Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,338: Airborne Clone Trooper (212th Battalion, The Vintage Collection)

AIRBORNE CLONE TROOPER (212th Battalion)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Walmart Exclusive 2-Pack
Item No.: No. G3191
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #399
Includes: Blaster pistol, blaster rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $39.99
Availability: March 2026
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: On Clone Commander Cody's orders, the 212th battalion's specially trained clone paratroopers searched - to no avail - for their missing commander, Obi-Wan Kenobi. (Taken from the cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Walmart now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Sometimes I see a set, hold my nose, and order it anyway. Not because it's bad - but because I wasn't disappointed in what I have at home. This Airborne Clone Trooper (212th Battalion) is a newer, skinnier, debatably improved version of a 30th Anniversary Collection figure from 2007. The 2007 one had vibrant orange coloring, a removable helmet, battle damage, and even a hidden blaster inside his pouch. It even had a coin, and it was $6.99 (about $11 adjusted for inflation.) Even at the time, that was a really good price. This figure stands well, physically and on its own merits. Having said that, the 2007 one was so good, you might not feel compelled to upgrade. I would not argue if you felt that way.

This new figure was about $20 (in a 2-pack that cost $40). It has no removable helmet, two blasters (one is different), and no battle damage. The new ankles rock better, the helmet pivots better and is a bit more appropriately sized, the waist joint is better, and the wrists move well. The elbow cuts? They're better too. It's much easier to pose this new version, but what's kind of vexing is the part count isn't that much different from the original, much cheaper toy. I prefer the new cloth kama piece to the plastic original, though, so there's that.

I liked the coloring of the original release a little more, mostly because it just popped. The white is a little duller, and the orange is a little paler this time. All the rank markings are where they were last time, though, but the color drift over 20 years means your 212th attack battalion figures likely won't all match any more.

Hasbro's 2027 figure isn't bad, so my grumpiness comes mostly from my satisfaction of the old figure, what with its banged-up black marks and weathered armor, being a perfectly good, much cheaper toy. With a coin. That 2007 figure costs about the same as this new one, and if you ask me which one you should buy? It's a hard choice. I like the coin a lot from 2007, but I think most fans will prefer the soft goods kama and improved range of articulation on the otherwise very similar joints. For 18 years, it doesn't feel like the massive leaps we saw from 1978 to 1998, or even 2002 to 2007. We do see some massive leaps forward with some of our human likenesses and every all-new, never-before-made figure tends to look amazing. It's just when we already have one at home (or in a storage unit) it can be tough to really hold up a higher-priced remake as a beacon of awesomeness, even if it is very nicely executed. If Hasbro included the battle damage, a removable helmet, and a pouch blaster, I'd say this would be clearly a superior figure... but as it stands, I'm having more fun with the 30th Anniversary Collection incarnation. It's a better toy, this is a better figure adults can use to try to impress each other.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Walmart. I got mine online, but I was surprised to see this in multiple stores. I was less surprised to see this set ripped open with the Clone stolen. Arizona gonna Arizona.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,338: April 21, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,311: Clone Captain Rex (Force Mech Suit / Epic World of Action)

CLONE CAPTAIN REX Force Mech Suit
Epic World of Action Amazon Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. G0363 No. G1418
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 1 Mech, 2 big blasters, 2 small blasters, big and small removable pauldrons
Action Feature: n/s
Retail: $21.99
Availability: July 2025
Appearances: The Clone Wars, probably

Bio: Gear up for battle! Open the Star Wars mech suit at the feet and place the Clone Captain Rex action figure inside. (Taken from the Amazon's web site. Package has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: If you bought Deep Dive Batman and though "Ha ha this is goofy I love it," this carries on Kenner's proud tradition of doing things that are silly fun. Some of you will love Clone Captain Rex with Mech Force Suit, and some of you will hate it. The reasons are going to be the same - it's basically the same as the single-carded Epic Hero Series Rex [FOTD #3,290] from a few months ago, with added paint and accessories. The $8 Clone figure was augmented in this $20 boxed set. They're good for different reasons, but I would probably steer you to the mech set just because it's more fun.

