2013 Darth Vader Lava Line Look Saga Legends
Item No.: Asst. A3857 No. A4132
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #SL12
Includes: Backpack, blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $5.99
Availability: December 2013
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith
Bio: Clone Commander Cody serves under Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi during the Clone Wars. Cody is part of Kenobi’s fateful mission to the planet Utapau to take down General Grievous and deliver a decisive blow to the Separatists. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)
Image: Adam's photo lab.
Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!
Commentary: At no point in the last year did I say to myself "I wish I had a new Clone Commander Cody figure," but I'm not complaining to have this one. If you've seen the previous Mission Series or Saga Legends Clones, this is similar - the arms, body, and head have been retooled. The backpack is not only removable for this Cody, but it doesn't fall off as easily as the other releases. I would say it's about as perfect as we can expect for this price point save for the slightly smaller helmet (all Clones have small helmets for some reason) and the fact that his shoulder antenna is bent in-pack. Seriously, the bubble isn't deep enough to not get it bent. It's unfortunate and bad planning on Hasbro's part. I know we collectors nitpick, but nothing should be bent out of shape before you open the box. (This can be easily fixed by dipping the part in boiling water for about three seconds.)
The body has been retooled for a badge on the front and a hole on the back. Each arm has new flourishes, you'll see some wires on the right arm and the aforementioned antenna on the left. Deco is a little light, but it's OK - this series trades away a little authenticity to keep costs down, and for anyone that collected the original 1978-1985 figures a few mistakes add to the authenticity of "old" figures. If it were perfect, it would be boring.
His range of movement passes The Landspeeder Test and he easily fits in most current vehicles. Obviously anything requiring bent knees won't work, but the other stuff works just great. The only real downer here is that while a "real" Captain Rex is a new and welcome character, this is Hasbro's third new sculpt of movie Cody and I certainly wasn't wanting a new one. Had Hasbro based the design on the season 1 Clone Wars helmet I'd be very excited, instead of just being OK with it. It's the least exciting figure of this wave, but it's still pretty cool in the sense that this format of figure now exists once again. Get it cheap or as part of a lot/set/case if you can, I wouldn't suggest paying a premium to get one personally.
Collector's Notes: I got this from Entertainment Earth in early December. I have not seen it in stores yet.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 2,069: December 26, 2013
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