Figure of the Day: Day 1,089: Commander Fox

COMMANDER FOX Clone Trooper
The Clone Wars Target Exclusive
Item No.: No. 87954
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster rifle, twin pistols
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.99
Availability: July 2009
Appearances: The Clone Wars Movie

Image: Adam Pawlus' TV tray.

Bio: Commander Fox heads a squad of clone troopers who accompany Padmé to the palace of Ziro the Hutt. She hopes to reopen negotiations with the Hutts, who have been tricked into believing the Jedi abducted Jabba's son. The commander finds a hostile reception when the group arrives at Ziro's lavish palace on Coruscant. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Commentary: Every couple of years I think that the asinine "premium" figures for Target are over and done with, and then Hasbro proves me wrong. Commander Fox is a neat figure, don't get me wrong-- but not a $13 toy by any stretch of the imagination. The figure takes Obi-Wan Kenobi's helmet alternate head and squeezes it awkwardly on the body of Captain Rex, repainting the whole thing into a uniformed whole with a neck that's visually too long. As a cheap exclusive, or as a standard basic figure, odds are fans would complain that they could have done a slightly better job. What shocks me is that once you slap on that $13 price tag and make it harder to get, people shut up real quick.

The figure hits most of the marks you want in a Clone, which is to say you get the extra wrist articulation and a grand total of 14 places to move him around. He can sort of sit, but the skirt gets in the way for the most part. I give Hasbro points for a clever reuse of existing molds, but it's pretty lame that they left out the battle-damaged deco as seen in the movie, particularly because at $13 retail, I'm sure there's a little more room in the budget for deco since it obviously wasn't used on tooling. Speaking of tools, I felt like one when I bought it a year ago, but it's grown on me slightly-- just because the entire animated line has really ratcheted up its game into an overall great offering. Of which this is a drop in the bucket.

Collector's Notes: Depending on your region, this figure sold rather quickly. It came packaged in the "premium" format, which is a fancy way of saying that you got charged for a $13 repaint in a clamshell. Today the figure commands a premium price on the secondary market of about $20-$30. Perhaps I'm just bitter that Wal-Mart's exclusive 501st clone came in basic packaging, included a 501st Membership Card, and was under $7.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,089: August 17, 2009