Clone Commander Bly, as seen in the Order 66 scenes from Revenge of the Sith, was released in March 2020 as part of Wave 24 of the Star Wars Black Series (3rd Phase Packaging). He is number 104 in the line and the 6th Clone Commander to be released after Cody, Rex, Gree, Wolffe and Fox. Other figures in Wave 24 are Count Dooku, Zorii Bliss, Knight of Ren and the Sith Jet Trooper.
Packaging 4/5
Bly arrives in the usual black packaging with red spine. He is number 104 in the line and is named specifically as Clone Commander Bly. The image of Bly shows him with his visor and pauldron, and despite the lack of colour the markings do match the ones used on Bly on his Phase 2 armour.
The back of the box carries a brief background for Bly.
"A veteran of many Clone Wars battles, Clone Commander Bly (clone designation CC-5052) served in the 327th Star Corps on such worlds as Quell, Maridun and Felucia"
Paint & Sculpt 5/5
Bly uses the basics of the Clone Trooper sculpt that has been in place for some time. The visored phase 2 helmet is a new piece and that adds another part to the options for future Clone Troopers. It is also articulated so it can be brought down over the eyes if you wish.
The shoulder pauldrons are also new, as is the ammo pouches on his shoulder straps that come down and hook into the belt. The belt itself, and the holsters, are the same as Rex, Wolffe and Fox.
The paint job on Bly is crisp, although as has been documented online a brown panel has been missed off the first run of these from the helmet chin. This is being corrected in future runs and will be a running change for anyone who collects variants (I have the uncorrected version).
The paint is crisp, but is also applied to look chipped and weathered which adds a realism to Bly that some of the other Commanders and Clone's have not had.
The Kama is soft goods and is new and not a recolouring of the template used on Rex, Fox and Wolffe. Bly's kama goes all the way around his waist with just a small v cut in the back. It can get caught in the leg joints when posing - so watch out for that and wear and tear in this area.
Accessories 4/5
Bly is armed with a pair of DC-17 blasters that arrive fixed in his holsters. These are the same as first used on Rex. They care cast in black plastic with neat details but no paint apps to enhance them.
They fit into either hand. The right hand has a trigger finger to line up on the weapon - but the left hand remains without a trigger finger and this can look a bit odd. It is really time a spare left trigger hand was designed and included with the Clones with these dual pistols.
We also get the larger DC-15A rifle. This goes back to the first Clone Releases and has been used in numerous figures since. It too is cast in black with no paint. The DC-15A fits well into the right hand and can be cradled using the left.
This and the dual pistols are screen accurate to what Bly uses on screen, with the DC-15A the one that takes down Aayla Secura.
Articulation 4/5
Bly comes in with a total of 18 points of articulation, retaining the double jointed elbows and bicep swivel from the original Phase 1 Clone Trooper. Bly also gets the updated elbows which really opens up the arm movements for posing - for example he can reach up and adjust his visor.
Head : ball joint pivot neck
Body : torso ball joint
Arms : ball joint shoulder, bicep swivel, double joint elbow, pivot wrist
Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rocker
The legs do sadly remain an issue with the thigh armour blocking most movement other than some wider stances.
Summary
Commander Bly is another excellent Clone figure from Hasbro with new parts added in terms of his visor, pauldron and kama. He is well painted - minus the chin paint error - with good weathering and battle scarring to the armour so he doesn't look so much like a "shiny". Weapons are re-uses, and could do with some added detail - but they do the job.
Articulation is also much improved by use of the Rex elbows, if only they could resolve the leg armour issues.
I score Clone Commander Bly a solid 4 out of 5.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, star wars, black series, clone wars, revenge of the sith, clone troopers, clone commander bly