Figure of the Day: Day 393: Red ARC Trooper

ARC TROOPER Army of the Republic
Clone Wars Collection
Item No.: Asst. 85205 No. 84753
Number: 0343
Includes: Blaster Rifle, removable armor (waistcoat, shoulder pauldron, rangefinder)
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $4.99-$5.99
Availability: Late 2003
Appearances: Clone Wars

Bio: The ultimate supercommandos, the ARC (Advanced Recon Commando) troopers are clones who were personally trained by Jango Fett. Only a select number of ARC troopers were bred and trained before Jango's untimely demise at the Battle of Geonosis. Activated shortly after the start of the Clone Wars, ARC troopers are used for only the most dangerous missions in which a substantial amount of independent thought and iniative is required. They are equipped with highly advanced clone trooper armor and formidable heavy weaponry. Whether they are fighting on their own or at the side of the Jedi, the ARC troopers are a symbol of the Republic's military superiority over the droid armies of the Confederacy. (Taken from the figure's cardback. Which is the same as the blue figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy room.

Commentary: While released for a few short weeks in late 2003, this red ARC Trooper quickly became a fan favorite due to the awesome red ARC Trooper in the Clone Wars cartoons. He had two guns, could signal with his hands, and do all sorts of crazy stuff-- which this figure couldn't do. No, this figure took the existing blue ARC Trooper, changed it to red, and that's it-- so you got a rifle, and the same figure with questionable articulation. Sure, it has ball-shoulders, but swivel elbows and normal neck, waist, hip, and shoulder joints really don't make it exciting. Of course, sometimes that doesn't matter-- the character is just so gosh-darn exciting that fans like myself had to have it. If you were one of the lucky (and smart) fans to buy extra Clone Trooper pilots, you might even have extra guns so you could give this guy extra armaments. Out of the box, this is a pretty imperfect figure, but it didn't matter. Sometimes, being rare is more important than being great. Still, if you like Clone Wars, you totally need to get this one or some other red ARC Trooper figure. As red ARC Troopers are muy, muy excellente. Muy.

Collector's Notes: This figure was exceedingly hard to get in many markets, leading some fans to believe it doesn't exist. Well, obviously, it does exist. Another red ARC Trooper (named Fordo) was released in 2006 as part of a Toys "R" Us exclusive Battle Pack, except it used a completely different mold and didn't have a rangefinder-- which is an important part of the character's ensemble. It's quite surprising Hasbro didn't reissue this one given how much it tends to go for on eBay, which is to say, more than it cost when it first came out. Which is really rare given collectors have an attention span of about a year when it comes to "rare" figures.

Day 393: June 3, 2007