Review: Star Wars Black Series Clone Troopers Dogma and Hardcase, The Clone Wars
"All platoons are reported in, General."
"Live to fight another day, boys. Live to fight another day..."
Clone Troopers are a staple of the Star Wars Black Series and have been since the 2014 release of the Phase 1 Trooper. Considering the vast array of Clone Trooper characters and Batallions, Hasbro has plenty to work with in creating and releasing either single characters or multi-figure packs to bolster the Grand Army of the Republic. The latest addition to that is a new 2-pack featuring Clone Troopers Dogma and Hardcase from the 501st. The set is an Exclusive, sold by Walmart in the US and here in the UK available through the Fan Channel Retailers; it began shipping in late September 2026.
The set features Dogma, who featured in the four-part Battle of Umbara arc in Season 4 of The Clone Wars; he is joined by Hardcase, who similarly appeared in the Battle of Umbara arc but had been introduced in an early Season 2 episode, The Deserter. The set is packed in the usual two-pack proportions, with the black matt box highlighted with the deep yellow colouring assigned to the Galaxy Collection Clone Wars releases. This yellow is used on the character text and to confirm this as a Clone Wars release, then on the side art, which is a diagonally split image with Dogma at the top and Hardcase at the bottom. The set is not numbered and does not connect to any of the other Galaxy Collection figures to expand the wider montage.
The back of the box uses wider shots of the side art, one at each side, while the centre of the box is turned over to a combined piece of background text that talks about the characteristics of both Clones, with Dogma “rigid and fervently loyal” while describing Hardcase as showing “hyperactivity and enthusiasm”. The figures are accessed through the side panel and are set in the usual clear case, which then sits in the cardback tray. This tray is colour-coordinated with the Clone Wars highlight colour and includes an embedded image of the Umbara landscape.
Both figures are built on the latest Clone Trooper body, assembled as usual with gloss white cast armour parts that are then connected with the ribbed black joints that also reflect the Clone’s undersuit. This keeps the armour lines crisp and clean and negates the need for any overpainting of black on white or vice versa.
Dogma’s 501st markings are applied over the white armour in blue; the largest panel of this is an inverted triangle on the chest that wraps up and over the shoulders. Like many of Hasbro’s Clone releases, the paintwork is not clean and crisp, but instead reflects the Clones having hand-painted this themselves, leaving the edges slightly rough and chipped. However, only the chest features that hand-painted finish, with the lines on the arms and legs very clean and tidy.
The head sculpt for Dogma is the bald-headed Temuera Morrison likeness as first used on ARC Trooper Jesse from 2023. As Dogma did have very short, cropped hair, this is applied as black paint on Dogma’s head. It is possibly set too far back on the head and looks more like it is receding than an ultra-buzz cut. Dogma’s facial features are added using print application, and this includes the arrow-shaped tattoo that sits across his left eye and down his left cheek.
Hardcase follows the same base principles of construction as Dogma, with white armour and a black undersuit/joints. His armour, while still featuring the blue of the 501st, is more subtle and delicate in its design. It is all focused around the chest piece, with a lined design surrounding the main chest panel, and then a similar lined design considering round the sides with curving lines and an inset dot.
On the back, the box around the backplate is also lined in blue. The only other blue on Hardcase is on the belt, with two of the larger front pouches painted entirely in blue.
Hardcase uses the bald Clone head as well, and unlike Dogma, he is left entirely bald, as seen in his episodes, for his full-shaven head look. Over this, we have facial printing for the main features, and the blue Tattoo markings that Hardcase sports run from under his right eye, up and over his head, and then that takes a right-angle turn to go to the left of his head.
Both Clones come with removable helmets, both of which are tight-fitting and potentially prone to some paint rub over time. The helmets can also be used as accessories allowing either of our clones to hold them under their arm or in front of them ready to wear. This gives you a display option to show off both the headsculpt and the helmet.
Because of the design of the Phase II helmet, and an issue that has been present in nearly all the Phase II Clones that use a removable helmet, when worn, the helmet still has the chin of the Clone head visible between the twin filters. It becomes more notable if you have the figure posed with the head tilting back.
