Mace Windu - TCW [SOTDS] - Basic (CW20)

Mace Windu runs into trouble from Boba Fett during a rescue mission. Mace arrives on Vanqor searching for the survivors of a crashed Jedi cruiser. He finds Jango Fett's helmet rigged with explosives: a treacherous reminder from Jango's son that young Boba has a score to settle with the Jedi.

Oh boy are collectors of The Clone Wars line going to be happy with the latest Mace Windu figure. In 2009, during the Season 2 phase of the, Hasbro released the very first 2009 TCW [S2] Mace Windu (CW06) action figure and it was actually pretty cool. But the figure unfortunately concentrated more on gimmicks like removable armor pieces and action features than a good design and super-articulation. It still sold like mad and it didn't seem to bother the kids much that he essentially was a statue from the waist down. But it certainly bothered collectors! Hasbro went back to the drawing board for the 2010 version and created a remarkable action figure. This is the type of action figure we all wish could be guaranteed to us going forward. (But it isn't practical that every release in the basic action figure line gets this kind of treatment.) However, wherever Hasbro can bring a figure of this caliber into the line, we will be happy take it with grand eagerness. Hasbro not only gave Mace Windu a soft-goods skirt and 14 points of articulation, but they also included ball-jointed hips. This is a feature that he has sorely needed for quite some time now after seeing him in action for two complete seasons in the television show. But we'll get into the nitty gritty details of Mace Windu in a moment. What we need to bring to your attention is that Hasbro has definitely changed their approach for The Clone Wars line. No longer does it seem that little to no articulation below the belt on the figures are no longer acceptable for them. And this of course is fantastic news for collectors. But to expect Hasbro to go with ball-joints in the hips for a kid-focused line is something that completely surprises us. And what a gift it is. Mace Windu will not need another revisit by Hasbro as they have perfected him once and for all and if this is what we can expect from the new action figures in the third phase of the line look, then good things are about to happen for all of us.

With the likes of 2010's TCW [SOTDS] Pre Viszla (CW08), 2009's TCW [S2] ARF Trooper (CW10) figure and now Mace Windu, the inclusion of ball-jointed hips are becoming frequent enough in the line which will soon spoil us to the point to that they may be an absolute necessity based on our whining alone. Hasbro better watch it! They might create monster collectors! But back to Mace Windu, he is an incredible action figure from heat to toe. The silly clone trooper helmet and removable clone armor pieces have bee eliminated from this release and instead Hasbro has included an episode specific battle-damaged Jango Fett helmet that splits in half and houses an explosive device. This accessory is a very cool (check out a great shot of it in our photo gallery) and is a nice change of pace from the attachable armor pieces we received with the 2009 figure. Mace also comes with his signature purple lightsaber. As stated earlier, he comes with 24 points of articulation and is a mixed media figure that includes a soft-goods skirt that allows him to be posed in multiple ways with minimal restrictions. Any angle, and stance or any pose can be achieved with this action figure. His head sculpt looks phenomenal and the rest of his body parts are in perfect proportion with each other. Mace still comes with the gauntlets on his forearms and they have those Jedi Temple specific designs on them in red. All in all, everything looks perfect. Hasbro included ball-jointed ankles on this figure and because his boots are so boxy in the animated series, the final effect looks a little wonky but still is nice to have. Mace Windu is a stellar piece of action figure goodness and we suspect that he will be popular even with those that aren’t necessarily into The Clone Wars series.

We couldn’t be more delighted that Hasbro has upped the quality of the action figures in The Clone Wars line. Each year they all seem to get made better and include more articulation. And Hasbro has been able to maintain a favorable balance of the greatest hits figures mixed with a nice selection of all-new figures. While we have been getting repacks, it's clearly something necessary for Hasbro to do so that they can work diligently to give us phenomenal action figure like the new Mace Windu figure. We aren't entirely sure how you feel about the "Shadow Of The Dark Side" line so far, but we are thoroughly impressed with the figures that have been all new. Hasbro has reinvigorated the line and we just cannot wait to see what else will be coming soon to us. Your old 2009 Mace Windu is sadly rendered useless now thanks to this figure. But this is also a great thing too. Just like Hasbro has updated General Grievous with 2010's TCW [SOTDS] General Grievous (CW10) figure and Kit Fisto with 2010's TCW [SOTDS] Kit Fisto (CW23) figure in The Clone Wars line. These upgrades are inevitable (and necessary) to keep the line fresh and new. And it proves that Hasbro is conscious of fans demanding higher expectations for their action figures. It's all part of the circle of life for the action figure line. We get a figure, Hasbro repacks it a few times, then they retire it and gives us an all-new and much improved version. This is the way it will be. And it is honestly fine with us. Mace Windu is a testament of excellence and he also proves that Hasbro does respect collectors and hear our pleas. It is encouraging that Hasbro is listening and delivering incredible product as a result. We realize the need to keep core characters in the line but it is even better when they are completely revisited. Mace Windu is an awesome example of this. Definitely pick him up!