“This was where I fit, where I was needed.”
Clone Trooper - and later ARC Trooper - Echo was seen across much of The Clone Wars animated series with his journey from ‘Shiny’ to ARC Trooper and leader documented across the wider series. His apparent death on the Rishi Moon was then revisited in Season 7 and at the same time that Clone Force 99 (The Bad Batch) was introduced. Echo would go on to join that team and become a regular during the Bad Batch series. Echo from The Bad Batch (Season 1) was released in the Star Wars Black Series, arriving in 2022 as part of the Galaxy Collection 7. The wave was split between The Bad Batch and The Mandalorian with Omega also making her Black Series debut in the wave. Echo arrives in the standard Black Series packaging and is aligned in the deep red colouring assigned to The Bad Batch. Echo is number 11 in the series following on from Echo and before the Amazon Exclusive Cad Bane.
When Echo joined Clone Force 99 he was kitted out in a version of the ARC Trooper armour he wore before his capture at The Citadel. The figure therefore replicates this and similarly borrows elements from previous Clone Trooper figures as well as adding in new elements. The legs on Echo are from the newer Clone Trooper body but with new knee segments sitting over the joint. While the Kama skirt looks similar to that used on other ARC Troopers it is a new, or reworked piece with the pouches and belt sculpted onto the skirt and only a single holster on the left-hand side.
The entire upper body appears to be new although the shoulder pauldrons may be re-used as is the left hand hand. Like any of the newer Clones, the body is made up of a black ‘undersuit’ which makes up much of the joints overlaid with armour - a grey colour in this instance for Clone Force 99. The Kama skirt is also coloured black with it, and the armour features a deep red trim in places. Echo also bears the scars of battle with scratches and pot marks on the chest armour in particular and he displays the Clone Force 99 skull symbol as a decal application on the left side of his chest armour. The right arm is the prosthetic piece we see in the series ending in a terminal connection. This is a lighter grey than the rest of the armour with more red highlights.
The head is new but likely originates with the Temura Morrison headcast at some point. It is a paler skin tone as seen in the show with Echo after his ordeal with the Separatists. There are metal implants around the skull and the black cybernetic implant covering his ears and the rear of the head. Facial printing details the eyes and mouth and gives Echo a live-action look, an approach taken for all animated characters made into Black Series figures. The look is finished off with Echo’s backpack - the same as used on Tech but in a darker grey to match Echo’s armour and with gold and red details. Despite sounding hollow the piece does not open or have any functionality and the two aerial pieces are fixed although they are flexible enough to be durable when handling or posing Echo. The backpack connects with a single plug socket connection and while this looks small, the fit is secure.
Echo’s helmet is new and shaped to slot into his cybernetic head implants. This is achieved with a full face plate and top section but with the rear of the helmet being split with the lower segment being two individual ‘straps’ that connect together by way of a peg. The helmet is grey in colour with a light grey base colour and darker grey trim. Black is used on the visor and a Clone Force 99 deal is added to the forehead section. The helmet is a bit trickier to engage than usual due to the shaping, and you need to come at it from the upper front and not directly overhead. Once installed over and around the head, you can connect the rear straps to hold it in place.
Echo has a single blaster for use with his left hand and left holster, yet despite this Hasbro has failed to give him a gripping trigger hand and therefore the grip on the blaster is awkward and insecure. The blaster itself is the usual DC-17 in black plastic and assuming you don’t want to have it in hand it can be holstered in the sole working holster.
Echo also comes with an extension piece to his right arm reflecting a piece of concept art for another cybernetic enhancement that was never translated to the series. It is silver in colour with a quad claw end piece that is not articulated. It is shaped to sit over the existing right forearm and act as an extension.
The Bad Batch Echo (Season 1) is possibly the best-executed Bad Batch figure to date in terms of both his armour and overall likeness. While the original Hunter and Crosshair in particular had some proportional issues, Echo looks great both in design and proportions with a strong paint job and a good level of damage - if not weathering - added to parts of the armour. The helmet is a difficult design to replicate, but Hasbro’s solution is elegant and works well - it is just a pity then they cut corners with the left blaster hand which is the main disappointment of the release. The claw inclusion I understand considering the figure will have started out based on concept art and it is a concept that fits with Echo’s enhancements and is removable if you don’t want to display it. A strong finish to our Season 1 lineup.
Keep Track of all the Star Wars Black Series figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive
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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...