Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,069: Clone Commander Cody (Saga Legends 2013)

CLONE COMMANDER CODY Movie-Style
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

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,863: Clone Commandery Cody

CLONE COMMANDER CODY Commemorative DVD Collection
Clone Wars Cartoon Network / Tartakovsky Animated Series Action Figures
Item No.: Asst. 34542 No.     34577
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Rifle, display stand, General Grievous, Obi-Wan Kenobi figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $14.99
Availability: Spring 2005
Appearances: Clone Wars 2003 series

Bio: Through the creative vision of Lucasfilm Ltd. and the Cartoon Network, the Clone Wars are brought to life in an exciting new series of short animated chapters. A unique animation style captures the drama of this epic period in galactic history along with its outstanding heroes and adversaries. Noble Jedi warriors lead Clone Troopers into battle against the evil Separatist forces and their droid armies. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Yoda and their comrades struggle against the rising power of the dark side and confront personal challenges against a backdrop of war-torn planets.   (Yes, this press release was taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' photo area.

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,773: Clone Commander Cody

CLONE COMMANDER CODY Jetpack
The Clone Wars Basic Action Figures
Item No.: Asst. 37290 No. 37306
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: CW7
Includes: Card, stand, rifle, helmet, big jetpack, little jetpack
Action Feature: Removable helmet
Retail: $8.99
Availability: January 2012
Appearances: Clone Wars TV series

Bio: Commander Cody takes on battle droids wherever the Clone Wars rage, even in the deep space or orbital battles. He straps on a rocket pack and propulsion pack when the fighting takes place in the vacuum of space. Cody’s flight pack has built-in weapons that swivel to blast battle droids in any direction. (Taken from Hasbro's web site.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' back yard.

Commentary: Good figure, bad accessories. Clone Commander Cody is the second major sculpt of the animated figure and given that it's a Phase II upgrade, it's neat and new enough to be interesting. However, the execution is only partially good-- there are things about this figure which are fantastic. And others which remind me that nobody ever thinks about the end-user, the kids, in a meaningful way.

Let's get this out of the way: the figure reuses the big honking jetpack originally sold with the new Captain Rex sold in late 2011. It's a good accessory, but to be good it requires additional accessories-- it's a part of a three-piece set. Rex had a unique blaster which rests in a holster on the chest, and a second, smaller jetpack which fit in the giant hole on the back of the larger jetpack. This includes neither, so what you have is an item that's obviously incomplete just to look at it. A holster without a gun is a bad idea, and a giant gaping hole in the backpack is probably going to confuse the poor child that gets this one. But as a collector? I get it. I see that they tossed it in to add "value" to the figure, although this extra piece seems to just make it look like something was left out.

Cody includes a smaller jetpack which resembles the one from the movie, but the peg is quite large and the hole in his back is quite small. It's a tight fit-- I wasn't able to get it in there without using boiling water to soften the peg. (And I fully admit, I have the strength of a small girl.) His rifle is pretty good, and the new helmet sculpt is superb. Deco is good, with some scrapes and damage, and the new head design is nice as well. I hesitate to say it's better than the previous release, but it's different and I can appreciate different.

The figure's body has quite a few new parts, some of which really add to the range of movement. Sadly, ball-jointed hips aren't present-- but oddly, rocker-jointed ankles are. So in theory, if you could spread his legs apart, his ankles could rotate in a way to always keep them flat on the ground if you wanted. Much like the large jetpack, it's a nice feature but one that cannot be fully appreciated in its present configuration. Cody has 14 joints, but lacks the bend-and-swivel wrists of the earlier Clones in the animated line. I'm going out on a limb and assuming we'll never, ever see them again.

I can't complain about the paint job, in particular a (I think) multi-colored tampo on his chest which I assume is for rank purposes. The movie versions have this bit sculpted, but I guess better it be flat than not included at all. It definitely adds to the look of the figure, which I would give a strong buy to collectors of the animated style. There's nothing wrong with the previous Codys, so if you're satisfied with whichever ones you have, I wouldn't consider this a must-buy upgrade. But it is good, and I do like it, and it's different from other animated Clones... so I'm not sorry I have it.

Collector's Notes: New! He's selling pretty well so far, so you may as well get him if/when you see him. Since he's a major character, I expect to see more of him later-- unless Hasbro axes the animated line, and sometimes I'm beginning to wonder if they're contemplating that.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,773: March 30, 2012

Figure of the Day: Day 848: Holographic Clone Commander Cody

CLONE COMMANDER CODY Holographic
The Saga Collection Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 85770 No. 87325
Number: #056
Includes: Jetpack, helmet, blaster, display base
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99
Availability: Late 2006
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: The battle-hardened Cody has fought beside General Kenobi many times in the Clone Wars, so it is no surprise that his 212th Attack Battalion is sent to Utapau to once more serve his friend. But this commander soon receives a secret communiqué from a far more sinister leader and quickly changes his allegiance. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy room.

Commentary: Fans love clones, and apparently paint isn't a requirement for figures like this Holographic Clone Commander Cody to prove successful. Mostly clear blue plastic, this figure has a few opaque pins in his joints but is pretty transparent. I was pretty enamored with this figure when it first came out because of the removable helmet. "If the helmet is clear," I thought, "can't you see his face through it?" The answer is "sorta, but not really." Not a lot of light makes it in the helmet, so it isn't like it's going to be really obvious that you can kind of see where his eyes are. The figure itself is-- as far as I can tell-- identical to the non-holographic version from earlier in 2006, which means it's almost super perfect. (He's a little short.) The fun value of a clear blue repaint is pretty low, but if you're collecting them all at least it looks different enough from other figures you own. At this time, it's the only clone figure to get the holographic treatment, so in that respect it's pretty distinctive.

I don't regret buying it-- that's something I think I'm going to be using to rate figures more often-- but it doesn't mean you're going to have a lot of fun with it. It's neat enough, but once you write about it and take a picture of it, where does he go? It's not like there's a playset which can incorporate him, or a little pad to stand on in the AT-TE to look like a projection. Since buying him nearly two years ago, he's lived in a box. I assume yours will as well if you make the purchase.

Collector's Notes: This figure may have represented one of the quickest turnarounds from Hasbro introducing a regular mold to selling a clear blue repaint. (Quickest holographic repaint, period, being Emperor Palpatine in 2005.) It was fairly popular, surprisingly, and now it's going to take some work to find one. Also, he was one of a whopping 4 holographic figures to appear in the basic The Saga Collection line. It seems that since then, Hasbro is trying to limit production of these clear blue figures to one or two per year. I also feel like I should start a pool on how long before Hasbro cranks out an animated The Clone Wars Cody.

Day 848: September 12, 2008