Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,639: Cad Bane

CAD BANE in Clone Trooper Disguise
The Clone Wars Battle Packs
Item No.: Asst. 35566 No. 35578
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Stand, removable wrist armor, blaster, helmet, Holocron
Action Feature: Removable armor reveals injury, removable helmet
Retail: $26.99
Availability: July 2011
Appearances: The Clone Wars

Bio: Anakin, Ahsoka, and Cad Bane escape a Separatist frigate moments before it explodes. The Jedi boarded the ship to retrieve a Jedi holocron and memory crystal stolen by Bane, but their mission fails. As the ship crumbles, Bane hides his identity under a stolen clone trooper uniform so he can escape with the Jedi. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' kitchen.

Commentary: Hasbro sure does like their bounty hunters! This Cad Bane figure is the fourth release since 2009, not counting repackaged figures, and Hasbro has something new and interesting on each release so far. If you've been collecting with us so far, the armor will be familiar to those of you who bought Denal a few years ago. Bane's armor has blue arms and the body is a mix of figures-- the legs are from the 2008 Clones, while the body and arms are largely from the 2009 redesign we started seeing on Stone. The left arm from the elbow to the fingers is completely new, the white armor can be removed revealing blood and the fingers were carefully sculpted to fit with the holocron accessory.

The finger has a little tab that juts out, while the holocron has a small hole in the side-- you have to look for it-- which lets the hand plug right in. This way, he won't drop it. You can also put the holocron in the backpack, even though it isn't a perfect fit, and the helmet fits about as well as these things tend to these days. It's a pretty good figure overall and the head sculpt-- the first we've seen without those hoses going into his face, which I had originally thought were cybernetic grafted-on parts-- is neat to finally see without gear on it.

It's a crying shame Hasbro didn't sell this one individually-- it's one of their better figures as far as play gimmicks go, and even if he can't exactly sit perfectly, it's a fun enough concept where it's hard to be anything but delighted with it. If your budget permits, get it.

Collector's Notes: This figure (or one similar to it) was originally teased under a sticker on the back of basic figure cardbacks in 2010. It was pulled and word was that he was to be an exclusive for somebody-- that didn't happen. So now the figure is widely available in this 3-pack, which isn't ideal given that you probably already have the Anakin and Ahsoka figures. If you don't, it's a great set-- and even if you do, Cad Bane is neat enough to potentially be worth picking up at a discount.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,639: September 26, 2011