CLONE TROOPER ECHO RookieThe Clone Wars Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 87638 No. 91232
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #CW17
Includes: Blaster, rocket launcher, rocket, helmet
Action Feature: Firing rocket launcher
Retail: $7.99
Availability: August 2009
Appearances: Clone Wars TV show
Bio: After Echo's first battle with commando droids, Captain Rex marks the trooper's armor with the blood of a vicious creature that had attacked them; the bloody handprint is Rex's way of recognizing Echo's transition from a "shiny" to a seasoned warrior. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)
Image: Adam Pawlus' desk.
Commentary: "Rookies" was one of the more memorable episodes from the first year of The Clone Wars, and fans really did jump on figures like Clone Trooper Echo even if it was little more than a minor deco change with a new helmet. The same basic 2008 body has been given a head and a helmet, plus the body has a hand print on it. That's really all there is to it, the articulation is some of the best and the sculpt is great, but it's a mishmash of old parts. It's pretty sad in some ways that you have a figure that's stellar, and I can't say much about it other than "just as good as other Clone Troopers" and "mind-blowing stuff is now just merely run-of-the-mill since we get so much of it." This is a must-own release for fans of the show, but if you have 40 Clones already, do you need one more? (Oh who am I kidding, nobody has only 40.)
Collector's Notes: The figure was sold individually and in a 2-pack with Commander Cody. The hand print is slightly different, but not different enough for us to consider it more than a variant. It's pretty common, so don't pay a premium for one.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 1,449: January 3, 2011
Seems like there were a 100 million Echo figures made. Asia-based ebay sellers still have multiple lots of them list, often without the handprint.
ReplyDeleteMy only beef with the figure is visor seems rough on my figure, like it was made from scrap plastic and painted using half-dried paint. Not a good example of Hasbro efforts.
A lot of those Asian Echo figures without the handprint are knock-offs.
ReplyDeleteI got a few figures made with multiple tones of white plastic. The edges are also "softer", so details of the sculpted armor are lost or obscured. Areas like the sculpted backpack, which should have straight lines, are instead curved in places. In short, a lot of these are crap.
Makes me wonder how much lead they contain.
Interesting. Wonder why they bootlegged Echo of all clones.
ReplyDelete