Rex himself is the same figure, with the same generous-for-a-kid-line articulation. You don't get a waist, or ankles, or wrists, but you do get a good range of movement everywhere else. The rangefinder does not move, but the pauldron (and head) are removable. He has holsters for blasters, but only one will fit due to the blast effect on his clear blue blasters. The toy designers did a good job here - but all versions of the figure were not exactly impulse-buy-in-a-store products, so its success is determined by the marketing Hasbro isn't doing. To my knowledge these weren't shown on a fan stream or in any hype event, so you're pretty much relying on people like me to tell you about these and I'm late because Amazon keeps marking down things, and I hate feeling bad about paying full price. I also would not be surprised if it got Ross'd in the next two years. Regular Anakin showed up at Ross within weeks of showing up at Target last year.

What makes this Rex unique? He has some tech circuity stuff on his chest on one side. Had Hasbro left it off, you'd never miss it - but the variation makes both this figure and the standard figure unique enough to warrant your interest. Or, just different enough to make you mad. I like goofy things, so I wanted both.

The mech is a unique mold, but it functions like the other ones. There's a hinge in the helmet, so you fold it up around the ankles and there's a clip to place Rex inside. Hasbro respects the kids who got this, so you'll see loads of circuitry inside along with padded elements and pretend controls. It is notable that Rex' rangefinder makes it a tight fit, and Rex' arms will stick out of the sides. It's goofy, and intentional - and I think a mistake. It would have been good to just cram them in the design somehow. There are no blaster storage areas, so you'll have his hands holding the guns sticking out under the mech armpits. Silly? Yes. Did Hasbro do it better with the S.N.A.K.E. armor about 40 years ago? Yeah. But who knows what kinds of meetings they had with Disney to get something this far and away silly approved for Star Wars.

Mech deco isn't merely good, it's interesting. He has blue stripes on his chest, knees, and shoulders as well as the tech pattern. There is a faux pauldron and ammo pouch on the mech chest, and clear blue fists. The wrists have a rotating joint, but you also get bending elbows and (barely) ball-jointed shoulders. The neck and legs don't move, but I don't think this item would work as a toy if they did.

Play features include 5mm ports - which mean something if you have a collection of 1980s Takara-designed toys. Transformers and Battle Beasts frequently used 5mm ports for their weaponry - which means you can plug Mini-Cons and the like on Rex' mech. You can also give the clear blue blasters to a number of modern (and old) Robots in Disguise. A clear blue shoulder pad also pops off and on using the 5mm peg, meaning your kids will have more fun with this than you will.

I don't know anyone who bought this figure - or at least, nobody told me. They're missing out, it's pretty cool. I assume kids of this era won't even know it exists, and it's likely the victim of being a good concept with terrible timing. Rex isn't on any new shows right now, and Star Wars is increasingly (and I hate to say, somewhat deservedly) a cultural punching bag. Product is rarely or never on-shelf with a new TV show or movie, reaction to recent TV shows has been poor, and follow-through on everything seems erratic and irrational. This toy would have been neat in 2008, during any of the many seasons of The Clone Wars. Or The Bad Batch. Or Ahsoka two years ago. But now? It's confusing, it's weird, and only the depraved toy junkies are going to buy this. So you know I love it, and if you're still reading my crap after 31 years you might too. I'd say get it now that the price is a little wobbly, and if you see it on deep discount maybe you'll want to buy two.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Amazon on sale under ten bucks.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,311: January 15, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,290: Clone Captain Rex (Epic World of Action)

CLONE CAPTAIN REX 2025 Kids Line
Epic World of Action "Power the Force" Basic Figure
Item No.: Asst. F9405 No. G1152
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Two blasters
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: August 2025
Appearances: The Clone Wars 

Bio: Rex served the Republic on the front lines during th Clone Wars, taking orders from Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. (Taken from the packaging)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: We probably got this figure because Clone Captain Rex showed up for some mystical flashback sequences in Ahsoka back in 2023. So you know, it's timely. There's no anniversary or any particular reason to do this particular figure in the kid line right now, which pretty much sums up Epic World of Action. It's neat, but why this? And why now? It's a very nice figure but if you're trying to appeal to younger fans, the increasingly disjointed line just doesn't make a lot of sense. I mean I wouldn't time something with Andor season two, but it doesn't seem to serve a purpose of the show promoting the toys and the toys promoting the show. And the funny thing is, this probably exists because the licensor thinks - rightfully so - that kids liked Rex.

