Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,952: Clone Trooper Boost

CLONE TROOPER BOOST 104th Battalion "Wolf Pack" Clone Troopers
Clone Wars Shared Online Exclusive Ultimate Gift Set
Item No.: No. A0793
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster rifle, pistol, rocket, rocket pack, display stand, card, plus Plo Koon, Sinker, and Commander Wolffe figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $39.99
Availability: Fall 2012
Appearances: The Clone Wars

Bio: The famed 104th "Wolf Pack" Battalion serves under Jedi General Plo Koon and is led by Commander Wolffe.  At the Battle of Abregado, the entire battalion was decimated, losing only Wolffe, Sinker, and Boost.  Only luck, ingenuity and the unyielding determination of Plo Koon kept them alive.  The troopers' armor was originally red, but Wolffe, changed it to blue-gray to honor the many comrades who were lost in the battle.  (Taken from the figure's packaging.  It's weird. "Losing" only..?  No, "Leaving" only.  Argh.)

Image: Adam's photo hole.

Commentary: For whatever reason Hasbro has forsaken The Clone Wars in its animated form this season.  These are the first new animated figures since June/July with Fox, and these are the only other figures on the books for 2012... plus American packaging samples (and solicitations) for the 2013 figures have yet to surface.  Since the show has unlimited clones, aliens, Jedi, vehicles, and more I'm grumpy that all we got this year were about a dozen new figures.  Many of which, like Boost, were repaints.  At least I like clone repaints.  I like them lots.  I want more.

Clone Trooper Boost (which I remember as it looks like he's crying... boo-hoo, get it?) is a redeco of one of this year's few new molds. It's based on the revised, Phase II Clone Trooper which was released in plain white back in January.  Sinker and Boost are the only repaints of it so far, and Boost came out pretty well.  With 12 points of articulation, he lacks ankle movement and his torso and wrist don't have the range of the original 2008 sculpt.  He does look closer to the show, as he's much thinner and the armor is truer to the digital models.  He's totally clean, with a little grey for his markings and no dirt of any kind.  (Dirt was largely removed from animated clones in late 2008.)

While I love the deco, especially the little wolf on his helmet, the figure continues to suffer from his ancestor's flaws.  The hip joints don't have enough clearance to swing the legs forward without warping the legs and stretching out the crotch area, and the hands are quite small.   You can get the guns into them, but it's a tight fit... many toy lines exaggerate hand and head size, but Hasbro has been getting better about keeping it authentic. I can't help  but like the guy, he's got a big black block on the back of his helmet, lots of weapons, and an optional rocket-firing backpack.  (Hasbro left out the slug rocket.)  It's a great toy set, and a nice figure.  It's a decent exclusive and a great way to wrap up the year, as 2012 was probably the worst year The Clone Wars had as a toy line.  Or at least, I hope it will be.

Collector's Notes: I doubt it'll get much cheaper than $20, but hey, you can play chicken all you want.  I was surprised to see it at $30 (which is what I paid, because I am dumb) so if you can get it for less you totally should.  At $5 a figure, it's a bargain.  Long-term collectors are basically just paying to get Sinker, Boost, and a cleaner Wolffe. Exclusives are typically easy to find, items are easy to find online, and shared online exclusives?  Forget about it.  So you've got no problem getting this set, which, as of this week, crept down to a very cheap $21.59.  SRP is around $40, but hey, price war.


--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,952: December 6, 2012