The helmet for Dogma is a standard Phase II helmet cast in white and then painted with black on the visor, grey and black on the breathing vents, and then grey around the side vents and as a panel back from the visor around the rear of the helmet. The 501st blue is added as another V-shape down over the face and coming to the point at the base near the dual filters. Like the chest, the application of this blue is executed as though hand-painted with imperfect edges. The final decor is Dogma’s inverted red triangle on his forehead.
Hardcase’s helmet is white with the same base colouring as Dogma around the visor and the vents. The 501st markings here in blue are also complex, like the chest piece, with a blue trim around the visor and nose piece, three lines projecting back from the forehead, and another three lines sitting under each side of the visor. There is even more blue around the back, as the recessed trim is coloured blue, and this then extends down either side of the communication pods.
Dogma can choose from either of the core Clone Trooper weapons, with both the DC-15S blaster carbine and the longer DC-15A blaster rifle included in the pack. Both weapons use the latest cast, with crisp detailing but zero paint apps across the dark grey base plastic. They can fit into either hand, with a trigger finger now included on both right and left hands, with plenty of articulation range for two-handed posing.
Hardcase can, of course, also use the same blasters as Dogma, but as per his role for Heavy Weapons, he is packed with the newer Z-6 Rotary Cannon that was recently introduced with the Commander Thorn figure. It is cast in a silver/grey finish, with the central vented section in black. Behind this is a brown/gold power core, and ahead of it is a similarly coloured central barrel set within the rails of the outer casing.
When you look at the Umbara episodes, the colouring on the Z-6 is perhaps too light, although of Umbara is a twilight world which may show the weapon as darker than it is. Still, I’d have preferred to see this Z-6 release be a darker gunmetal grey like the other DC blasters in the set.
The gun is held with a rear trigger grip that fits into one of Hardcase’s hands - right if you are being screen accurate. The other hand comes across to a pivoting grip a third of the way down from the rear handle. The second hand grips this reasonably well but is dependent on the pose because, as you extend the pose out to a firing position, it is turning the supporting hand away from the angle of the handle, and eventually it causes either the hand to pop off or the grip to come out of its brackets.
Like Thorn, there is sufficient movement in Hardcase to get into firing positions, but they are not as extensive as you might get with a smaller weapon. The Z-6 can also be hoisted up over Hardcase’s shoulder when not in battle as he carries it around.
With both Clones essentially the same base figure, articulation is identical at 21 points in total. All of the joints are pinless and all feature a good range of movement to support a whole variety of display options, from weapon firing, to running into battle, to standing to attention. The arms in particular work really well thanks to the butterfly shoulders in particular, but also thanks to the flexible hinge on the shoulder pauldrons, which move with the arm both up and down, but also in terms of any rotation.
The same is applicable at the knees, where the armour panel is now left floating so it can be moved with and positioned naturally against the joint rather than being fixed and sticking out at odd angles when the knee is bent. The legs can extend to allow kneeling and sitting positions as well as a variety of open and dynamic posing. The feet are ratcheted securely, and once planted, the Trooper stands securely on display.
The Dogma & Hardcase Clone Wars 2-Pack leans into a demand in the Black Series presently for Prequel-era and particularly Clone Wars releases, more so than even the Original Trilogy figures. Usually, our 2-packs come out between £45 and £50 - the equivalent of two single releases - but this one has seen a significant price hike to £60.99 (£31.50 per figure) on Hasbro Pulse, and even the Fan Channel retailers are having to charge circa £57 (£28.50 each). Yet the set is selling out like mad, which gives Hasbro justification for the price tag even when other two-packs like the Clones of the Republic Sets are being sold at much less.
Both Clones are executed really well on a well-established Clone Trooper body and with accurate markings as seen in the Umbara episodes. The unmasked head likenesses are good, although Dogma’s hair is perhaps set too far back and does give him an older look when he is meant to be quite a youthful Clone in the wider context of the Clone Army. The beauty of this set, and any 501st releases, is the further expansion of the Battalion and how great a group of them do look on display.
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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...
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