It's kind of a shame that this line didn't pick a pony and stick with it - because a full wave of The Clone Wars with Obi-Wan, Cody, and maybe an antagonist of your choosing would be a lot of fun. As it is, you get a Kenobi bike (which no stores carry yet), Anakin, and a Yoda which should be phased out when this guy ships. It's kind of funny, the kid line is actually more difficult to piece together than a lot of the collector line. But I digress. You're here because you want to know if the figure is worth the eight bucks and I'm here to say that it's a very good figure given inflation. And it only took two rambly paragraphs.

The figure meets the expectations of a happy kid from the 1980s. You've got joints at the neck, shoulders, elbows, knees, and hips - so other than a lack of a waist joint it's as good as an o-ring G.I. Joe figure. He stands very well, and is easy to pose. Heck, his knees have little ratchety joints. The legs swing forward nicely, and the holster... well, they tried. One blaster has a big blue bulb at the end which looks cool, but is functionally blocking the pouches on the skirt. That's no good. But both are functional, and Hasbro was clearly trying. I assume this was an 11th hour change for their "Power the Force" branding that basically went unseen by many fans. The blasters are clear blue, and stand out. Either you're going to see them as ice sculptures or as some sort of energy blast lighting up the weapon, and either way, it works for me.

The rangefinder is painted, but not articulated - color me surprised. Considering the last Captain Rex for kids at this scale had only 5 joints, and was around $6, it's a massive improvement. Just think about it - in 2013, we got this figure with similar market needs and now we have something with roughly twice the joints for $2 more, 12 years later.

The off-white armor is a nice substitute for dirt, and while I miss the various marks on his armor I don't miss them all that much. It's Rex! He looks like Rex! He has a lot of articulation and the sculpt is a slightly stylized version of the cartoon costume. Sure it's super clean, but at this price point you can't have it all. The soles aren't painted, but the knees are, and you get the shoulder stripes. Hasbro seemed to determine the most effective places to paint and made sure that you had a figure that's satisfying. I think a kid into the show and characters would be very happy to get this, if they could find it.

I like the figure for what it is. It's not as skinny as the cartoon versions were, and if it were just a smidgen shorter I'd recommend to pretty much everybody. I really do believe Hasbro could have a successful line of figures for almost all ages if it were a little more focused on either the new hotness or a single legacy source at a time. If Hasbro had a 2025 focused on The Clone Wars and no distractions, that'd be awesome. What we got is good, but you have to be able to appreciate this figure in a void. I don't think it's unreasonable to say less isn't more - Star Trek has had a few lines that stopped at 2-3 characters per series and fans wisely stayed away. If a toy line has no future, it is not something collectors or even savvy kids will want. And they're missing out - Hasbro did a really good job here and whoever engineered the joints and budgeted the deco deserves praise for putting something out this good, in this economy, especially when you compare it to what $4.99 got us in 1995.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,290: November 4, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,278: Clone Trooper Lieutenant (Teth, The Vintage Collection)

CLONE TROOPER LIEUTENANT (Teth)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. G0907
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #348
Includes: Two clone rifles
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $16.99
Availability: January 2025
Appearances: Ahsoka

Bio: Traveling through the World Between Worlds, Ahoka Tano recollects the perils of the Clone Wars and fighting alongside the brave clone troopers of the Galactic Republic. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: The Clone Trooper Lieutenant (Teth) mold is good! Hasbro keeps tweaking the Clone design since the 2003 debut of the very first super-articulated Clone Trooper, which was shiny and corpulent. We got a very skinny one around 2010, and now we've got this one which has been used for some other figures too. It's thoroughly modern, with bend-and-swivel wrists and hidden shoulder joints. Ball-jointed hips mean you have lots of mobility for vehicles, and that goes well with thigh swivels and rocker ankles. He has no problem holding his unpainted blasters, and getting him to stand with all that articulation is easy. The joints are smooth, and Hasbro did a good job with the mold. The plain white armor has some shiny new pre-distressed stripes, which is admittedly a little odd.

