Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,647: Lieutenant Thire

LIEUTENANT THIRE and Clone Trooper Rys
The Clone Wars Wal-Mart Exclusive Set, later individual
Item No.: Asst. 16721 No. 89205
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #1 of 2
Includes: Pistols, rocket, firing rocket launcher, helmet, pauldron, Rys figure with accessories
Action Feature: Removable helmet, articulated binocular goggles, firing rocket
Retail: $12.96
Availability: August 2009
Appearances: The Clone Wars

Bio: Lieutenant Thire and clone troopers Rys and Jek accompany Yoda to Rugosa, where they are attacked by battle droids. Thire urges Yoda to leave them behind and go to the Rendezvous site alone, but the Jedi refuses to leave anyone behind. When Rys says their situation is dire, Yoda encourages him to find inspiration in his comrades and himself. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' desk.

Commentary: There are two animated figures based on Lieutenant Thire, the first of which is this exclusive release. The other one, "Commander Thire," is virtually the same except for the back of his hands. Really, that's the difference-- Lieutenant Thire has black "gloves" with white armor on the back of his hands, while "Commander" Thire has red stripes. Otherwise, they're fundamentally the same figure.

Based on the 2008 Clone sculpt-- that's all there was at the time- the figure has the full 16 points of articulation, complete with working holsters, bend-and-pivot wrists, ball-jointed ankles, and the kind of decoration you would come to expect from this era. Being a mostly clear figure with some red markings, Thire matches his small crew nicely and while he isn't as famous as many of the other clones on the show, he turned out well enough. If you're in the market for more clones, he's certainly worth a look.

Collector's Notes: For reasons unknown, these sets debuted as branded Wal-Mart exclusives, and later showed up at Toys R Us in virtually identical packaging. Today they're long gone, and the 2-packs will set you back about $20-$25-- given the nature of the episode being somewhat popular, I'm surprised it's that cheap. Oddly, a single-carded Thire goes for about that.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,647: October 6, 2011