Welcome to our review of the Star Wars Black Series 6 inch action figure of the Clone Trooper Sergeant as seen in Episode II Attack of the Clones. The Sergeant was released in 2014 under the blue line phase two packaging in the 6th wave overall of the Black Series.
Packaging 4/5
The blue line phase 2 packaging was in it's 2nd wave when the Clone Trooper Sergeant was released. The change had been needed to allow larger figures like Chewbacca to be released in the line and therefore the window was larger and went all the way to the top of the bo and wrapped over.
The circular insert remained top right with an illustration of a Clone Trooper Mk1 helmet. The figure still sits on a black card back, and we now have a blue line running through. The Star Wars Black series logo sits bottom left, next to the character name and number in blue - in this case the Clone Trooper Sergeant is number 7 in the blue line packaging.
The back of the box is pretty much the same as the original orange line with the Star Wars logo up top with the character name and number in blue underneath. We then have a short piece of text about the Clone Sergeant and an image from Attack of the Clones under this, converted to a grayscale image. The blue line then runs the full length of the box on the right.
"CLONE TROOPER SERGEANTS ARE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED AND TRAINED TO COMMAND CLONE TROOPER SQUADS IN THE GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC DURING THE CLONE WARS"
Paint & Sculpt 3/5
The sculpt is a complete re-use of the original Clone Trooper, released just a few months earlier. Therefore it has similar issues with the helmet appearing a touch too small/thin to fit a human head within. The helmet is cast in white plastic with the black visor painted over the top and then the green markings identifying the figure as a Sergeant placed over the top. The green and black are pretty neat, but there are a couple of issues where the green has bled into the black.
Similar paint issues exist down onto the body, in particular the same issue with the painting of the black of the neck which is a very uneven line. The painted knee and elbow panels also remain an issue and look a completely different shade to the rest of the armour, while also being messy and poorly applied.
The trooper has four green spots on his chest to identify his rank, and these are perfectly applied - but then across them is a line of green and a further smudge at the other side - these type of errors are consistent on a lot of the Sergeant releases.
The armour is also a dirtier white than the standard clone, making this figure stand out on display with a squad of standard troopers.
Articulation 3/5
The Clone Trooper body carries 18 points of articulation, two more than is usual for the Black Series. The head is sat on a ball joint allowing it to rotate and also lean forward so the front touches the Clone Troopers chest. The torso then has a ball joint built in around the stomach area which allows the upper body to rotate and gives some degree of leaning in and out of poses.
There has been no fix in the issues from the first release. The arms are ball jointed at the shoulder, but are massively restricted by the large shoulder panel which stops movement about half way up. The extra joints vs normal are located in the biceps where we have a swivel. This is because the elbows are then double jointed so the bicep gives the rotation. These double joints work brilliantly for handling the weapons, but without the ability to raise the arms at the shoulders a lot of the good work is undone. The arms end with pivot wrists which can bend and rotate.
The leg areas are less restricted by the armour and the ball joint hip can swing out and to the side and a semi-sitting pose is achievable. There is a swivel in the thigh just beneath the hip to rotate the legs in or out. Knees are double jointed and sadly remain very loose which is a shame as this can impact the ability for the Sergeant to stand well on display. We finish with ratched ankle rockers.
Accessories 3/5
Our Sergeant is armed with the same weaponry as the standard clone. We start with the DC-15S blaster. This is cast in black plastic and this time round we have a small paint app with a grey panel on the side of the blaster. The detail on the cast is crisp and you can see the various parts of the weapon and like the original release, a brush of gunmetal silver would have brought it out a treat.
The weapon sits in the Clone's right hand with a trigger finger slotting into place. He can also hold it in the left, but not as easily and there is no separate trigger finger to use on this other hand.
The other weapon is the corresponding DC-15A Blaster Rifle. This larger of the two weapons is also cast in back and again has received a bit of a paint upgrade on this release with the addition of a grey piece under the main barrel.
It is also designed to fit into the right hand of the clone with the trigger finger bent into the trigger. The left hand can, and will, cradle the barrel if that pose is preferred.
Summary
Coming so soon after the basic Clone Trooper release, this Sergeant figure felt rushed and that seemed to translate to the figure which had some substantial paint issues as well as concerns over the plastic used for the armour which was visibly different to the original Clone Trooper.
The green was predominantly neatly applied, and it was good to see some paint added to the weapons - although it did not go far enough.
Articulation remains an issue, as it will with this body until the shoulders are updated somehow, and therefore I score the Clone Trooper Sergeant the same as the basic Clone Trooper, a 3/5
