seanmcfripp
04-25-2005, 09:17 PM
I picked up two of these guys at my local Target today. Some people seem to be on the fence over whether or not a plain SA Clone Trooper with 5 fancy paint splotches is worth $12.99 a pop, so I'll contribute a little review to help the fence riders out.
Packaging:
I should preface this part of the review by saying that I am NOT a MISBer. There isn't a toy that I own that is trapped in a plastic or cardboard prison. Now before I start ranting about Openers vs. MISBers, I'll move on...the package presentation is pretty decent for a SW retail exclusive. If you have the Target Lava Vader (which I, by choice, do not, but I've seen it), then you've pretty much seen the best this packaging has to offer - all in all, it's basically the same. The bubble is the standard issue for all ROTS basic figures with a unique cardback that has a digital "photo" of a charging clone. There's a little bio at the top and a blurb from Target at the bottom describing how lucky you are to have scored one of these babies. The front bubble "inserts" are a little different than the standard ROTS fare, with the character's name in the lower left now replaced with "TARGET EXCLUSIVE" and "CLONE TROOPER" adorning the top of the bubble. The whole kaboodle is wrapped up in a fancy protective case with "Revenge of the Sith" embossed on the back. There is also a background insert that adds a little more lava to the presentation. My only complaint would be this: the deco of the figure is very specific to the film from what I understand. The red accents denote the trooper as being a Neyo Legion Grunt, meaning he is a under the command of Commander Neyo. The packaging makes NO mention of this anywhere. I can't imagine Target having any trouble selling through these things, but just to make sure, Hasbro/Target should have put this movie-specific info on the package to nudge the "oh, it's just a stupid repaint" minded people out there.
Sculpt:
We're on pretty familiar territory here...well, familiar for anyone lucky enough to find a SA Clone Trooper back in 2003 (luckily, I managed to nab 3). The only difference is the new ROTS style helmet, which looks pretty spiffy to me. Details are crisp and the styling as close to the film as you can get in this scale.
Paint:
While there aren't a whole lotta paint apps on the Clone Troopers, what is painted has been done pretty well, at least when compared to the 2003 Clone Trooper. The black for the body glove is ok, with some areas around the joints not being completely covered or bleeding slightly. The helmet is actually done very well, almost TOO well - not even a smidgen of bleeding that I can detect. It almost makes the helmet stand out a bit because of it. The insignias look pretty good, of which there are four: one on the right/front part of the helmet, one on the chest, one on the bicep, and one on the thigh. There is also red filled into the two notches on the right side of the breast armor. At first glance, the chest insignia may appear to have some paint chippage, but both of my figures have it, so it seems intentional, possibly representing battle-damage.
Articulation:
Again, standard fare for the SA Clone Trooper we all know and love. This is the guy that started it all: our love of VOTC style articulicious fun. I should mention though that the joints seem crisper and movement is more refined. The 2003 trooper seemed a tad stiff at times, but this new guy moves with more fluidity. Maybe the molds have "mellowed" a bit and are yielding more accurate representations of the desingers' intentions. The new helmet style hinders head movement slightly, much in the same way it does for the VOTC Stormtrooper. BUT, this isn't a fault of Hasbro, more as it is a flaw of the production design for the movies. Remember when Luke first walks into Leia's cell on the Death Star and does the little puppy dog head tilt? Well, this trooper looks pretty much the same way...uncomfortable. That armor must be terrible to actually wear.
Accessories:
Thank you Hasbro for listening to us! This trooper comes with both the rifle and carbine versions of the DC-15 blaster. Now WE can chose how heavily or lightly we arm our clones. Nicely done Hasbro.
Value:
At $12.99, it's not exactly a steal. As a MIP collectors item, I'd say the extra cost for fancy packaging is somewhat justified, especially since these things are quite likely going to inflate in price. But for a guy like me that just wants the figure, the cost is a little steep.
Overall:
I love it. I know it's stupid...it's just a clone with some red smatterd here and there...but I just love the SA Clone Trooper body and I can't get enough of it. The price is a bit much, but you're getting a quality figure wrapped in a very nice exclusive presentation. Highly recommended.
