OMEGA SQUAD COMMUNICATIONS Elite Forces of the Republic
30th Anniversary Collection Entertainment Earth Exclusive Mandalorians & Omega Squad Set
Item No.: Asst. 87467 No. 87455
Number: n/a
Includes: Backpack, rifle, 6 more figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $39.99
Availability: November 2007
Appearances: Republic Commando novels

Bio: This elite clone commando squad wears black armor, unlike most other commando squads. They are originally from different squads whose ranks were ravaged during the Battle of Geonosis. Those who survived were combined to form the Omega Squad. (Taken from the figure's box. Note that none of the Omega Squad figures were given any individual identification-- one bio is shared between the four figures.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: The first of four Omega Squad action figures, this one seems to be patterned loosely after Atin, who is a communications/technical member of the group. (Or at least, he's a repaint of Sev, who was Delta Squad's communications guy so I'm reaching a little here.) This figure is all black except for a few grey highlights and his visor-- against a black background, he blends in quite nicely. The figure is fairly well articulated, with ball-ish-jointed elbows, neck, and torso. His wrists, shoulders, and hips are the typical swivel joints, so he can assume a few positions and can generally hold his (or someone else's) weapon just fine. There's no dirt, blood, grime, or other blemishes on the figure so he is indeed ready for some night time covert missions. Unlike, say, the Utapau Shadow Trooper who has some bright grey splotches that might make him stand out a bit more. This figure is pretty great, and were it sold individually (as a convention exclusive or otherwise) I'm sure it'd be a hit. It's packaged with all the other members of the squad, and three Mandalorians. This figure is unique because its backpack has this sort of a towel rack thing on it, which I believe he's also capable of folding laundry. It looks like a decent communications array, in all seriousness, but it probably would have been nice to see a light or two painted on the backpack just to mix it up visually a bit. I get that black troopers are all black, but when you're carrying around loads of survival and communications equipage, shouldn't you see a blinking LED somewhere? That's what TV and movies have taught me.

Collector's Notes: One of the flaws with Omega Squad as a toy concept is that these are four nearly identical figures-- except for the backpacks (or snap-on bits), they're essentially the same. As such, you might not have much incentive to collect all four if you're buying your figures loose, one at a time. However if you buy the boxed set(s), it's pretty neat to have an instant squad of similar, yet slightly different, figures. It also is yet another Black Repaint, showing that Hasbro will leave no clone behind when it comes to shadow paint jobs. If you never got Delta Squad, these are good figures. If you never bought any black repaint troopers, these are very nice. If you're sick to death of clones, black repaints, or toys from novels, don't get these. The first shipment in 2007 sold out quickly, it is not yet known if future shipments will be as popular but from what I hear around the office these are probably going to move quickly.

Day 595: December 22, 2007