Cloud Car Pilot

[Hellboy]

Well I received my OTC cases the other day and figured I'd do a review of the Cloud Car Pilot. Usually if I review a figure I opt for the cliff-notes version but I figured I'd give this guy a write-up in the format JediTricks uses.

Packaging: 5/5
As most of you know the new OTC style of packaging is really Hasbro's most impressive job to date. The picture behind the figure makes for a great backdrop, in the case of the CCP we get a closeup of half of a Cloud Car and behind it a few of the buildings in Cloud City. The figure name is now on a sticker that closely resembles the vintage silver framed style and is on a raised/angled portion of the outside bubble. The bottom left side of the bubble displays the name of the episode the figure is from and on the right side is the figures name, a list of the accessories, and his OTC number. The pose is nice with one hand on his blaster, which is halfway in the holster, and the other on his comlink. The base/stand is packaged below his feet and is only visable at an angle because it's covered by the OTC logo and character picture. The whole thing comes off really nice, I can't find fault in anything.

Sculpting: 4.5/5
The headsculpt is really nice on this figure, his eyes are an appropriate sky blue and his facial features are a bit boney creating a rather unique look. Only his face is exposed because his flight suit covers the rest of his head once you remove the helmet. His outfit is nicely textured with lots of wrinkles present and he has one of the better belts I've seen on a figure in a while. Instead of the holster strap wrapping around and attaching to the front and back of the belt there is actually a small hole on both sides of the body just below the belt that it plugs into. It looks seamless and is only noticable upon close examination working perfectly. The blaster fits in the holster nicely and there is even a small hole in the belt so the comlink can attach as well. This works exactly like the EP1 Naboo Obi-Wan and Qui-Gonn's saber hilts did when attached to their belts.

Pose: 5/5
The CCP has a very nice neutral pose and because of his great articulation putting him in different positions is a breeze. If we do eventually get a Cloud Car for him to sit in his flexability should allow him to fit nicely. He does have a permanently bent right elbow similar to that of the new TIE Fighter Pilot but it looks nice and doesn't hurt the figures overall look.

Paint: 4.5/5
The paint application is very well done and represents the pilots from the films well. The flight suit is sort of a dirty white/cream color creating a bit of a weathered look. The orange and yellow parts of the suit have nicely defined lines with no visible bleeding onto the white portions. The eye paint is well applied and really gives the figure a bit of character. The Blaster is the standard black but the comlink is grey so it will blend into the belt when attached. The helmet is clear plastic thats been painted on the outside similar to the X-Wing Pilots with removable helmets. It looks good with a nice grey border around the eye sheild.

Articulation: 4.5/5
There are 12 points of articulation on the CCP: neck, shoulders, rotating forearms, waist, hips, knees, and rotating calves. The articulation is all well placed and really puts his pose ability well above average. Whether the knee joints were necessary or not for him to be able to fit in a future Cloud Car it is nice to have the option to position him seated. The only thing keeping him from a perfect 5 out of 5 is the lack of elbow joints, which I feel all pilot figures should have.

Accessories: 5/5
The CCP comes with 3 accessories (not including the base/stand): Helmet, Blaster, and a Comlink. The nicest thing here is the removable helmet. It fits nice and snug and sports a clear lens allowing you to clearly see his eyes through it. The Blaster is unique, I can't think of a figure it's been used on before and fits perfectly into the holster. The Comlink is a little bigger than most fitting nicely in his hand and looks great attached to the belt.

Overall Grade: A
Out of the 7 new OTC figures this is the one I was looking forward to the most and he doesn't disappoint. A Great addition to any collection and just one more reason for Hasbro to finally make a Cloud Car.

[Kidhuman]

Now to find this dude.

[aceguide]

Now to find this dude.

Try 2 - for the Cloud Car they MUST make now.

Nice to hear that he still has the bent right arm - an homage to the original :)

[Kidhuman]

I will worry about two when they make a Cloud Car. And I collect MOC so I only need one. I will worry about #2 when I have enough room to display them. :D :beard:

[Mr. JabbaJohnL]

I got this guy today at a figure shop. He's great. He has articulation that you don't even notice, and some nice accessories that can be put on his belt (or in the gun's case, the holster). The base is between the tray and the bubble, and just sort of falls out when you open it, but it doesn't take away form the package. The catalog is the same as the other OTC figures, which I think should've been updated.

