The Star Wars Black Series figure of Wrecker was announced and put up for pre-order in the Spring of 2021 as The Bad Batch Season 1 aired on Disney+. He was designated as #05 in The Bad Batch series of the Galaxy Collection and should have followed on directly from the first releases of Hunter, Crosshair, the Elite Squad Trooper, and Tech who was announced at the same time. Due to the global situation in 2021 Wrecker and Tech were both substantially delayed, arriving at the end of December 2021 and therefore beaten to store shelves by other Bad Batch figures like the exclusive Shock Trooper & Admiral Rampart.
Wrecker, due to his size, is a Deluxe Black Series release. He arrives in the wider Deluxe packaging which retains the same depth and height as the standard releases allowing him and the side art to line up in a boxed display. The Bad Batch uses a deep red theme which is used on the character name and as a hue within the side art.
"The boisterous bruiser of the Bad Batch, Wrecker has brute strength that makes him capable of lifting a clone gunship without any help. His muscle and size are matched only by his temper... and an equally pronounced sense of humor"
Out of the box, Wrecker stands at around 6.5 inches tall and therefore not substantially taller than any of the other Bad Batch clones which is accurate. His deluxe status is apparently due to his bulk with a full new body and armor sculpted for the figure. In reality, he would have fit in a standard box, particularly as precedents have been set for bigger figures than Wrecker to be a single release.
The Bad Batch armour is executed well on Wrecker, and like Hunter and the others, it is made up of converted Clone Commando Armour panels. Wrecker has an enlarged chest section that goes up to a large collar around his head. The leg and arm armour are expanded and a knife holster is added to the right shin. The body as a whole is cast in the grey base colour, with darker black and red highlights added as well as some scratched detail on the shoulders and chest in silver colour. Further decor is added as decals on either shoulder pauldron with the Clone Force 99 symbol.
The head sculpt is also new and is executed as a 'real world' likeness to Wrecker rather than an animated look. This means it has a look of the base clone himself, Temuera Morrison, while also capturing the ethos of Wrecker and the battle scarring around his left eye. Photo Real application is used to give the remaining eye some added realism and shading is also applied around the mouth and nose. It is a pity that the photo tech could not make more of the scarring which is sculpted well but a little lost being painted the same base flesh colour as the rest of the head. Wrecker also usually has a five o'clock shadow, while the figure is executed clean-shaven.
Hasbro's Star Wars team have also made a decision to sculpt Wrecker with a smirking expression which may not be to everyone's liking but is characteristic of some of his mannerisms on the show.
Like all the Bad Batch characters to date, Wrecker comes with a backpack that connects to the back of the figure via a shaped socket and peg. The backpack is coloured in a similar grey to the armour with added red and blue details. It does not open, nor does it have any connectivity with Wrecker's weaponry to allow it to be stowed away.
A removable helmet is also included, produced in softer plastic to fit comfortably over the sculpted head without looking oversized or out of place. It is cast in black with white painted detail in a rough design to mimic the hand painting Wrecker will have done on the show with the skull design of his helmet. Some final red paint is added for the Clone Force 99 numbering on the forehead. I do like the way the helmet has been designed so it can sit just on the top of Wrecker's head, something he does a lot in the show.
Wrecker is armed with a combat knife, a longer version of the knife included with Hunter. It is cast in grey plastic with silver added to the blade. The cast of the weapon is crisp with clear serrated edges on one side, and grips on the handle. Wrecker can hold the knife in his right hand, but the left is far too tight and solid to allow the grip to be opened to pose him with the knife in the alternative hand. When not in use it slips comfortably into the sheath on the right leg.
We then also get a DC-17m Clone Commando blaster, the same one as included with Hunter. This is the weapon Wrecker uses in the show but does look undersized in his hands. As a rifle, it's designed for two-hand use in the main but what we get is more like a hand blaster. It was too small for Hunter and is more noticeable as being undersized when Wrecker is holding it. The DC-17m is cast in a metallic grey with no further paint apps. The weapon fits into the right hand with a trigger finger that slots into place - as mentioned above, it has no holster options or slung position built into the backpack.
Considering this is a Deluxe Release, the figure is arguably missing another couple of accessories to justify the increased price point. One big miss is the lack of any alternative hands. When we look at Wrecker on screen he is often fighting hand to hand and even his iconic look before battle see's him bash his fists together. Including a pair of clenched fists as alternative hands would have been a good call.
Wrecker has 19 points of articulation in total and this includes the dual jointed neck for added head articulation without a noticeable joint in the neck section, and the butterfly shoulders. Considering his size, Wrecker poses well enough although the single joint knees won't have Wrecker kneeling, and the elbows do restrict a bit of arm movement - although as we said a two-handed weapon pose would need a larger two-handed weapon.
There is some good engineering around the knee armour that hides the joint well, and the flexible shoulder pauldrons will move with the arm - but can become misshapen if the arms extend too far.
In summing up I do have to ask myself if I am getting value for money with Wrecker considering we have to pay £10 more for a Deluxe release. Wrecker in reality is not too much bigger in hand than other general figures, and has no better paint job than Hunter or Tech? The included weaponry is good but the blaster is definitely undersized. The release really needed some more 'added value' like a pair of clenched fists so Wrecker can go out and punch people.
Wrecker now completes the original foursome of The Bad Batch as seen in their Clone Wars debut and in the first couple of episodes of The Bad Batch. The group does look good lined up together with Wrecker scaled well with the others - fitting well into a Black Series general collection or within a more focused setup from either The Clone Wars or the fledgling Bad Batch series.
"Oh seriously? I get to blow it up, the whole stinking thing"
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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...