MagnaGuard Fighter - TCW [R] - Vehicles

IG-series 100 MagnaGuards – the droid bodyguards for General Grievous – fly specialized fighters as part of their protetcive duties for the cyborg general. The agile fighters respond to the demands of their droid pilots and are armed with missiles to repel attacks from Republic forces.

If Hasbro named the MagnaGuard Fighter by its original name, probably most of us wouldn’t be able to identify it with what was seen in The Clone Wars. So Hasbro played it safer and renamed the Rogue-class Porax-38 (P-38) starfighter to a much easier name. Clearly, simpler is better here. A very sleek and sexy ride, the MagnaGuard Fighter is a fine design. And this thing is fast. When the vehicle was originally crafted, designers copied its look and name from the classic World War II P-38 Lightning vehicle. The MagnaGuard Fighter should have been called P-38 Greased Lightning then. Capable of speeds of 61,000 km/h, this is one vehicle not to race against. While most vehicles of this size aren’t loaded with bells and whistles, the MagnaGuard Fighter does have some cool features. For example, on each wing are opening hatches which can be used to hold the MagnaGuard's vibrolances. What's more, both the realistic and animated styles can fit inside of the vehicle's cockpit which is awesome in and of itself. While for us the Magna Guard Fighter feels like an odd choice for the Mid Size Vehicle assortment lineup, these droids are popular with fans of The Clone Wars television show.

Originally released during the tail end of The Clone Wars [Blue] toy line, it has been carried forward into The Clone Wars [Red] line now for additional availability. At first glance, the shape of the MagnaGuard Fighter is reminiscent of General Grievous’ Fighter. Of course there are many, many differences, but we see some striking similarities. Its two chunky side wings and wide canopy are particularly responsible for this resemblance. The vehicle has been cast in a metallic purple and has the Kaleesh logo emblazoned on its wings. It looks very sharp and it is one of the coolest vehicle we have seen that isn’t from the Original Trilogy. We also find it interesting that these expendable droids get their own ride. But if you think about it, it is eerie for a droid who brandishes a weapon that is capable of blocking a lightsaber blade to have such a potent and fast vehicle like the Porax-38. What you may or may not know, this ia a vehicle that is based on the films. First seen in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith, the vehicle only makes repeat appearances in The Clone Wars television series. As a result, it makes it a bit awkward and confusing that it has been first released in The Clone Wars packaging and line looks. But the good news is that the MagnaGuard Fighter also works with the General Grievous’ Bodyguard figures that were released in the Revenge Of The Sith line.

The cockpit is simple but well designed. There are a lot of red details inside and has the ability to house a pilot quite well. Other than that, there is not many other groundbreaking things about this vehicle. We would like to see this vehicle released in the movie based line look. The Clone Wars is getting a bit too much attention and many vehicles based from the films are being released as The Clone Wars items. For collectors who are skipping the animated line in full, they will likely be passing over many vehicles that are movie based simply due to the packaging. Packaging has a lot to do with sales. Look at the The Legacy Collection line. It was one of the weakest line looks we have ever seen as collectors and many figures would have clearly sold much better were they released in more enticing packaging. But as time moves forward, the line look continues to change. And we expect to see vehicles like the MagnaGuard Fighter released in new and more exciting packaging down the road. But, don’t let packaging allow you to miss out on a great vehicle. You may not like the prequel stuff, but there is no denying that this is a great vehicle. This vehicle is decorated after its appearance in The Clone Wars and we expect to see one decorated after Episode III very shortly.