CLONE COMMANDER AT-RT Assault Squad Battle Pack
30th Anniversary Collection Target Exclusive
Item No.: No. 87376
Number: n/a
Includes: Firing blaster with projectile, two AT-RTs, two AT-RT drivers
Action Feature: Oversize blaster fires, squeeze legs together to raise arms
Retail: $29.99
Availability: November 2007
Appearances: n/a

Bio: Commanders in the clone army are bred for leadership positions with more capability for the independent thought required for decision making. Clone commanders assist the Jedi Generals on missions during the Clone Wars. (Taken from the figure's box.)

Image: Adam's photo studio.

Commentary: Sometimes it's hard to tell how much of the development of an exclusive repaint of a figure is dripping with cynicism and when it's reeking of inspiration. This nameless Clone Commander, we think, doesn't exactly seem too inspired because it's sort of redundant as far as the story goes. We've already got a clone commander on Kashyyyk-- it's Gree. We've already got AT-RT drivers with Kashyyyk-deco armor. So why make more? We're suckers, obviously, and the AT-RT was a hard vehicle to get in 2005 and now new fans are interested in it-- so here it is. The Clone Commander is a repaint of Commander Bacara, but in green camo with an arguably nifty logo on his shoulder pad (the chest part). As some of you may or may not know, I'm an absolute sucker for figures with faction insignias. (Decepticons? Cobra? Zenevas Combat Team? I'm already drooling.) When I first got this figure, I had no idea what the little symbol meant, so I tried looking it up in some of my research materials. The results? Inconclusive. It's cool, and I'd love to get it silkscreened on a t-shirt or something, but I have no clue which specific legion(s) or battalion(s) wear it just yet.

The figure is nice enough, if you like the Bacara mold. It's pretty good, as it has ball-joint ankles, a super-articulated arm, a somewhat-articulated arm, and a ball-jointed neck to go along with the hips. If you're a real army builder, looking to get every flavor of Clone you can, you just gotta get this figure to go along with your Elite troopers, AT-RTs, Grees, Order 66 Kashyyyk trooper, and so on and so forth. If the idea of off-camera clones is making you want to puke, this figure's specially decorated armor should help it blend in with vomit quite nicely. The figure would have won me over had they not included the awful, oversized firing weapon with it but instead featured something from the Battlefront packs or a basic clone blaster.

Collector's Notes: Released shortly after Thanksgiving 2007, this set seems to be one of the slower sellers, but that could be our imagination. This figure would be a lot more exciting if it had a specific name or was somehow featured in the comics or novels. If they said it was Faie in some special armor, hey, cool. But they didn't. Developing a decent story for each figure makes it a little more interesting, and it's good to know that some thought process went into it other than "let's sucker fans into buying the same mold again but let's paint it to look like a G.I. Joe." Seriously, is a name or some story about a clone being promoted to commander after Gree got his head handed to him all that difficult?

For fans keeping track, this mold has been released as Commander Bacara (2005-2006, rumored 2008 reissue), Clone Commander (Clone Attack on Coruscant 2005, 2007), and Heavy Trooper (2007). Elements from this figure have been used to make other figures as well, including the ARC Heavy Gunner (2006-2007) and the retroactively named 187th Legion Clone Trooper (2006).

Day 602: December 29, 2007