I give this figure an A.

[Kidhuman]

I got this figure today in the mail. He is awesome. I agree HB, that he should have had elbow articulation. That would of put him over the top. None the less he gets an A-

[bigbarada]

This is an awesome figure. Hasbro really seems to be on a roll these days. A+!!

Now we just need a new black Bespin Guard (there are no African-Americans in outer space :p ) and our Bespin collections will be complete.

[Hellboy]

Glad to hear everyone likes their CC Pilots. Pretty cool he hasn't received anything below an A- grade.

I agree with ya Big B about the need for a black Bespin Guard and would add that it would be nice to see a black CC Pilot as well. More ethnic diversity within the ranks is always welcome and makes troop building more appealing.

[JediTricks]

One of the few classic Kenner pieces I have is a vintage Cloud Car with 2 pilot figures, I got it a few years ago from a friend. I've been outspoken about needing a modern update to this vehicle, if Hasbro uses the vintage mold I fear it'll be too boring and hollow for modern collectors, but I never really thought about updating the vehicle's pilot figure even when others have. Luckily, Hasbro finally listened to collectors about the pilot - if not yet the vehicle - and released the new Cloud Car Pilot in the 2nd wave of the OTC line. This new pilot figure is a direct homage to the Kenner figure from 23 years ago, and while we're still waiting for Hasbro to release a new Cloud Car, the pilot figure is worth picking up all by itself.

Packaging: 4/5
I still love the new mini-diorama concept of the OTC cards, it's great for carded collectors and instantly adds a setting... the CC Pilot's card is no different. There aren't many source images for the pilot, so Hasbro used a photo for the bubble insert and cardback of the Cloud Car filming model which has a painted pilot in its cockpit; Hasbro also used a shot of the empty Cloud Car model for the diorama picture, sitting on a Cloud City landing pad. The actual figure is held in the tray as if he's walking away from the car and reaching for his comlink while drawing his blaster.

My only complaints are that the cardstock is still too thin and the graphics on the back of the card are still unattractive and out of step with the front. I also didn't care for the clear-bands holding the accessories to the hands, the gun and comlink got warped from this.

Sculpt-Design: 5/5
The CC Pilot's outfit has an awesome sculpt to it, everything from the head-glove to the backs of his boots has fantastic detailing bringing this figure to life. Yet at the same time, Hasbro made this figure a direct homage to the vintage Kenner figure with details that certainly weren't seen in the film yet can be found on the old fig such as the chest dot, upper tunic panel, boots, gloves, and gunbelt with side pouch; of course this OTC figure has way more detail than his vintage cousin, such as the gauntlet-mounted electronics and ribbed shoulder elements. The only area that I'm not totally satisfied is the Pilot's holster, a separate piece which is too thick and boxy.

The headsculpt is the right note, they made the helmet a removable accessory and gave him a detailed head-glove exposing only the face, which itself is a good balance between "generic guy" and "specific person"; the vintage fig's face was squat and mostly covered by the goggles. All in all, this figure looks at home in the Star Wars universe while still unique.

Articulation: 4.5/5
Our Pilot has 12 points of articulation: head, shoulders, rotating gauntlets, waist, hips, hinged knees, and rotating boots. It all works in his favor and is well-hidden, Hasbro has been doing a good job of upping the articulation with non-core figures and I applaud them for it, a wise decision that lets the collector decide what pose the figure should have even if he's not a Luke or Han. And I'm not counting the holster as articulation even though it's designed to swing up when sitting.

Perhaps he could have used some mid-arm articulation, elbows or biceps, to make up for the right arm pose, but it's relatively minor - he's quite well-articulated for a character with so little screentime... still, something seems like it's missing, hence the half-point deduction.

Pose: 4/5
The Cloud Car Pilot has a neutral stance yet seems like he's readying himself for action. The figure can sit in the vintage Cloud Car but the high seat back can push his helmet off and his holster gets in the way since it can't move up past about 45 degrees - the holster can be removed leaving a hole front and back of the fig, but I'm not sure if this is intented or just part of the assembly so proceed at your own risk with caution.

