Clone Commander Thire - TCW [R] - Basic (CW32)

Clone Commander Thire protects Yoda from attacking battle droids during a mission to the Toydarian system. Bred and trained for combat, Thire engages the enemy as a seasoned warrior. His mission is to get the Jedi Master to the rendezvous point, and he doesn't allow anything, even a droid army, to stop him.

Are you losing track of all the clone commander flavors bombarding us? We certainly are, but if push came to shove, we wouldn't have it any other way. Hasbro seems to be going nuts with The Clone Wars product and we are inclined to believe that they can barely keep track of what they are releasing to us just as much as we are trying to buy it all. But that's not a bad thing. The Clone Wars is rich in characters, particularly clones, and Hasbro is making some incredible action figures based on this property. Only days before this figure was discovered at retail, he was originally found in a Walmart exclusive two pack. (Editor’s Note: This original Walmart exclusive was also re-released in the same packaging as a Toys R Us exclusive in April 2010.) The two-pack is ultimately the better bargain (since you get two figures for under $13.00) but carded collectors will likely need/want to purchase both. We feel for you since you must have a headache by now with so many action figures seeing multiple releases. But we believe releasing Clone Commander Thire multiple ways the same time will only benefit collectors. He will be popular and having him available in multiple formats is a good thing. Clone Commander Thire fits beautifully into the basic figure line and takes part in the continuous variety and diversity that The Clone Wars brings. While you likely shouldn't expect him to bring anything new to the table as far as sculpting is concerned, the summation of his parts makes for an excellent action figure. He is simply decorated and comes armed with the same basic accessories (all of which we have seen before too) amd a few others for extra play value.

Clone Commander Thire actually made his first appearance in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith, but most of us wouldn't know this without being told or reading up on some alternate sources denoting such because he simply appeared as a standard Shock Trooper. As a commander who will become one of Palpatine's finest, Thire is a formidable force that will ensure the Galactic Empire is aptly defended. Of course this all began at the execution of Order 66. Because all the Shock Troopers in the film were identical and none had any special kamas or pauldrons denoting who they were, it's nice to see Thire unique in The Clone Wars line now. Clone Commander Thire was in charge of the elite Shock Troopers in Episode III. And he has a cool backstory in the Expanded Universe. Just as we have seen with Commander Gree (CW09) and Clone Commander Cody (No. 10) as well as Commander Bly (CW39), the phase I clone commander style appears quite different from we have seen in the films. That's what makes The Clone Wars so unique and why it's drawing such a strong audience. While there is a clear difference in armor and color flashes, the progression makes sense. Filoni did a good job as showing what these clones looked like right before Episode III. The same colors are used and some of the patterns and details have been copied over from one to the other. And while we are not trying to say that this version of Thire looks just like a Shock Trooper, there are enough similarities to make it very plausible. Thire certainly looks like a leader and it is a wee bit impressive that Hasbro has faithfully replicated his likeness so well using old parts.

Clone Commander Thire is kit-bashed figure. While this is not an ideal approach for an action figure for many collectors, it certainly is an acceptable plan of attack for this figure. And it helps contain costs when necessary. If all clones are nearly identical to one another, there is no reason why Hasbro cannot use the same parts over and over to bring us new clones. The ever expanding catalogue of action figure parts has been well utilized by Hasbro. And to be honest, we wouldn't expect or ask for it any other way. It makes sense for Hasbro to refer to older figures because for the most part modern action figures are made very well now. And with the super articulation they're adding to the figures nowadays, we hope they would utilize the best parts from their catalogue of parts. Although some may say Clone Commander Thire suffers from looking a little bit too much like both Commander Fox and Commander Ponds, there is really not too much to complain about as far as we're concerned. He utilizes parts from both Captain Rex (No. 4) (the body) and Clone Commander Cody (No. 10) (the head) and his helmet comes from Clone Trooper Echo (CW17). He is obviously a hodgepodge of parts from many figures, but at the same time makes him a new figure as far as we're concerned. While we aren't entirely sure what was meant to transpire here (the basic figure coming first or the two-pack coming first), this "chicken or the egg" riddle has provided us with two opportunities to pick up a great action figure. Clone Commander Thire is an excellent action figure, so don't be misled by his use of old parts. You can expect many future clone troopers and clone commanders to come from recycled parts, but the important thing to remember is that this has no bearing on just how fine these figures turn out.