"I'm sorry, commander. I told him everything."
Clone Commander Jesse, as seen in The Clone Wars, was released in the Star Wars Black Series in June 2023. He is an exclusive release, sold via Walmart in the US and available via the Fan Channel in the UK and other territories. While an exclusive, Jesse is still part of the Galaxy Series Clone Wars Collection and is number 12 in the series. Jesse is a plastic-free release and comes in the standard Phase 4 box with deep yellow accent colour and artwork assigned to The Clone Wars.
Jesse is based on his Clone Wars Season 7 appearance and utilises much of the ARC Trooper figure established in 2021 with Echo and used again in 2022 with the Phase 1 ARC Trooper and Umbra Trooper. The chest piece on Jesse appears different with the pouch on the opposite side to the previous figures. The body and armour are cast in white with black inserted segments around the joints. Grey trim is used on the pauldron, chest piece, gauntlets and leg armour and a grey line marking has also been included on the kama skirt section. The 501st markings are painted over the top of the armour with the arm and helmet striping done so that it looks scratched. Paint details are finished off with coloured indicators on the left wrist and some gun metal parts on the rear ARC trooper backpack.
The helmet carries the Republic symbol, as sported by Jesse on screen, and also includes the range finder which will swing down over the visor. Like most modern Clones the helmet is removable but the fit is a bit tight so beware of paint rub on the head. The head looks new with a bald iteration of the Temuera Morrison Clone likeness we are all familiar with. The photo's real decor adds the usual level of realism, and in Jesse’s case also applies the symbol of the Republic tattoo offset over his left eye and temple.
The figure uses the newer Clone Trooper body that boasts 21 points of articulation while executing the joints less visibly within the overall sculpt and also negating the need to paint the joints which has led to messy paintwork in the past on the original Clone Trooper releases. Jesse is fully mobile within the confines of his armour, kama and pauldrons and exhibits a full range of upper body and arm articulation. The legs remain more restricted with the shape of the thigh armour and the kama severely limiting movement to some wider stances only. Jesse comes with a pair of DC-17 blaster pistols which can be stowed in the working holsters or held in each hand. Hasbro are still sending out dual blaster-wielding clones with only the right hand having a trigger finger, so once again Jesse suffers from an awkward grip on the left hand. The blasters themselves are unpainted with limited detail. There are no other weapons included which is disappointing considering the RRP of Jesse and what we have got previously with other ARC Trooper figures - although Jesse is consistent in terms of content with the Umbra Operative.
Jesse is another great addition to the 501st and Clone Trooper collections and is executed to a high standard with good paintwork, likeness to actor Temeura Morrison, and articulation even though the latter is somewhat restricted in the leg posing. The accessories are disappointing in terms of their finish and the lack of anything other than the small pair of blasters - and again the issue with the left-hand grip has not been addressed. Jesse is certainly not hanging around as he comes into stock with several stockists already out of stock - one to act on now, otherwise secondary market prices are likely to jump unless Hasbro has more stock on the way.
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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...