), his two twin blaster pistols, and a larger blaster rifle (missing from mine).

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I got Cad Bane while he was relatively new, but certainly not *brand* new.  It was probably in the spring of 2010, which is when I got a lot of my Clone Wars figures, since I suddenly had money and the means to drive myself places.  It really increased my toy buying options, I tell ya.  The figure’s honestly never been one of my favorites.  Like, he’s not bad, but he’s not really great either.  There were better versions, but they’re unfortunately a lot harder to get, which is a shame.

#3351: Commando Droid

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

COMMANDO DROID

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (HASBRO)

“Commando droids land on the Rishi moon to attack a Republic outpost. Designed for surprise assaults, the droids quickly overwhelm the new clone trooper recruits stationed there. With this strategic outpost now in Separatist hands, General Grievous has everything in position to launch a surprise attack anywhere in the Outer Rim.”

Each of the Star Wars prequels added one specialized droid in addition to the standard Battle Droid, presumably to somewhat offset the general ineffectiveness of the standards.  The trend continued past the movies, with Clone Wars adding a few of its own Droids.  Most of them were situation-specific, but my personal favorite was the Commando Droid.  Introduced early in Season 1 in the episode “Rookies,” the Commandos were honestly just a more intimidating equivalent to the rank and file Battle Droids, who would become a common place feature whenever the show needed the droid threat to be genuinely threatening.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Commando Droid is figure CW16, and was released in the third assortment of the second generation of Hasbro’s Clone Wars line, which hit in 2009.  Up to this point, the line had roughly one Droid army builder per series, and the Commando Droid took that spot in this line-up.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and has 21 points of articulation.  Up to this point in the line, most of the droids wound up with lackluster articulation, but the Assassin Droid had changed that, and this guy followed suit.  He’s the best articulated of the Droids the line put out, effectively on the same level as the upgraded Clone body used for the ARF Trooper.  And, with the ball-joint construction on the hips, you can even swap the legs and flip the mid-section around, to do the hunch that the Commandos frequently sported on the show.  This guy got an all-new mold, which Hasbro would re-use a few more times for other Commando Droid re-decos.  It’s a really good sculpt.  It’s accurate to the animation models, while also keeping the articulation useful and still worked into the sculpt.  He’s one of the few instances of a droid actually getting movement at all of the notable joints in the actual design, so there weren’t any of the phantom joints that the main Battle Droid mold got.  The figure’s paint work is decent enough; nothing crazy or anything.  The bulk of it’s a molded gunmetal grey, with some slight accent work in gold, as well as his eyes and the insignia on his torso.  Application is all pretty clean, so that all works out rather nicely.  The Commando Droid was originally packed with a single droid style blaster, though somewhere along the way, mine seems to have picked up a second blaster somewhere along the way.  That’s definitely not standard.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Commando Droid is one of those figures that I wanted before it actually existed.  When they showed up in “Rookies”, I was immediately a fan of the design and eager to see it in figure form.  This is definitely one I actively hunted for.  If I recall correctly, he got added to my collection during a sizable run of Clone Wars purchases in early 2010, when my parents were out of town for a week, and I had regular access to a car and some money to spend.  He’s definitely one of my favorites from the line, and he holds up astoundingly well.  I’d love to see him updated to Black Series one of these days.

#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!

#3323: Mara Jade

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

MARA JADE

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“Mara Jade was once Emperor Palpatine’s Hand, his most-trusted assassin. Five years later and now a successful smuggler, the last thing Mara expected was to stumble upon her former arch-enemy: Luke Skywalker.”

