Assault On Ryloth - TCW [R] - Battle Packs (Exclusive)

Jedi generals and clone troopers battle the Separatists who have taken control of the planet Ryloth, homeworld of the Twi'leks. Mace Windu coordinates battle plans as he prepares to bring gunships onto the planet. Clone troopers Waxer and Boil, who are eager for combat, join Clone Commander Cody on a mission to free Twi'lek prisoners being used as shields to protect a deadly proton cannon.

The Clone Wars TARGET exclusive Battle Packs were similar in many ways to each other. Almost as if they had a theme, both sets included two new clone troopers never before available in addition to two repainted figures (one of which was a Jedi). A little bit more expensive than all previous Battle Packs to date, they provided collectors with enough new products in it to make it a worthwhile purchase. The Assault On Ryloth Battle Packs set was based on the touching episode Innocents Of Ryloth which included the 212th Attack Battalion battling the separatists on Ryloth to protect the vulnerable Twi’lek people. Man, is it just our opinion, or is the Twi’lek species the brunt of all oppression in the galaxy? Goodness, gracious. They seem to always be slaves, servants or the focus of an attack in battle. No Twi’leks are included in this Battle Packs set, but you do get a nice healthy dose of clone troopers to help defend them should the Twi’lek species enter the action figure line at another time. Just like the Ambush At Abregado four-pack, there are enough differences on the repainted figures to irritate you enough to consider them new enough figures. This doesn’t necessarily drive us nuts, because we buy one of everything, but the more casual collector may see this as one of Hasbro’s latest schemes.

Mace Windu is of course an excellent action figure. Besides having a lighter brown belt and darker boots (oh, and a pure white helmet and clone armor), not much else varies from the original Mace Windu (CW06) basic figure. His Jedi robes are the slightest bit lighter too, but the combination of all these changes make it obvious that this figure is different. As if Clone Commander Cody hasn’t seen enough releases in The Clone Wars line since 2008, he gets yet another paint job. But he is exactly the same as the 2008 TCW Clone Commander Cody (No. 10) figure. The orange color used for his armor has been significantly muted and the scar on his face has miraculously been wiped clean. (He must have has a great plastic surgeon.) The different orange color is also evident in his helmet too. Waxer is a complete kit-bashed figure made up of the head of Captain Rex (No. 4), the body of Clone Trooper Denal (CW20) and a belt that came right off of 2009's TCW Lieutenant Thire/Clone Trooper Rys (1 of 2) and subsequently release slightly repainted as 2009's TCW Clone Commander Thire (CW32) figure as well. He is probably out favorite figure of the lot. The bald head always looks great on the animated clone trooper style and his removable helmet fits over it perfectly. There are hash counting marks in red on his helmet which looks like he has been keeping score of his defeated enemies. Boil is also another kit-bashed figure. Hasbro decided to use the body of Matchstick (CW34), the head of Clone Commander Cody (No. 10) and the helmet of Commander Gree (CW09). Waxer comes with a DC-15 blaster and two DC-17 pistols. Boil is only outfitted with a DC-15 blaster rifle.

This is definitely a solid set and we like it a tad better than the Ambush At Abregado set for reasons unknown. It is clear that clones aren’t going anywhere anytime soon so we best prepare ourselves for even more Battle Packs and multipacks just like this. This set didn’t necessarily strike a strong chord in both kids and collectors. Whether it was perhaps the sensory overload of too much product in the fall of 2009 or just not enough “wow factor” in it, both TARGET exclusives were put on clearance for a song when all was said and done. It is certainly a lovely thing to get a $24.99 item for under $7, but it does make retailers more cautious so the risk of less exclusives coming our way increases dramatically as a result. Of course, Hasbro could always repack the exclusive figures as basic figures one day (which would be very unfortunate) because they only shoot themselves in the foot by conditioning collectors to “wait until it comes out in an easier and more feasible method.” Assault On Ryloth is a very episode-specific Battle Packs and both this set and Ambush On Abregado sported the brand new Battle Packs slim line packaging. (We really like the boxier packaging better.) Because the boxes are thinner, Hasbro will be packing them with less stuff which means less value for the collector. Sigh. We suppose that as long as Hasbro continues to make exciting and innovative sets like the Assault On Ryloth set, fans and collectors should have a lot more exciting things to look forward to adding into their collections.