BOMB SQUAD TROOPER Republic Clone TroopersDiscover the Force/The Clone Wars Battle Packs
Item No.: Asst. 37822 No. 37827
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, stand, game cards, Cutup, Hardcase
Action Feature: Lightsaber hilt plugs into belt
Retail: $22.99
Availability: January 2012
Appearances: The Clone Wars
Bio: Clone troopers train for comb at on the planet Kamino. Kamino is not only the place where the clone troopers are engineered; it is also where they are trained in battle tactics, fighting techniques and explosives. Seasoned clone troopers push the cadets hard to turn them into the toughest and most skilled fighters in the galaxy. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)
Image: Adam Pawlus' risers, which I'm not sure if I'm feeling for this display.
Commentary: Before we talk up the Bomb Squad Trooper, let me address a couple of things. First of all, I don't know what this line is really called. I believe it's being dubbed "Discover the Force," which is what I'm going to use until someone else comes up with something. (I think the name comes from the Wal-Mart exclusive product packaging.) There is no branding other than merely "Star Wars" on the box. I'd also like to talk up the packaging of the new Battle Packs, which I think is a high mark for efficiency and style. It's gorgeous, and there's not a lot of wasted material-- there's some, but not as much as we've had in the past. Gone are the 3D cut-out backdrops, the set is basically a really, really wide carded figure with a big bubble and an insert. I think Hasbro could shrink it down another 20% in materials, but I don't think it would look very good at that point. This feels very spartan, I'm glad they made something that doesn't take up a lot of room or waste a lot of material.
...having said that, it screws up Cutup's leg-- you'll need to heat it so it resets itself into a position which is more conducive to standing. Anyway, let's get on to this neon orange figure, which is great but doesn't seem to be a part of a thematic whole. This is just Hasbro repainting 3 molds in a box.
The Bomb Squad Trooper, also known as a Clone Ordnance Specialist, is incredibly bright. Preposterously neon orange paint has been applied to the now-standard clone body, while it seems the TV show is just a smidgen more reeled-in. I love the bright colors, but I wish they had used the revised mold which had slightly more range of motion in the hips-- as it is, this is not a figure designed for sitting. He can stand, sure. He can hold his guns, no problem. But not much else, so he'll be standing around on a shelf until I've got enough figures to do some sort of Blue Shadow Virus tableaux.
Collector's Notes: The set is new and is the best-selling set of the 3 new Battle Packs. Why? It's the only one with 3 new figures. Hasbro has said these sets are geared more to kids, but kids probably have some sense of awareness of what's new and different-- they may have Han Solo or Jango Fett, but they definitely don't have a blindingly bright orange Clone Trooper.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 1,736: February 8, 2012
3 comments:
Actually got this guy loose from eBay. I've stopped trying to track down every single Clone variant from Clone Wars, but this guy was so visually unique that he was worth the $8.
The lineage of the "cnema scene" packs really has fallen.
Originally diaramas filled with new sculpts of obscure characters that weren't available anywhere else, like Jabba's dancers, rebel pilots, or the Jedi spirits, now blister carded old repacks with little to no relevance to actual movie scenes with such an emphasis on action that dancers and ghosts aren't even a remote possiblity.
(I know the dancers and ghosts packs sat on clearnace shelves for months because kids don't want that sort of thing, but still, blister carded? Ten year old repacks?)
Funny thing is I really appreciated the dancer 3-pack when Jabba's Throne came out last year and I had the figures to fill out the scene.
Also was grateful for the Mynock Hunt set for the breathing masks and the Mynock when the big Falcon came out.
But I agree - the current Rebel Heroes set and the Geonosis Arena set are pure rip-offs after the awesomeness of the Vintage series and even seeing what Hasbro has been doing with the GI Joe lines.
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