Due to the Coronavirus Global Pandemic in 2020, all Conventions and Events were cancelled leaving toy companies with prepared Exclusives that could not longer be sold at the Events. These were moved to online Exclusives and sold via Hasbro Pulse in the US and Canada in the main, and via the Fan Channel (Specialist Retailers) elsewhere. The Cad Bane and TODO 360 set had been planned to be a shared European Exclusive for Summer 2020 and it was put up for sale online in Europe in August for a September release. US collectors would have to wait until the 1st of October for their turn.
Packaging 4.5
Cad Bane is the first exclusive released in the new Phase 4 packaging, the Galaxy Collection. Being an exclusive the construction and layout is different though to what we will get with the Galaxy Collection boxes. It is larger for a start, even coming in an inch wider than the Zeb deluxe box and a few mm's deeper. There is an outer sleeve in black that carries an impressive glossy yellow Black Series logo. Across the base of this is a gloss black strip to confirm this as a Star Wars ; The Clone Wars release. The black sleeve has a plain black side, save another Black Series logo, and a pretty empty reverse with another repeated logo, confirmation again as Clone Wars as the source and the usual safety and legal text. The entirety of the black sleeve is a finger print magnet - as you can see from a few of our images. While they will wipe off to a degree, I found several around the back were too stubborn to remove.
The outer sleeve gives way to the inner box by means of the slanted right hand side. This carries the new Galaxy collection colour hued illustrations of the character - yellow for Clone Wars - and the first confirmation of the contents & character name.
This inner piece can be slid out from this slanted side and we now find the figure beneath in a white gloss box. There is another yellow Star Wars Black Series logo at the top with the character name on the bottom rail. Instead of a window, there are three open compartments that are backed in the same yellow and they contain Cad Bane, TODO and the two blasters.
The inner box does not slide all the way out thanks to a tab that is built into the box to stop full removal - so don't force this out or it will tear. This would frustrate me if I was a boxed collector who wanted to display the figure as the tab doesn't quite allow the sleeve to expose the full character name or the full illustration on the reverse - which is a repeat of the side artwork. Cad Bane has no numbering in the new line, it is unclear as yet if the side artwork will line up to other Clone Wars releases or not? As we saw with the previous phase packaging, a short bio piece is included on the box reverse next to the artwork.
CAD BANE
A ruthless bounty hunter from the planet Duro, no quarry was too dangerous for Cad Bane... if the price was right
TODO 360
Cad Bane's techno-service droid had many build-in gadgets that made him incredibly useful, but he also had an attitude to match.
If you are an opener of your figures but want to retain the box integrity for any reason, then you will have to be very careful with this one to get the box open and the figure out. The side tab on the inner box, the one with the image, is taped in place and will most likely rip even if you cut the tape and try to move the tabs carefully. You need to go in via the top of the white box, but to do this you have to detach it from the outer sleeve. This is done via the left hand side of the black outer box where you will find a white piece into which the inner strap is taped. Be warned the black side is still very difficult to open without ripping the box.
Once released and the top is opened the figure will slide out in a cardboard inner tray. This is brown cardboard with the yellow pieces inserted into it. The figure, the guns and TODO are all strapped in by plastic ties. While you can cut these from the front, they are very tight to the figure so are best cut from the back. Cad then sits into a plastic tray with his coat tails tucked through the other side, so remove him with care so not to scratch the paint or plastic.
Paint & Sculpt 5.0
When he is finally out of the box, you will see that Cad Bane is an impressive specimen in terms of detailing and sculpt. The head of our Duros Bounty Hunter is translated well from The Clone Wars animated style to a slightly fuller face and more aligned to a real world version. That snarl is there in the fae and the blank red eyes stare out from under the brim of the hat.
The hat itself can be removed, it is a rubberised piece that sits naturally on the head but without being fixed so it can be repositioned or removed as you see fit. Cad Bane has his rebreather in place too that plugs into the face at either side. The costume, also translated to a more realistic finish - but remains faithful to the Clone Wars design. We have the long brown overcoat with the long tails reaching down to the ankles. This is trimmed with silver on the fastenings. The inner vest is a varying brown shade and is weathered with dry brushing of a softer brow. Round the waist are two ridged belts of ammunition, each tipped with silver.
The two wrist pieces are compete with the communication and control panels with red indicator lights painted onto the gun metal colour base. The trouser are grey, with more dry brushing to add weathering and wer. To the base are the two rocket booster pieces painted in silver.
TODO 360 is sculpted pretty close to how he appears in Clone Wars with the huge head on top of the small chest section and large waist. He is cast in a gunmetal silver with darker grey added into the panels on the head and on that circular waist segment. The eyes are coloured yellow.