We haven't had many Phase I clones with blue markings on the armor and none of the rank dots on the chest, and fewer still sans the "OII" markings on the back. I'm still waiting for one that says "OOIOO" on it, but that's probably just getting esoteric to the point where only I will be pleased. And what's wrong with that? It looks like what we saw on the screen, minus the red tint and the budget-hiding fog of war from the streaming series.

We did indeed get a super-articulated $8 cartoon version of this figure as an exclusive back in 2008. He even had a rocket launcher with spring-loaded fun in there. Remember those days? Well, they're over and you're old now. You can have mature navel-gazing flashbacks now! This figure would probably be pretty exciting stuff if it were easier to troop build... and maybe if vehicles were around to buy... or droids or Separatists to fight. Basically this figure is a lot of fun if you already have a big toy collection. And if you have a big toy collection, you might soon realize you own over 300 different figures based on the Clone Trooper genome, and how the only other category that is in that general orbit are astromechs. While I like clones, it's also a category I could probably live without revisiting just because we got so many. I did a full month of clone reviews early on and it was the only time I've ever had people write in asking me to review literally anything else because it got boring. I laughed, I thought that was funny, but they were right. After a while, enough is probably enough, so you know. Good thing the 2026 focus is Geonosis.

In a vacuum this is a great figure. It's well-made, nicely decorated, and meets my expectations for a modern figure. There's no removable helmet, but that's OK, I don't need more parts to lose. For kids who didn't get the old ones, this is a great figure today. For those of you who have been here for the long haul, we'll review a non-Clone on Thursday. I promise.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,278: September 23, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,276: Crosshair (The Vintage Collection)

CROSSHAIR (Scale Debut)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. G0918
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #370
Includes: Pistol, sniper blaster, helmet head, backpack
Action Feature: Removable helmet, pistol fits in holster, rifle fits in backpack, swappable head
Retail: $16.99
Availability: July 2025
Appearances: The Bad Batch

Bio: A former member of Clone Force 99, the cold, quick, and calculating Crosshair served as the Bad Batch's sniper. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Since their debut in 2020, fans have been asking figures of Clone Force 99. When The Bad Batch got their own show, we were surprised to see that the likes of Crosshair would make appearance in Mission Fleet, The Black Series, and not any of the 3 3/4-inch scale lines. There was a small kid focus, a small adult fan focus, and not much for the collector. The only other 3 3/4-inch member of the team to date is Hunter [FOTD #3,030] from 2023. A 6-inch version of Crosshair from 2021 seems to provide the basis of this figure. It's a nice one, but it's not timely. Early is on time, on-shelf with new episodes of the show is good too. Making season one costume as a figure over a year after the show ends? You're selling toys on "hard mode."

This one gets long, so I'll get right to it. He's missing a little paint, but the sculpt and articulation are very good for a figure that shares most of his construction with 2023's Hunter. If you liked Hunter, you are going to get that level of quality and satisfaction from Crosshair.

If what you wanted was a scaled-down version of the $19.99 for $16.99, here it is. He's almost exactly the same as the 6-inch figure, with a few tweaks. One, the red plate on his chest armor was left gray. Two, the removable helmet on the 6-inch figure was swapped out for a fully removable head. Articulation is pretty much the same, the sculpt is very similar - but smoother. The 6-inch figure had a lot of sculpted (but not painted) battle damage and rough spots. I think Hasbro made the right move by giving him "new" armor if they didn't have the budget to paint the scrapes. It looks pretty good, but isn't up to the standards of Hunter - he had some painted damage.

