Review: Star Wars Black Series Commando Droid from The Clone Wars, Galaxy Collection Fan Channel Wave
- Mephitsu
- Mar 31
- 6 min read
"Those clankers have tough armor!"
The BX Series Commando Droid was established during The Clone Wars animated series, expanding the Seperatist Forces beyond the B1 and B2 Battle Droids we had seen as live action armies in the Sequel Trilogy. The BX has recently come back into the forefront of Star Trek fans minds through the Jedi: Survivor and Star Wars: Outlaws video games.
The BX Commando Droid is a Spring 2025 release into the Star Wars Black Series, part of the three-figure Fan Channel wave that also includes Prince Xizor and Clone Commander Bacara. The Droid is a Clone Wars release, utilising the deeper yellow colour scheme on the black base of the box. Our Commando Droid is number 18 in the Galaxy Collection for The Clone Wars, sitting between the last TCW release Pre Vizsla from 2023 and the newly arrived Savage Opress Deluxe figure
The artwork, used on the side as a connective piece to the wider TCW montage, and on the rear of the box shows a BX droid in battle in a corridor of sorts, with the corridor backdrop also incorporated into the colour coded backing card for the figure. The accompanying text on the reverse of the box simply positions these droids in terms of their attributes and their role on the battlefield rather than a particular storyline or appearance.
While having obvious similarities with other droid units, most notably the Magna Guards, the BX figure is an entirely new build that both builds on the previous droids' engineering successes and enhances those elements that perhaps had not worked as well on the B1 Droid in particular, which always suffered from stability issues. The bulk of the Commando is cast in a brown tone, with inserted rusty orange panel inset to the shoulders, arms, and legs. This is reflective of the colour scheme we see in The Clone Wars animated scenes, but also on the more ‘real world’ established ND-5 model seen in the Star Wars: Outlaws video game. The proportions of the droid are slim and athletic and accurate to either medium with the Commando Droid having little transitional changes between animation and the video game - although we are as yet to see a live-action droid in the Star Wars saga.
Colour is kept to a minimum outside of the base brown and rusty orange inset joints and panels. Over this is a subtle but highly effective dry brushing of silver in selected areas. this gives the base colour a metallic look and also reflects some level of damage/paint wear where we might expect it around the feet in particular. The only other details included on the figure are a red indicator light on the chest and the split circle eyes on the head which are picked out in a bright white.
The BX comes with a socket on the rear of the torso which is the holstered position for the large Vibrosword melee weapon. In The Clone Wars these are usually depicted as a glowing energy weapon with a purple hue, so Hasbro has cast the piece in a slightly pearlescent purple plastic and then added no further decor or paint applications. The actual sculpt of the weapon is crisp and precise, but the lack of paint and the base colour choice does sit very out of place with the droid and with other weapons in the series. A preference would have been for a more metallic duller finish, with the purple paint work down the blade.
The Vibrosword has a plug on one side that slots into the Droid’s back for the holstered position and it holds in this socket pretty securely unless handled excessively. The grip will then fit in one or both of our Droid’s hands if you want to display you Droid wielding the weapon.
The other accessory is the BX Commando Droid’s E-5 Blaster Rifle, the weapon that originated with the original Battle Droids. This remains a strong and detailed sculpt, particularly considering the construction of the blaster with its long sights and complex barrel design. This one is cast in a dull gun-metal grey with no further colouring or weathering. It too sits in either hand with a trigger finger present on both the Droid’s hands to hold the blaster securely. There is no holstering option for this weapon, the extended plug on one side is for the B1 Battle Droid backpack and is redundant for use with the BX figure.
Articulation is impressive, and where Hasbro have certainly honed the engineering of these skeletal Droids to an extent where the Commando is just as agile and extensive in its movement as the acrobatic Droids we see on screen. By my count, there are 18 points of articulation, but each one is fully accessible, and they work in conjunction with each other to get the most out of posing the droid. The legs feature a strong ankle rocker as a base and then move and rotate around the knees and the hips for a selection of stances, including the option for kneeling and sitting positions.
The arms consist of a 90-degree elbow bend with wrist pivot and rotation and a large exposed ball joint shoulder that fits in with what we see on screen but also allows a full range of arm movement. The torso is impressive with three joints built into the thin, segmented waist, which combine to provide torso crunch and rotation of the upper body while never actually throwing off the flow of the exposed central section. And the head finishes the piece with the ability fo fully fold downward inot a deactivated mode, or to sit fully upright with rotation build in at the base of the neck and at the head joint.
While the B1 droid, and the Magna Guard to some degree, always struggled with stability issues, every joint on the BX Commando feels robust and secure, and it stands perfectly well on its own with more dynamic poses possible with the use of a stand accessory.
All in all, the BX Commando Droid is an impressive piece of design executed to a high standard with articulation that matches the requirements of the on-screen droid as an athletic and agile Droid capable of fighting at close quarters or with ranged weapons. The base colouring and subtle dry brushing give it a real-world look while also being honest to the animated origins. And the only real criticism has to be with the Vibrosword which just looks off in its overall colour choice vs. the rest of the figure and the Black Series as a whole.
We know the BX Commando Droid will go on for future re-use with a Jedi: Survivor version coming later this Spring/Summer. It is almost inevitable also that Hasbro reuses most of the figure for an ND-5 from Outlaws, and this figure itself is ripe for army-building, so let’s hope its Fan Channel exclusive status still allows a relatively good volume of supply for collectors that do want to expand their Separatist forces.
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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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