The second wave of the new Galaxy Collection Black Series packaging arrived in Autumn 2020 and was predominantly made up of figures that had been released in the two months prior as contents within exclusive sets, or as tweaked exclusive versions. Within the 8 figure wave however, were two new troopers who were utilising newly designed and better articulated bodies. In this review we look at one of these, the Phase 1 Clone Trooper from Attack of the Clones.
The Phase 1 Clone Trooper is the 2nd figure in the Attack of the Clones series, following on from the exclusive Clone Lieutenant from the Summer who was released using the older Clone Trooper body. The highlight colour for Attack of the Clones is a deep red and this is used on the character name and above it in a bold bar that carries confirmation of the source material as AOTC.
The colour design is incorporated into the side panel art work that is set at an angle to the box, These art pieces combine to make up a larger montage with the figures either side The Clone Trooper art shows the Phase 1 Trooper advancing into battle with a Republic Gunship in the background art along with the spires of what looks like Geonosis behind it. There is no clue in the art as to what figure may come as #03 in the series.
The artwork is repeated on the back with a short piece of background text alongside it. It is disappointing to see this text is a repeat of the text that came on the back of the Kamino Security Clone Trooper and I would have liked to have seen some variance and perhaps how these troopers link directly to Attack of the Clones and the battle on Geonosis.
"The Republic Clone Troopers represented the future of galactic warfare. So symbolic were they of the times, the galaxy-wide conflict that saw their debut took its name from their ranks: The Clone Wars"
The figure tray slides out of top or bottom flap as a complete unit with window of the box part of the innards to help with recycling. The figure sits in the standard clear tray and the cardboard backing wraps round this and provides the card back when the figure is in the box, Each Galaxy Collection figure uses a light grey card back and that does lead to the Clone Trooper getting a little lost in the box.
3.5
This is a full new body and head for the Clone Troopers who were first released in 2014 during the first phase of Black Series figures. This new body improves on the proportions vs these earlier figures with a more accurate helmet sculpt and size and by adjusting the legs and associated articulation so they stand less lob sided.
Each armour panel is essentially cast as an individual piece and that helps the overall look of the figure as well as resolves the older paint issues where white could never quite cover black cast plastic and knee pads and elbow pads looked off. The white used on the new Clone Trooper is bright and clean and with zero paint apps that I can see on the body to go wrong.
The helmet is actually sat on a sculpted head underneath. This is a new process from Hasbro which has led to other Clone figures using this body having some warping where the head and helmet are glued together. My review figure was thankfully fine. The helmet will not come off easily being glued and the head underneath is unpainted. The question for me is that if this is easier for Hasbro, why not go the whole hog and give us an unmasked Temura Morrison painted head underneath for some variety in our Clones for display?
4.0
Like most Clone Troopers that have preceeded this release, our Phase 1 Trooper is armed witht the two standard Clone Trooper blasters.
The DC-15S blaster is cast in black plastic with zero additional paint apps. It sits into the right hand of the trooper where a flexible trigger finger can be deployed into the trigger. Thanks to the articulation, two handed posing is easily achieved.
The DC-15Swas a new piece in the Kamino set and the same new gun is used here. It is slightly smaller than the original 2014 version with some minor sculptural changes.
The DC-15A blaster rifle is similarly cast in black plastic with no paint apps and can also fit well into the right hand with trigger finger. It too is the new weapon from the Kamino Trooper and also presents slightly smaller than the original 2014 rifle and with some more notable sculpted changes on the barrel.
3.5
One of the main reasons for a redesign of the Clone body was to improve the articulation. The older figures suffered from blocked elbow joints - even though they had a double joint - and some clunky movement around the legs.
The new Clone Trooper has an articulation count of 18 points of articulation with the new butterfly joint added at the shoulders to aid in posing.
Head : ball joint neck
Body : ball joint torso
Arms : butterfly shoulder, ball joint shoulder, single rotating elbow, wrist pivot
Leg ; ball joint hips, thigh swivel, single rotating knee, ankle rockers
The head is the first improvement on the previous release, sitting higher on the neck and open to a wider range of motion. The arms too are now no longer restricted at the elbows - so even though it is now a single joint, it is much more responsive and can bend much further. The elbow pads are no longer fixed on the joint and are executed as soft plastic that moves over the joint rather than blocking against it.
The legs now have a full range of motion with the hips opened up and a knee joint that can bend fully, albeit on a single joint. The knee pad, like the elbow, is soft plastic and floats over the joint and does not impede it. The ankle rockers are secure and tight and the figure will stand pretty well in most poses where both feet can be planted - you do have to learn to use the knee rotation to help keep the feet secure which is a little odd but this ultimately works and looks better than over turning the thigh swivel that then turns the thigh armour too far out.
4.5
The refreshing of the Clone Trooper body has been a good move by Hasbro, opening up options for many more Clones in the coming waves and with articulation to match the latest developments of the line. The release of the Phase 1 Trooper is fine and really for me it should have opened up the Attack of the Clones series - putting that older Lieutenant further down the line and with the revised body.
Everything on the Trooper works fine, the new joints are great and the weapons are as we see in the film - minus perhaps a bit of a wash to give some metallic detailing to the barrels and grips.
The new helmet format seems unnecessary in terms of having a full sculpted head underneath and I would have loved to see Hasbro go a step further and have this painted and the helmet removable. As it stands the gluing of the helmet in place is causing issues with warping and while I was lucky with my figure, I've seen some terrible ones online.
I am firmly onside now with the Galaxy Collection boxes - even though I am a loose collector, so the point is quite moot. The deep red for the AOTC set is bold and colourful and I just wish they had used the same colour or a similar shade for the card back. I also wish they'd add some more specific detail in the character text - not just recycle the same thing from a previous release.
These Clone Troopers, along with the standard Storm Troopers, are always going to be needed in the line for both army builders and new collectors coming in. I think going forward a solution like the Marvel Legends Army Builders may be the way to go, or to ensure any repacked figures in waves are army builders like this figure.
I score the Phase 1 Clone Trooper a total of 3.5 overall.
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...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, star wars, black series, hasbro, attack of the clones, clone troopers, kamino, clone wars