CLONE TROOPER DVD Edition
Revenge of the Sith Wal-Mart Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. 85747 No. 85867
Number: 3 of 3
Includes: 2 more Clones
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: Fall 2005
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: These specially trained soldiers once served as the mighty Army of the Republic, fighting under the command of their Jedi generals in the Clone Wars. When palpatine executes his sinister plan and issues Order 66, the clone troopers brutally turn against the Jedi at the command of their new master, a betrayal that ushers in the first Galactic Empire. (Taken from the figure's box.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' floor.

Commentary: There's a set of Clone Troopers that has three very similar figures. Two of which are so similar, for the purposes of this column, they're identical-- and that's who we're looking at today. The two standing Troopers are identical, except for some freak reason it seems I got an "error" figure which is also missing the face dirt. (Lucky me I guess.) The figure has articulation at the waist, shoulders, and the left wrist. The left wrist has a gun stuck to it, and it is not removable. What's also kinda cool is that the panel on the back of the armor is painted brown to match the helmet designs, a detail not carried over to the 2006 "Combat Engineer" trooper based on this mold. The designs seem more complete here, but because the figures aren't really able to move much, plus they were later knighted as engineers, the figures may not be a perfect fit into the line. It's a decent looking fellow but it really is a shame to see these second-rate molds trotted out time and again, even if it is for a bargain-priced release like this one.

Collector's Notes: When these were first released, I haunted multiple Wal-Marts before and after the street date-- and guess what? Only saw one set, once, ever. As such, my set of these remained in the box until December of 2007 as I was on the lookout for another set and realized that the collection had got to the point where, for me, it's stupid to wait for even more clones. These are still fairly cheap on the secondary market, and the same style of deco has since been applied to a figure with greater articulation. As such, these are somewhat skippable figures only worth snagging for those who need to "collect them all." Although I will say that this is some of the better dirt and battle damage Hasbro has done, and it's especially good for 2005 where most of the damage basically, well, totally sucked. (Clone III-41, I'm looking at you again.) The set also includes a kneeling Clone in this style, which we will examine at a later date (read: not in 2007.)

Day 593: December 20, 2007