The chest is missing a red mark. The backpack has one red stripe, with the various lights and dark panels left unpainted. Given the size of the figure and how many people never open these things, I don't blame Hasbro for leaving deco off the back of most figures. The chest is an element most fans wont' miss, but the missing crosshair on his helmet (a second time) stings. He's named "Crosshair," and in the show he has a white circle with a line on his face. If we traded some color on the arms for that, I would think it was a good move. It absence with the premium price makes me wonder what we have to be charged to get something that would at least give us a pretty solid presentation from the front.

Hasbro fixed a detail I'd previously missed. Just above his shoes, on his lower legs, Hasbro elected to keep part of the armor unpainted. These were painted on the 6-inch figure, and it looks like they weren't painted on the cartoon. It's an improvement!

Budget is clearly an issue here, as you get a lot of parts. Crosshair seems to share most of his construction with Hunter - the head, left shoulder, and accessories are new. The feet have the same copyright date and oddly shallow/non-functional foot peg indentations. Also interestingly, his right forearm has a hole in it - that's where Hunter's knife storage should be. Since the articulation was good on Hunter, I doubt you'll be disappointed with what we get on Crosshair. It's consistently jointed and doesn't come up short.

The human head is great. It looks just a little bit like Clint Eastwood, squinting just a tiny bit. The hair is gray and looks perfect. The face printing turned out very nicely, keeping the crosshair mark on his actual face that the helmet left off. No notes, they did a marvelous job.

Most figures have one or two good accessories these days. Crosshair has two blasters, a backpack, a head, and that over-the-torso ammunition and armor. He can hold his gear fairly well, and I appreciate you can store most of it on board. The swappable heads present a challenge, but I'm always happy when a figure has plenty of parts he can hold and make it harder to lose.

This figure meets expectations, minus some paint on the armor. If you're patient and/or young? I recommend getting this figure and going back to grab Hunter too. Hasbro has been releasing one member of the Batch every two years, which would put our getting Tech, Echo, and Wrecker - and maybe Omega - somewhere around 2031 or 2033. It took Kenner 18 years to get Han Solo (Stormtrooper) to market, 20 years to get us the first Tarkin figure, and (as Hasbro) 48 years to deliver the Tonnika sisters. I assume younger fans might be too young to spend $17 per figure at a drop rate fitting in between major elections, but some of us are tenacious. Goodness knows I'm still waiting for some things decades later, and generally looking at a complete team or diorama feels really good. I know Hasbro has a lot of stories to make toys for, but as a fan my enthusiasm is very high for new characters - like this one - while I'm starting to look at the Rocket Launcher Trooper that arrived the same day with a heavy sigh.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. I kind of wish Hasbro would embrace Retro for this kind of thing. Why? Speed, and lowered expectations. If a "Kenner" figure was missing paint applications (and released with the show), it is a lot easier to just shrug it off as being a stylistic choice. You're not expecting a premium figure - you're expecting the best $10-$12 figure that 1983 theoretically would have had to offer. As a $17 figure, expectations start to rise.

Show Notes: Have you seen the show? If not, it's got 47 episodes and I would say it's pretty good. The first two seasons to a great job bringing in new adventures and characters with snappy storytelling and an ongoing series of mysteries to explore in the early days of the Empire. Season 3 mostly circles the drain on the way out, trading much of the weekly adventures and fun for repetitive prison break-related stories. Most of the 2019 Disney-era TV shows have had a focus on things surrounding the cloning of the Emperor - including this show - so it might be part of a much bigger story that continues to be told throughout the Disney+ narrative. Having said that, if the clones were making you roll your eyes during The Clone Wars, this is largely a tighter version of that without as many new characters.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,276: September 16, 2025

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!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

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

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,030: Hunter (The Vintage Collection)

HUNTER The Bad Batch
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F7330
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #268
Includes: 2 blasters, knife, backpack, helmet
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $16.99
Availability: April 2023
Appearances: The Bad Batch
Bio: I think I'm a clone now. Every pair of genes is a hand-me-down. (There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth!   

