Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,210: Clone Trooper (Phase II/Revenge of the Sith, The Retro Collection)

CLONE TROOPER Phase II, Kennerized
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: No. G0371
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, another 5 figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $59.99
Availability: November 2024
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: The Star Wars Retro Collection is inspired by the original 1970s Star Wars figures and features original figure design and detailing! Continue your collection from a galaxy far, far away. (Stolen from the marketing copy. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

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Commentary: This The Retro Collection Clone Trooper is not one of my favorites. Some elements are good, some aren't - I'm curious if I can ever find out who sculpted which figure, even with names redacted, to see if there are any patterns. From an execution and a design perspective, it does not exactly fill me with delight. It's an official "Kenner" figure, so I am interested in it. I would probably not have bought it were it a fan-made design from a seller on Etsy or eBay.

The figure's pose is rather bland. Design decisions are going to vary from person to person, but Hasbro's other "Retro" work showed figures like the Death Trooper tried to be a bit closer to Kenner's 1978 ideal. That figure had a hand that couldn't hold an accessory, generally glossy armor, and a neck that couldn't articulate - just like the first Stormtrooper. The Clone's limbs are a bit stiffer, posed out a bit, with a neck that actually can turn and a smaller helmet. It doesn't feel as much like an old Kenner figure, which usually had large helmets.

With the Clone Trooper Hasbro opted for a jointed head, decided to not paint the elbows, and sculpted the figure to look more like some of its modern simplified figures. It's rounder than I would have expected. He feels a little less "real" having a fair amount of symmetry in he design. A little variation in pose would help, as the figure stands stiffly with a smaller-than-typical helmet for a trooper. The arms and legs feel a hair yellowed upon receipt, and the material lacks the shine of an original Stormtrooper. The proportions of the chest feel a little off - maybe the stomach area is a little too small, or the top part is a little too long - and the boots seem like platform shoes. They did a good job making a figure look like a Clone Trooper, and they did a nice job picking which trooper a hypothetical Kenner would probably make. (Specifically, one that wasn't of any import in Revenge of the Sith as much figure design was done before the final cut of the film.) Red or blue markings would probably cost Kenner more money, so keeping it plain sounds like a move they would admire.

Deco is a little weird - sloppy in parts, especially around the mouth which has entirely too much paint. Details are fuzzy and the chin compartments bleed together in a way that looks unintentional. The mouth, nose, and visor are all very flat, and not textured like the movie helmets or the original Stormtrooper figure. This figure looks a lot more like the Mission Series/Saga Legends figures from just over 10 years ago. It's close, but could probably use a little bit more revision to nail a look that feels like Kenner. Jango Fett was the same way - the silver paint makes it feel much more like a current figure than something your dad bought for you, or his dad bought for him. Gosh we're old.

The Clone blaster is a reasonable recreation of the movie prop, which is good. I guess. It's not bad - the original Kenner Stormtrooper figure's blaster clip is famously on the wrong side of the accessory, and that kind of "wrong" is somewhat charming. Here, it's just a small modern accessory. It's a little big and maybe a little too nice for a Kenner-era accessory. There's nothing wrong with it, and I wish they did something odd with it. But that's just my preference - whoever made it did a fine job. They also gave the pistol grip that familiar grid pattern, and I really like that detail.

Complaints aside, the figure-ness of it is excellent. He holds his blaster (albeit awkwardly), he can stand and sit, he can pilot a lot of ships, and he can stand. These are all things you want a figure to do, and not all figures succeed at it. I wish it had a little more gloss and personality, but that's me. Any designer is going to take their own direction on these things, and while I think it falls short of my expectations, for all I know it was a plan to reuse the body with other clones down the road. (I have seen no sign of this yet. Heck, as I write this no other Retro figures are known to be coming.) I don't think many old-school Kenner fanatics are going to love this one, but that's OK - some of the other figures in the collection will make up for it.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,210: January 28, 2025