CLONE CAPTAIN REX Poncho
The Vintage Collection Amazon Exclusive
Item No.: No. F2886
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #208
Includes: 3 more clones, helmet, blasters
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $62.99
Availability: January 2022
Appearances: The Bad Batch
Bio: Rex, formerly designated CT-7567, was a veteran Clone Captain, Clone Commander, and Advanced Recon Commando who commanded the Grand Army of the Republic's famed 501st Legion of clone troopers during the Clone Wars. Rex later served as a captain and commander within the Alliance to Restore the Republic during the Galactic Civil War. (Taken from Amazon. There is no bio on the figure's packaging.)
Image: Adam's photo lab.
Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!
Commentary: This set was packed with drama - you could order it, then you couldn't for months. Then there was a price drop, a price increase, a price drop again, and
Clone Captain Rex probably makes a good argument for occasionally waiting if you can't find something. Is it worth the infinite hassle to keep reloading a page over a few months? Maybe, maybe not. This Rex gives you the 2011 Clone body (again) with a repaint of an existing head in blonde. The poncho is new. The helmet is new as it has the nifty visor connected to the rangefinder, but the visor wasn't on the actual episode. You could probably just throw this poncho on an existing Rex figure and have an overall more satisfying figure - especially since Hasbro removed the Pauldron for this release.
It's kind of amazing that Hasbro was still using this body this year given its advanced age. It would seem almost ridiculous for Kenner to still be using 1970s bodies in the late 1980s and in the 1990s, especially since a new and improved Clone body could give them an excuse to revisit dozens - heck, hundreds - of characters with minimal investment. It really shows its age especially in this era of ever-increasing prices, because what you could do for $10 11 years ago doesn't really hold a candle to what Hasbro can make for $15 and up today - and this set was expensive as it was! Sure, you get a poncho, but you lose an accessory and there aren't any cool new battle damage dirt or scuffing. It's pretty much the same as the
Clone Captain Rex [FOTD #2,776] figure that got reissued in December 2020 - about a month before
The Bad Batch version, which was obviously made before the episodes aired. Maybe the visor is a spoiler for season two? We'll find out soon!
The figure itself - other than the weirdly hairier head - breaks no new mold ground. I just re-checked
The Bad Batch and Rex didn't have that much more hair growth, so we can just pretend that this is his Billy Idol fan period or some such. At no point did Rex have both the helmet and the poncho, so this figure does raise a lot of questions about how much changed during preproduction, or if Hasbro made a figure that was meant to preemptively cover future bases. It's certainly cheaper than a single Rex was at its peak, but since you will likely want his pauldron you'll still want to chase down that earlier issue. I appreciate that this figure exists because it's a bit off-model and generally weird, with a nicely decorated cloth poncho featuring a hood and some really good printed detailing. Whoever designed it did an excellent job.
Canonically this figure is a little useless, and I wouldn't be surprised if Hasbro reissued it with changes to make it true to the show. I'd almost prefer they just make a new kid's line in 3 3/4-inch and do him right, but that's probably going to require the team to change over once or twice before it actually happens. (I really do think a full-blown kid line for The Bad Batch and/or The Mandalorian could be a good thing if it is done with a modest amount of respect for price points.) I'm not going to recommend this figure for you unless you like the weirder, off-model figures or just really need the poncho.
Collector's Notes: I got mine on Amazon. Interestingly the price has been going up and down, but is back up to going up again.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 2,987: December 20, 2022
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