Click here to buy it at Amazon!  

Click here to buy it at eBay!

Commentary: While there are some disappointing figures in this wave, Hunter is excellent. It you got The Black Series Hunter [FOTD #2,787] it seems it's pretty much the exact same design, with slightly different joints and it seems to be missing a couple of paint applications. The 6-inch figure had some red vertical tripes around his armor underoos, the 3 3/4-inch does not have them. Otherwise? Just as good.

My only real complaints about this figure are whiny. One, it took a couple of years to get this figure - he was on The Clone Wars before COVID, and he's the only member of the team we've had so far in this scale. Two, he's got more gear than he needs. You get the commando rifle, the tiny clone pistol, a helmet, and a knife - and there's still no holster for the pistol. There's also a swell backpack, and I wish it could pop open to store the blaster. Each of the accessories are good. The figure's paint job is good. The articulation is good. Presumably we'll see this mold used to get other clones, a new Delta Squad, and so on.

I love the sculpt - it's just like the big one, with an expressive face, a great helmet, but there's one big difference. His armor doesn't have sculpted dents - there are some silver painted scuffs, but the armor itself lacks teeny tiny dents. That's a good choice. The joints all move smoothly, with a great cut in the elbows so he can hold a blaster with both hands. The hips are greatly improved with an excellent and smooth range of motion. You can store the knife on his wrist, and he can hold the blasters. Most amazingly, though, the helmet fits really well - not too snug, not too lose. This feels like a figure engineered by someone who understands how a consumer will interact with it, and you should be able to make good use of him in vehicles, playsets, or even just on your desk. The grays and reds all look fantastic. His facial expression and painted detail look like a cross of the animation and real life. This is one of those figures that goes on your top 10 list of the year.

Unless you hate The Bad Batch you should buy this figure. It's great. I wouldn't be surprised to see Hasbro reissue it in a multipack at a later date, but if they don't, fans will be chasing him for years. Kids will want him, fans will want him, collectors of course will want him. He's a major character and one of the best-made figures in the size. Get it, it's worth it.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,030: May 18, 2023

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,024: ARC Commander Havoc (The Vintage Collection)

ARC COMMANDER HAVOC (ARCtastic)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Deluxe Walmart Exclusive Action Figure
Item No.: No. F8058
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 2 rifles, 2 pistols, helmet, pauldron
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $16.97
Availability: April 2023
Appearances: The Clone Wars
Bio: Clone trooper Havoc proved himself as a soldier and was rewarded with a promotion to ARC trooper. He served in Rancor Battalion with Commander Colt and oversaw clone cadets' training on the world Kamino. (Taken from marketing copy. There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: There's a clone trooper named Havoc and there's also ARC Trooper Havoc - and I believe they're supposed to be separate people. According to the main shot on Wookieepedia, regular Clone Havoc has an unhelmeted head that looks exactly like the one on this ARC Trooper Havoc figure - it's possible the designers mashed it up and didn't do their homework. This sort of thing happens a bunch in toy lines, where a good unofficial Wiki resource gets taken as gospel despite the fact a color could be wrong in a toy photo or an error just happened. I will leave that to someone who has the time to deep-dive this stuff, because as far as I know there may not be the absolute greatest of consistency when it comes to this sort of thing.

So assuming ARC Havoc has regular Clone Havoc's unmasked head, and they're the same, it's a good figure. This same body has now been used for multiple ARC Troopers, and truth be told troopers in general are getting kind of dull given that Star Wars used to be loaded with interesting aliens, robots, and cyborgs. I'd actually be pretty happy if they cut Clones down to 1 or 2 per year. The important thing, though, is that he's pretty good. The same body was used for Echo, Fives, and Jesse, and the color scheme is so close you might be asking yourself "Don't I already have this figure?" In many respects, you basically do - it's white armor with blue and gray upgrades, again. There were cartoon figures that looked like this too.

