Figure of the Day: Day 412: Kashyyyk Trooper

KASHYYYK TROOPER Order 66
30th Anniversary Collection Target Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. 87357 No. 87362
Number: 6 of 6
Includes: Blaster, antenna, Yoda
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: March 2007
Appearances: n/a

Bio: Specially trained troopers provide military support to Yoda to crush the Separatist forces on Kashyyyk. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' TV tray.

Commentary: Super Articulation, thy name is Kashyyyk Trooper. And many other figures. But this figure combines the Clone Trooper with the camo sensibilities of Kashyyyk (or G.I. Joe) to create an exclusive which I liked, but a lot of other people hated. Star Wars has largely avoided the "ninja camo" and "arctic attack" repaints we see in nearly every toy line these days, so in a way it was refreshing to see this modern toy sensibility applied to the Clone Trooper, which is a figure that very much needs mission-specific gear and coloring. Unlike, say, Luke Skywalker. If you can appreciate this figure for what it is, 14 points of articulation and all, it's a fun release-- it's just not exactly super-easy to find, nor is it cheap. But it is different, at least, which is more than I can say about the Yoda it was packaged with for ten bucks.

Collector's Notes: These figures were very popular in some markets and slightly slower sellers in others. For the original price ($9.99) it was a good value-- after all, two figures for the price of one-and-a-half is actually pretty excellent. Some fans dislike the notion of more non-movie Clone Troopers, but we really are at a stage where that's all we have left. We can apply existing paint jobs to different molds, we can do things from the games or comics, or we can make stuff up-- Hasbro did a fine job cranking out nearly every Revenge of the Sith Clone Trooper in 2005, leaving very few for the future-- so odds are we can expect more figures just like this one in the future. Not that I'm complaining, I'd rather have this than an all-grey trooper or a white trooper with a shoulder pad.

Day 412: June 22, 2007