*Now all I need is a Commander Neyo figure to boss these two guys around!
Packaging:
I should preface this part of the review by saying that I am NOT a MISBer. There isn't a toy that I own that is trapped in a plastic or cardboard prison. Now before I start ranting about Openers vs. MISBers, I'll move on...the package presentation is pretty decent for a SW retail exclusive. If you have the Target Lava Vader (which I, by choice, do not, but I've seen it), then you've pretty much seen the best this packaging has to offer - all in all, it's basically the same. The bubble is the standard issue for all ROTS basic figures with a unique cardback that has a digital "photo" of a charging clone. There's a little bio at the top and a blurb from Target at the bottom describing how lucky you are to have scored one of these babies. The front bubble "inserts" are a little different than the standard ROTS fare, with the character's name in the lower left now replaced with "TARGET EXCLUSIVE" and "CLONE TROOPER" adorning the top of the bubble. The whole kaboodle is wrapped up in a fancy protective case with "Revenge of the Sith" embossed on the back. There is also a background insert that adds a little more lava to the presentation. My only complaint would be this: the deco of the figure is very specific to the film from what I understand. The red accents denote the trooper as being a Neyo Legion Grunt, meaning he is a under the command of Commander Neyo. The packaging makes NO mention of this anywhere. I can't imagine Target having any trouble selling through these things, but just to make sure, Hasbro/Target should have put this movie-specific info on the package to nudge the "oh, it's just a stupid repaint" minded people out there.
Sculpt:
We're on pretty familiar territory here...well, familiar for anyone lucky enough to find a SA Clone Trooper back in 2003 (luckily, I managed to nab 3). The only difference is the new ROTS style helmet, which looks pretty spiffy to me. Details are crisp and the styling as close to the film as you can get in this scale.
Paint:
While there aren't a whole lotta paint apps on the Clone Troopers, what is painted has been done pretty well, at least when compared to the 2003 Clone Trooper. The black for the body glove is ok, with some areas around the joints not being completely covered or bleeding slightly. The helmet is actually done very well, almost TOO well - not even a smidgen of bleeding that I can detect. It almost makes the helmet stand out a bit because of it. The insignias look pretty good, of which there are four: one on the right/front part of the helmet, one on the chest, one on the bicep, and one on the thigh. There is also red filled into the two notches on the right side of the breast armor. At first glance, the chest insignia may appear to have some paint chippage, but both of my figures have it, so it seems intentional, possibly representing battle-damage.
Articulation:
Again, standard fare for the SA Clone Trooper we all know and love. This is the guy that started it all: our love of VOTC style articulicious fun. I should mention though that the joints seem crisper and movement is more refined. The 2003 trooper seemed a tad stiff at times, but this new guy moves with more fluidity. Maybe the molds have "mellowed" a bit and are yielding more accurate representations of the desingers' intentions. The new helmet style hinders head movement slightly, much in the same way it does for the VOTC Stormtrooper. BUT, this isn't a fault of Hasbro, more as it is a flaw of the production design for the movies. Remember when Luke first walks into Leia's cell on the Death Star and does the little puppy dog head tilt? Well, this trooper looks pretty much the same way...uncomfortable. That armor must be terrible to actually wear.
Accessories:
Thank you Hasbro for listening to us! This trooper comes with both the rifle and carbine versions of the DC-15 blaster. Now WE can chose how heavily or lightly we arm our clones. Nicely done Hasbro.
Value:
At $12.99, it's not exactly a steal. As a MIP collectors item, I'd say the extra cost for fancy packaging is somewhat justified, especially since these things are quite likely going to inflate in price. But for a guy like me that just wants the figure, the cost is a little steep.
Overall:
I love it. I know it's stupid...it's just a clone with some red smatterd here and there...but I just love the SA Clone Trooper body and I can't get enough of it. The price is a bit much, but you're getting a quality figure wrapped in a very nice exclusive presentation. Highly recommended.
*Now all I need is a Commander Neyo figure to boss these two guys around!