Everything on TODO is well proportioned and the angles are crisp, and the curves smooth and in line with what we see on screen. As a packed accessory he would be amazing, in this case he is a named character included in the box and that is pretty cool too and he certainly exceeds other such pack in characters like BB8, Babu Frik and D-0 in terms of size, sculpt and finish.
Accessories 5.0
Cad Bane is armed with a pair of LL-30 blaster pistols. These are sleek and well sculpted with discernible ridges on the grips and detailing around the sights and he barrel. They are silver as a base colour with a brown added to the grip and as a strip down the barrel.
They fit into both hands, with right and left coming with a trigger finger that can be slotted into place - albeit these fingers are a little stiffer than the usual softer plastic. When not in use, they can be slotted into the two working holsters on the hips.
As we know the hat is also removable. It is cast in a rubbery plastic and shaped to snugly fit the head without looking oversized. Essentially it can fit on either way round, but there is some weathering via a smattering of brown paint on the rim that sits at the front when he arrives.
The breather piece is also removable. The issue with this is that it pops off a little too easily as you move the head or the hat. I don't see any reason why this could not have been glued in place?
There is then a satchel piece that comes on the figurem but it is a removable piece. It is cast in a darker brown with no other paint job. While its not overly flexible, it is designed to hang naturally alongside the shape of the coat.
Articulation 5.0
Cad Bane weighs in with a very impressive set of articulation, including the new neck format with articulation top and bottom, and the butterfly shoulders. There is also what looks like a new format for the arms with a bicep joint included alongside the rotating elbow. Even the boosters are articulated so they can be rotated into position on each leg.
Head : ball joint neck, ball joint neck base
Body : torso ball joint
Arms : ball joint shoulder, butterfly shoulder, bicep swivel, single rotating elbow, wrist pivot
Legs : ball joint hip, thigh swivel, single rotating knee, rotating boosters, ankle rocker
In all I make that an articulation count of 23 in total. And each joint is very well hidden with shaped leg and arm overlaps hiding the swivels and no obvious pins on the knees or elbows. It is all very impressive and sets an exciting precedent for the future figures.
The one thing you notice immediately is how emotive posing is with Cad Bane. He can touch the brim of his hat to tip it in appreciation, and can remove and hold the hat as though brushing it clean or adjusting its fit. The gunslinger poses are awesome too, either drawing the blasters from his holsters or shooting the weapons.
Cad Bane also has flight ability in The Clone Wars with those booster rockets, and if you drop Bane onto an aftermarket flight stand he looks just as good in flight or taking off poses. Every joint is tight, but works perfectly. Many are ratcheted, and this includes the ankle rockers which are often a weak spot on the Black Series. Cad Bane stands perfectly well on his own.
TODO 360 is also articulated, and more so than you might expect from first glance. The head is a ball joint on the neck socket. The arms are ball joints at the shoulder, as are the legs at the hips and again at the ankle area over the round feet pieces. There is also a swivel joint behind the circular waist section to allow his top half to tilt to either side.
Due to the slim arms and legs, the joints for these are a little looser than we might like and it takes a while to pose TODO securely, not helped by the weight in that large head piece.
TODO can also fly, as seen in The Clone Wars, and you can pose him in this mode with the feet turned out to become boosters or repulsors. I've not yet found a stand that works as most are too big - but I will keep trying as I think he will look even better hovering at Cad Bane's shoulder on display.
Summary
The Cad Bane Exclusive set has been wildly popular in the early weeks of release at the European sellers and considering it doesn't hit the US until October. A lot of this is hype and fear of missing out, but as more and more people get this in hand - that popularity will certainly grow on the back of how fantastic a figure this is.
Everything is pretty much spot on. The sculpt and paint are well done and translated well to a more real world feel. The paint and decor are excellent. Accessories are good and the inclusion of TODO (who will be exclusive to this set) really sets it off.
The packaging is very visual with contrasting black, white and yellow tones - but you will have to be very careful of greasy finger marks. While the figure is perfect in every way, the box has a slight flaw in terms of the ability to display. Previously sleeved figures like Captain Rex or Jyn Erso have had the ability for the sleeve to be fully removed to display the figure, here the strapping in the box doesn't allow this without some adjustment and the sleeve does not quite open enough to reveal the full inner box.
For the European RRP of £29.99, the Cad Bane and TODO set is well worth the money. I would not even begrudge paying the import price considering the finish and execution of both figures. I hope the standard Cad Bane release is just as impressive (no reason why not) and that any collectors who missed out on this in the early weeks get another opportunity at some point to add this to their Black Series collection.
Practically flawless, I score Cad Bane and TODO 360 European Exclusive top marks of 5.0
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, star wars, black series, galaxy collection, the clone wars, cad bane, todo 360, hasbro, exclusive, european