Figure of the Day: Day 377: Cloaked Chameleon Droid

CLOAKED CHAMELEON DROID Ambush on Ilum
The Anniversary Collection Target Exclusive Battle Pack
Item No.: No. 87213
Number: n/a
Includes: Removable limbs... and four other figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: January 2007
Appearances: Clone Wars

Bio: So named because of their ability to seamlessly blend in with their surroundings, these modified probe droids launched devastating sabotage and sneak-attack missions across the galaxy. They destroyed the crystal caves on Ilum, and nearly dispatched two Jedi Knights in the process. (Taken from the figure's box.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy room.

Commentary: Nothing gets me more jazzed than more new Clone Wars figures. Sure, they aren't always perfect-- but seeing all-new characters like this Chameleon Droid makes for an exciting shopping trip. It's not every day we get figures inspired by a Star Wars cartoon, so this entry was quite exciting. This particular figure is partially "cloaked," so bits of its legs and body are molded in clear plastic so it can be partially invisible in the snowy Ilum wilds. The figure ships unassembled, so you have to plug the four limbs into the body. There's a fair amount of articulation but not exactly a lot. It's a nice big figure with good deco, and so far, it seems that the joints are strong enough to keep it standing. This is something of a worry for me over time as gravity is not always kind to toys with unique constructions such as these, but I guess we'll know for sure how these hold up in a year or two. You know, when we look at the fully painted version. If you like droids, you need this. If you're an Expanded Universe fan, you should totally get this. The metallic paint looks wonderful, and Hasbro's decision to not paint snowy deco on either Chameleon Droid is very much appreciated.

Collector's Notes: I picked up a few of these on clearance at Target for under five bucks a whack. As I am shameful. The set was quite popular so you might be able to get one cheap now that there's a perception of it being "common" before people realize it kinda dried up. Hop to it. Chop-chop.

Day 377: May 18, 2007