The post-Jedi Star Wars Expanded Universe had within it a good number of characters who rose to prominence, despite not being a direct part of any of the on-screen adventures of the franchise.  One of the more prolific examples was Mara Jade.  Introduced in Heir to Empire, Mara served as a foil to Luke, as the two eventually went from enemies to lovers.  Given her quite interwoven story with Luke, Mara was one of the first major “casualties” of Disney moving away from the Expanded Universe.  Unlike Thrawn, her compatriot from Heir, Mara has not, as of yet, made the jump to Disney’s official canon.  Her presence in the franchise as a whole has been a bit down played in more recent years, but she’s gotten her second figure since the Disney take-over, which, if you’re counting, brings her total number of figures up to a whopping four.  But hey, Black Series coverage.  That’s pretty cool.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Mara Jade is part of the third round of the comics-inspired sub-line of Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Black Series.  While prior assortments have had four figures, this one’s down to three.  Hey, at least Mara finally made the cut.  She’s officially branded “Legends,” denoting her outside of canon status.  Mara is based on her appearance in Dark Force Rising, allowing her to be a direct follow-up to Luke from Heir, by virtue of being the next entry in that trilogy.  It translates to her still wearing the all-black get-up that she’s best known for, so it works fine by me.  The figure stands about 6 inches tall and she has 28 points of articulation.  Mara’s posability is a little more restricted than some more recent figures from the line, but not terribly so.  A lot of it has to do with her construction, which re-uses a good chunk of  parts from Jaina Solo (who is, entertaining, the first figure to use the “Legends” classifier).  She shares the torso and legs with that release and gets a new head and arms to differentiate things.  It all works a bit better than I’d expected; many of Mara’s prior figures have looked a bit tossed together, but this sculpt flows rather nicely.  The head sculpt doesn’t exactly have a spot-on likeness of Shannon McRandle (the model who “portrayed” Mara on book covers and trading cards in the ’90s), but it maintains enough of the traits to feel appropriately like the character.  It’s certainly closer than any prior attempt.  The only slight nit is that the hair’s maybe a tad flatter than it should be, but it’s minor.  To further differentiate Mara from Jaina, Mara gets extra add-ons for her shoulder harness, bandana, and goggles.  They can also be removed, if you want a more streamlined look.  Mara’s color work is generally on the basic side, largely relying on molded colors, especially for the bulk of her outfit.  She gets the now standard face printing, which is suitably clean and life like.  Mara is packed with her distinct purple lightsaber, as well as a small blaster pistol.  It’s a bit on the light side, but it’s standard at this point for this branch of the line.  At least both of her accessories are actually for her, which is more than could be said for Luke.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Honestly, a few years ago, I probably wouldn’t have picked up Mara at all.  I’ve not really had any direct interactions with the character.  I do have her Expanded Universe figure from ’98, but that one’s more fueled by nostalgia than anything.  That said, Rebels got me more interested in Thrawn as a character, so I wound up buying his Black Series figure.  I then got the Heir Luke figure, since I was buying others from the first comics assortment.  At that point, I was two figures deep on this set, and Mara was kind of the main missing piece.  She’s the strongest of the three, so she was certainly worth the wait.

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.

#3321: Clone Trooper – 41st Elite Corps

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

CLONE TROOPER — 41ST ELITE CORPS

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (HASBRO)

“The clone troopers in the 41st Elite Corps are led by Clone Commander Gree and Jedi General Yoda. The troopers are equipped with specialized gear for combat on jungle worlds such as Rodia, one of the planets to which this unit is assigned during the Clone Wars.”

People love Clone Troopers, and one of the things people particularly love about Clone Troopers are all the fancy colors you can get them in.  For their first appearance in Attack of the Clones, their colors corresponded to a rank structure, which was maintained in the 2D Clone Wars series.  By the time of Revenge of the Sith, the colors were modified into being unit markings, so when it came time to do to the 3D Clone Wars, they decided to retroactively make the the Phase I colors line up to units.  And that’s the way that Commander Gree inherited the 41st Elite Corps, whose design was previously that of the Clone Sergeant.  Which means that the figure I’m looking at today isn’t a Sergeant, but rather a member of the 41st Elite Corps.  How about that?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The 41st Elite Corps Clone Trooper was initially released as figure 26 in the first run of the Clone Wars tie-in line, as part of the fifth and final assortment of the original run, and numerically the second-to-last of the figures in that set (Kit Fisto was the last figure in that first numbering, something he’d repeat when he also wrapped up the Phase III Black Series run).  The 41st was the re-released early into the next run, as figure 04, in an assortment entirely populated with repacks moving to the new packaging style.  He was the line’s third generic clone in the main run, following the all-white and the 212th.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 24 points of articulation.  From a structural standpoint, this figure is identical to the 212th, complete with the newer style of helmet.  It solidified the plan to keep the adjusted helmet going forward, after the Space Gear Trooper threw some things into question.  Beyond that, it’s all really down to paint.  This guy swaps out the orange markings of the 212th for a somewhat subdued green.  He’s still got a much cleaner armor set-up, as became the norm for the Clones in the line.  Unlike the 212th, this guy’s shading also remained consistent with the Commander Gree figure later down the line, so they matched.  Yay!  The figure is packed with a small blaster rifle, as well as debuting the D-6 rotary blaster in this line, complete with a launching missile.  You know, for all those missiles that the rotary blaster launched.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Though I definitely wanted one of these back in the day, the 41st was never one of those figures I was able to track down.  Thankfully, I got a second chance when All Time got a huge Clone Wars collection in a few years back, so my collection didn’t have to go 41st-less forever.  He’s a basic figure, but he does what I need him to, and I’m always game for more green!

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.