CLONE TROOPER Fifth Fleet Security
The Saga Collection Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 85770 No. 87329
Number: 059
Includes: Blaster, stand, antenna
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99
Availability: Fall 2006
Appearances: n/a

Bio: The clone troopers are the future of galactic warfare: identical beings unencumbered by doubts or emotions, programmed from their "birth" in the cloning facilities on Kamino to be unswervingly loyal to the Republic, and engineered for supreme strength and stamina. Their dedication is unquestioned... until it is too late. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's TV tray, with the 442nd Battalion Trooper and 7th Legion Trooper.

Commentary: There's really no shortage of Clone Trooper variants. By the end of 2006, Hasbro decided to make up some brand new ones, and also to take some previously explored concepts like this Fifth Fleet Security trooper and to do it right. The blue markings are sharp, clean, and fit the figure nicely. I'm not sure if they're meant to serve any purpose besides decoration, but it more or less works. The battle damage on the figure is excellent, and it shows a definite improvement on what "damage" means. I mean, in early 2005, "battle damage" on a Clone trooper meant little black spots that looked like mildew stains. Now, there's a decent level of markings all over the body and they seem slightly more natural. I'm a little surprised there aren't more markings on areas of the figure which would likely make sense to be worn (elbows, knees, etc.) but there you have it. It's a good step in the evolution of how to do dirt and damage, but there's still the issue of what we have here is essentially a pristine white trooper with some grime on it. Perhaps by 2009 we'll see more even dirty deco all over the body, similar to what Hasbro gave us with one of the Evolutions Sandtroopers and CZ-4.

The sculpt is the fan favorite Super-Articulated Clone Trooper sculpt from 2005 (the III-41 clone). So yeah, pose pose pose. It's a pretty good figure and if you aren't yet sick of the troopers, this is a fine addition to your stash. If you've had enough, though, it might be worth skipping.

Collector's Notes: This is the second-ever figure that is part of the "Fifth Fleet", but the first labeled as such. The first was a Clone that was down on his belly as part of a deluxe three-pack for Revenge of the Sith, which I found to be somewhat hard to get. Courtesy of Hasbro packing the Clones of late 2006 heavily, this figure was fairly easy to find despite being made in enormous numbers, much greater than the pegwarmers from the waves he shipped with. A Clone Sharpshooter was released with the Battlefront II sets with similar markings on it, but the Fifth Fleet is a pretty small squad so far. It's based on a concept for Clone markings which ultimately went unused in the movies, but it's distinctive enough to justify buying a few of the figures.

Day 597: December 24, 2007