The right arm is bent almost 90-degrees, it looks natural especially sitting on the holster or holding a gun, but I do prefer arms that can be straightened. The right hand is sculpted to hold the gun with the classic trigger-finger pose, it's mild and not at all outlandish, unfortunately the same can't be said for the left hand which is similar but more open and at a bend to accomodate the comlink accessory - holding it out in front looks a tad strange. The only other issue is the right foot, which is at a slight angle and tilt, making it difficult for the figure to stand on its own.

Paint-Deco: 5/5
Where the vintage figure was a simple, bright white outfit with yellow gloves and an orange helmet, this new OTC figure gets a much more realistic deco. The head is cast in flesh-tone plastic but painted dark gray over the head-glove so only the face is flesh colored, this looks very nice and stays within the lines. The eyes avoid the oversized problem most figures suffer from and are light blue with a slight upward gaze; the eyebrows are perhaps a little bold but not cartoonishly so.

The CC Pilot's body is cast in an off-white color that avoids the bright-whites issue too many other figures suffer, this looks slightly dingy and works great with the sculpted textures. The figure's ribbed shoulder panels are orange rather than just white like the vintage figure, this breaks up the monotony and is more accurate to the movie costume. The figure retains the vintage version's black chest dot and yellow gloves and boots while giving them more realistic hues, and Hasbro even painted the soles of his boots dark gray.

Accessories: 5/5
What accessories could a Cloud Car pilot really need? Hasbro didn't bother trying to sort that out, instead they included a generic stand, a removable helmet, a comlink, and a blaster. The helmet looks very nice, it has a more mature sculpt than the vintage one yet takes its cues from that and the film version, and sits snugly on the head. The helmet's goggles are built-in and look perfect when over the figure's face, they have a dark gray painted outline that Hasbro did a good job with; the dot is still present on either side of the helmet, only Hasbro painted this dark gray instead of white like on the model. I think there's supposed to be an electronic doohickey next to the goggles that's not here, but who would notice its absence?

The blaster and comlink are direct homages to the vintage figure's often-lost accessories. The gun is cast in black, has slightly more detail than the vintage version and now actually fits in the holster, something the vintage could never have done. The comlink is gray like the belt and holster, and has the same basic shape as the vintage right down to the 3 dots near the top, but with more detail and a peg on the side so it can attach to the belt ( warning: the comlink will pop off when you move the leg up if you don't rotate or remove it first ). There are also small grips on either side that got smashed from being clear-banded to the hand in packaging, but the accessory still fits in the figure's hand.

Overall: A
Cloud City and its inhabitants were a different note from the other planets in the Star Wars universe, they were a part of it but had an aethstetic all their own, and the OTC Cloud Car Pilot figure embodies this; the head sculpt under the removable helmet has just enough personality and his subtle pose adds a lot of character. This figure suggests that he is part of the flying security forces, ready for action in the air or on the landing pad. I can accept the weird left hand, the odd ankle, and the bulky holster - they might keep him from being an A-plus, but he's still quite cool and definitely worth picking up. Now if only Hasbro would release a new Cloud Car vehicle for him to pilot.

[TheDarthVader]

Cloud car pilot is awesome! I give him a great rating as well. I love the paint. WE NEED A BLACK BESPIN GUARD . I have been pleading for this figure for two years. Hasbro, listen...do a different head sculpt and use the POTJ Bespin Guard. Make new accessories that actually look like they are worth something...blaster, baton, and handcuffs. Those POTJ accessories looked and seemed cheap. Anyway............

We have begged for the cloud car pilot and we got one...now one more bespin figure!!!!! :D

B.
TDV

[JediTricks]

Hellboy, glad you like the format I've been using lately. I borrowed from another reviewer, but it's been modified a little. I think between your review and mine we gave this guy a thorough approval. :D

[TheDarthVader]

Yeah, I like that format. I will have to reference this thread if I am to do any future reviews.

B.
TDV

[Jaff]

I have to say that this is one impressive figure. It was beyond my expectations in every way.