Figure of the Day: Day 304: Covert Ops Clone Trooper

COVERT OPS CLONE TROOPER Exclusive
Revenge of the Sith Fan Club Exclusive
Item No.: No. 85963
Number: n/a
Includes: Pistol, rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.99
Availability: Fall 2005
Appearances: n/a

Bio: Inspired by the specialized trooper armor seen in Revenge of the Sith, the Covert Ops Clone Trooper figure was created to celebrate the release of the final chapter of the Star Wars saga on DVD and VHS. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: Note the bio-- it's amusing because ROTS didn't see a VHS release in the USA. Anyway, the Covert Ops Clone Trooper was a neat figure because it was so polarizing. On one hand, it's a new, original Clone with a freaklishly unique paint deco and it was super-poseable. On the other, it's weird because of the aforementioned freakishness plus a lot of fans tend to get irate at products that are not from the movie or from an established (key word: established) Expanded Universe source. These buggers came from nowhere, and some found that to be undesirable-- which was understandable given at the time this figure was released, we still had no 501st Troopers, no Utapau Troopers, and so on.

This figure uses the III-41 Clone's superposeable body, but gives it different deco and accessories. The antenna (while shown) is not included, and the figure was given a larger rifle in its place. For fans wanting something really weird, this is a delightfully weird purchase-- you should totally buy one or two of these.

Collector's Notes: As a Fan Club exclusive, it cost a lot more at retail because they knew they could get it. The prices go up and down, but it shouldn't be too hard to get the figure for the original going rate, which is about $20 after shipping. Also, I should note once more that the figure does wear the "antenna backpack" in the photo, but this is not included with the figure.

Day 304: March 6, 2007