Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,773: Clone Commander Cody

CLONE COMMANDER CODY Jetpack
The Clone Wars Basic Action Figures
Item No.: Asst. 37290 No. 37306
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: CW7
Includes: Card, stand, rifle, helmet, big jetpack, little jetpack
Action Feature: Removable helmet
Retail: $8.99
Availability: January 2012
Appearances: Clone Wars TV series

Bio: Commander Cody takes on battle droids wherever the Clone Wars rage, even in the deep space or orbital battles. He straps on a rocket pack and propulsion pack when the fighting takes place in the vacuum of space. Cody’s flight pack has built-in weapons that swivel to blast battle droids in any direction. (Taken from Hasbro's web site.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' back yard.

Commentary: Good figure, bad accessories. Clone Commander Cody is the second major sculpt of the animated figure and given that it's a Phase II upgrade, it's neat and new enough to be interesting. However, the execution is only partially good-- there are things about this figure which are fantastic. And others which remind me that nobody ever thinks about the end-user, the kids, in a meaningful way.

Let's get this out of the way: the figure reuses the big honking jetpack originally sold with the new Captain Rex sold in late 2011. It's a good accessory, but to be good it requires additional accessories-- it's a part of a three-piece set. Rex had a unique blaster which rests in a holster on the chest, and a second, smaller jetpack which fit in the giant hole on the back of the larger jetpack. This includes neither, so what you have is an item that's obviously incomplete just to look at it. A holster without a gun is a bad idea, and a giant gaping hole in the backpack is probably going to confuse the poor child that gets this one. But as a collector? I get it. I see that they tossed it in to add "value" to the figure, although this extra piece seems to just make it look like something was left out.

Cody includes a smaller jetpack which resembles the one from the movie, but the peg is quite large and the hole in his back is quite small. It's a tight fit-- I wasn't able to get it in there without using boiling water to soften the peg. (And I fully admit, I have the strength of a small girl.) His rifle is pretty good, and the new helmet sculpt is superb. Deco is good, with some scrapes and damage, and the new head design is nice as well. I hesitate to say it's better than the previous release, but it's different and I can appreciate different.

The figure's body has quite a few new parts, some of which really add to the range of movement. Sadly, ball-jointed hips aren't present-- but oddly, rocker-jointed ankles are. So in theory, if you could spread his legs apart, his ankles could rotate in a way to always keep them flat on the ground if you wanted. Much like the large jetpack, it's a nice feature but one that cannot be fully appreciated in its present configuration. Cody has 14 joints, but lacks the bend-and-swivel wrists of the earlier Clones in the animated line. I'm going out on a limb and assuming we'll never, ever see them again.

I can't complain about the paint job, in particular a (I think) multi-colored tampo on his chest which I assume is for rank purposes. The movie versions have this bit sculpted, but I guess better it be flat than not included at all. It definitely adds to the look of the figure, which I would give a strong buy to collectors of the animated style. There's nothing wrong with the previous Codys, so if you're satisfied with whichever ones you have, I wouldn't consider this a must-buy upgrade. But it is good, and I do like it, and it's different from other animated Clones... so I'm not sorry I have it.

Collector's Notes: New! He's selling pretty well so far, so you may as well get him if/when you see him. Since he's a major character, I expect to see more of him later-- unless Hasbro axes the animated line, and sometimes I'm beginning to wonder if they're contemplating that.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,773: March 30, 2012