The figure still uses the old legs, which are hard to pose at the hips thanks to the kama blocking access to them. Other than that, articulation is good with rocker ankles, bend and swivel wrists, elbows with a fairly decent cut to bend, and so on and so forth. The figure will most likely spend all his time standing around, so the fact that this is a repaint of a mold that's a little old probably won't impact most fans - especially carded ones. The helmet fits like a glove, and has an articulated rangefinder too.

Hasbro continues to use the armored bib - which is a little floppy, and connected to the pauldrons - rather than tool a new torso. The wrist lights aren't painted, but other than that he does a good job looking like the character's costume as he appeared in "ARC Troopers." The blue stripes and squares are all there, and while you don't get any weathering you do get some subtle shin yellow boxes. The glossy black visor looks good, the silver details on the helmet all look fantastic, and Hasbro did a pretty good job here. But for a $17 repaint exclusive, it's a little painful - Hasbro long made back their tooling investment, and repaints used to mean lower cost exclusive trooper sets, 2-packs or other similar offerings. I can't honestly say this is a good price, but given the other ones are no longer on the market it may be your best price if you just want a blue ARC Trooper.

They probably couldn't have done a better job given the repaint mandate. If you've already got a bunch of these I'd say it's for completists only, and while it's a nice figure it's not like modern collectors have vehicles for him in any stores, nor are there figures for him to fight. It doesn't feel like part of something so much as an afterthought - but at least it's sensible, and the right mold was used.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Walmart. The bubble was popping off the card before I opened the bubble mailer. As far as I know it hasn't shipped to actual stores.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,024: April 27, 2023

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,989: RC-1140 (Fixer, The Black Series)

RC-1140 (Fixer, Gaming Greats)
The Black Series 2020 Line Look Blue Star Wars: Gaming Greats GameStop Exclusive
Item No.: No. F5592
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #13
Includes: Backpack, blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $27.99
Availability: October 2022
Appearances: Republic Commando

Bio: RC-1140 (Fixer), an elite clone commando of the Galactic Republic during The Clone Wars, served as second-in-command for Delta Squad on missions to annihilate their enemies in Star Wars: Republic Commando. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I love a good figure, but familiarity breeds contempt. RC-1140 (Fixer) does an excellent job delivering on expectations, amortizing existing tooling, and giving us an exclusive that is slightly better than it needed to be. New backpack! New helmet! New deco! That's all you needed, and that's what you got. It's not bad! It's even good! But at $28 for a barely-changed exclusive, and given he's #2 in a series of 4, and that this mold was also used for other figures, it may be a tough sell. If you don't have this mold - which means you're skipping Bad Batch and are late to Delta Squad - it's neat! And if you're a completist, or love clones, this is a great addition to your toy shelves. But I am a little trooper-ed out.

It's a solid design, especially since you actually get some color here. I love they tweaked the helmet to add the antenna on the side. The sculpted blast marks in the armor are nice, but the painted scuffs don't align with the sculpted scuffs. The shoulder armor hangs over the arms so it still looks good when you move the arms around, and the legs are a little tighter than I would like - smooth joints are sometimes tough to get. The figure skips painting the boot soles, but otherwise delivers a good, if by the numbers, experience. This isn't meant to be a slap at Hasbro - but we've had hundreds of Clones in varying sizes, and it's hard to get excited about slightly better/bigger versions of figures we may have already bought. But for the newcomers? This is pretty great.

Not content to only change the helmet, Hasbro gave us a new backpack too - check out the extra frame on top. With no moving parts, the backpack doesn't have anything novel about it. There are no opening bits or places to connect gear. In theory it doesn't need a ton of extra stuff to be a good figure, but also it's $28. He has no problems wearing his backpack or holding his blaster, so what you get here is a perfectly good, perfectly competent release. Something like a glowing or light-up visor, or given the higher price a backdrop or some scenery would be welcome. He looks cool and it's great to be getting figures from games that are nearly 20 years old, but I see GameStop has Boss in clearance so I'll be holding back for clearance when it comes to Sev and Scorch. It's not that they aren't neat, but I don't know if the quartet is $112 plus tax and possibly also shipping and handling neat.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from GameStop.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,989: December 27, 2022