Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,780: ARF Trooper Trapper

ARF TROOPER Assault on Geonosis
The Clone Wars Battle Packs
Item No.: Asst. 35566 No. 35577
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Rifle, blaster, stand, more figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $26.99
Availability: July 2011
Appearances: The Clone Wars

Bio: "Trapper" was the nickname of an Advanced Recon Force trooper that served under High Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi and Clone Commander Cody in the Second Battle of Geonosis. He was then assigned to Mace Windu on Malastare to find survivors in the sinkhole made by a bomb. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' Ultarama.

Commentary: By a delightful coincidence, I got this ARF Trooper around the same time I was re-watching the second season of The Clone Wars. He was identified as Trapper, which, I guess, Hasbro didn't feel like doing on the box. There are a lot-- LOT-- of ARF Troopers, and along with Waxer and Boil, there are a lot of other ARFs that look almost exactly like this guy. He's missing the nifty Numa marking, but he's still kinda rusty with camo and orange markings. If we had more Geonosis-themed Clone vehicles, he'd be right at home. But we don't. This is a wonderful figure with ball-jointed hips plus bend-and-swivel hands, so he's really about as good as they come. I love the helmet, I dig the visor, the only real problem with it is that collectors have too many figures that look just like him by now.

...or maybe that's a plus. I guess if you'd ask me if I want 3 troopers that are identical or 3 that are slightly different, I'd go with the 3 differentish ones.

Collector's Notes: The Battle Pack was flushed down the clearance toilet in early 2012, it may still be available at a store near you. For ten bucks or less, consider this a compulsory purchase. For $27... you don't need it. But the Geonosian is pretty slick.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,780: April 10, 2012