ELITE CORPS CLONE TROOPER Battle of Kashyyyk
The Saga Collection Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 85770 No. 87343
Number: 065
Includes: Blaster, smaller blaster, display base
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99
Availability: Early 2007
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: 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. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: As one of the final figures released in the Saga Collection that wasn't an exclusive, the demand for this Elite Corps Clone Trooper was huge, and depending on your toy hunting frequency you may not have seen a bunch of them at retail. The figure was simultaneously hailed and berated by fans, because some fans were thrilled Hasbro was using one of the most popular molds of 2006 to crank out this new Clone variant while others were angry for the exact same reason. You see, the Scout Trooper and Elite Corps Clone are very similar with a few differences in their armor-- different straps, different weapons, and so forth. So while this figure was certainly an acceptable release, the problem is that we're also fiends for accuracy. So Hasbro is going to be giving us a new one of these any week now.

This figure, though, is pretty good. It uses the mold for the 2006 "Vintage" Scout Trooper (a $9.99 figure, I should add) and adds more deco, more accessories, and brings it to you for a lower price. That doesn't sound right, but hey, that means this figure is super-articulated, has a working holster, and a nifty camo pattern for what is a mostly decent price. The figure is easy to pose, and for the most part is as good as you can possibly expect for a simple repaint. The downer here is that Hasbro already developed a Scout Trooper with a Clone's face, and that would have been a much more appropriate mold to use for this release because, well, it's a clone. While it would've been nice to see a longer clone rifle also included, it's still a decent product for the money. It's just that it could be better, and unfortunately like a lot of "could be better" figures, a new version is just around the corner. It'd be much better to see them get it right the first time, but the way I see it there's no harm in a little variety in the armor for the Elite Corps troopers, so mixed in with more authentic versions it's still a very decent figure. Or it could be an "Expanded Universe" camo Imperial Biker Scout. It's cool enough that it still has value, although it may be less interesting to newcomers to the hobby due to it being a stepping stone to a newer, arguably soon-to-be better figure.

Collector's Notes: Since this was one of the later figures of the 2006 line (as it came out in 2007), one might think it was excessively tough to get-- not so, as it shipped in several cases. "Wave 9" had tons of assortments and remixes, and this figure also shipped with Wal-Mart's exclusive wave of repaints shortly after this figure hit. The "Saga Collection" line actually still continues to ship to stores as of the day I wrote this (just a few days before this went up), so it's entirely possible, depending on where you shop, you could still stumble on one of these at retail. Early photos of this figure showed it coming with the long clone rifle from "Evolutions" sets, Hasbro ultimately went with the smaller, run-of-the-mill shorter clone rifle.

Day 592: December 19, 2007