Republic Attack Shuttle - TCW [SOTDS] - Vehicles

In space or on the ground, the Republic attack shuttle demolishes the droid army. In attack shuttle mode, this heavily armed vehicle pummels the enemy with laser cannon fire. It lands in the center of the battle and converts to an armored attack base with a recon fighter. Clone trooper forces operate the attack shuttle and armored base, using this powerful weapon to bring the battle right to the droid army!

Hasbro has been very consistent with bringing one all-new massively-sized or deluxe-sized vehicle into the 3.75” scaled line annually for collectors. For the 2011 year, collectors of The Clone Wars line have been treated to a stunning vehicle that fits more appropriately in the “deluxe” category. This vehicle/play-set comes with more modularity and play value than the average comparable previously released vehicle in this range. It may seem like the MSRP is high, but if there is any way we can assure you the vehicle is fairly priced. Keep in mind that 2010’s SW [SOTDS] Imperial AT-AT (All Terrain Armored Transport) was a miraculous steal in the realistic line. That one was a rarity so don’t expect a deal like that often. There is a lot to talk about with the Republic Attack Shuttle, so we’ll try our best to stick to the most important talking points. But rest assured that even if you don’t care about anything related to The Clone Wars, you’ll likely want to grab one of these babies for your collection. It is the perfect complement to any clone trooper related diorama you may have currently displayed in your home. And the flexibility and awesomeness this vehicle brings should only enhance what you already have in your collection. The Republic Attack Shuttle is technically a three in one play-set and on the packaging itself you’ll find the names of the things it alternately transforms into including the Armored Attack Base Mode and the Recon Fighter. The latter is simply just the detaching cockpit from main hull of the ship and then locking the landing gear in place to ensure it remains upright. But Hasbro has more importantly set a precedent with the Armored Attack Base Mode. This “battle station” like play-set should enthrall the younger audiences of The Clone Wars, but we bet more than a few collectors will also derive satisfaction from this feature as well.

The Republic Attack Shuttle is loaded with features. Between the electronics and the awesome design, this vehicle/play-set/deluxe set will keep kids and collectors alike very busy. It has a great paint job. There are subtle signs of battle-damage so realistic we thought our sample was scratched. (That’s great paint operations!) Once the wings are lowered (in landing mode), you can activate a switch that allows sentry guns to rapidly fly out from the hull of the ship and stand at attention ready for use. It’s a startling action feature, but it gets the job done expediently. Once the sentry guns are deployed (or even beforehand), there is a lever that sits right behind the detachable cockpit that allows the whole middle section of the ship to lift up and serves as some sort of multileveled crow’s nest for the clone troopers. Once this “crow’s nest” is lowered back down, the center has a hidden cannon that pulls out and fires a projectile. When you have the top of the ship lifted up in that so-called “crow’s nest” configuration, below the collector can find a cargo or medical bay of sorts. The area can hold a plethora of various clone troopers and what’s more is that there are electronics inside that light-up breathing an awesome aura of realism in this vehicle. There is a doorway right where the cockpit detaches and a folding ramp can be folded out as an entrance or exit way in and out of the vehicle. The Republic Attack Shuttle has brilliant design and so many fun features, you’ll need days to appreciate all that it contains. As an extra value-added play feature, the dorsal side of the wings (while in a landed position) has a door that lifts up and locks into place upright to help create the walls of the Armored Attack Base or command station (or whatever you want to call it). Once folded up, the Republic Attack Shuttle sits atop sturdy landing gear. It’s absolute perfection!

The third and final feature of the Republic Attack Shuttle is the detachable cockpit which Hasbro has named the Recon Fighter. If you love what Hasbro is doing with their Deluxe line (Mini-Rig, Class 1, or Rapid Strike assortments), you should adore this as well. This miniature vehicle is a lot of fun because it has all of the important parts of the vehicle and it’s much easier to lug around that the entire vehicle. The cockpit holds two action figures and two back “wings” and landing gear locks into place to prevent this reduced size vehicle from toppling over on its side. There are of course two front cannons on the head of the vehicle and you know how much kids love firing these things. And lastly there is a front ramp that folds down and this makes the Clone Pilot much easier to stick inside the cockpit. It’s play value all the way! And speaking of that Clone Pilot pack-in figure, Hasbro sort of reinvented the wheel here. Instead of including 2008’s TCW Clone Pilot Odd Ball (No. 11) figure, they cobbled together their own new “generic” Clone Pilot out of Clone Trooper Jesse from 2011’s TCW BARC Speeder Bike With Clone Trooper Jesse Deluxe figure and an all-new head. Interestingly, Hasbro didn’t dig into their parts catalogue and utilize the head of either 2008’s TCW Clone Pilot Odd Ball (No. 11) figure or 2010’s TCW Clone Pilot Goji (CW28) figure. The figure now has more accurate proportions, but it’s likely that some will be upset with the reduced articulation. For $79.99 you get a lot of good and fun product inside the box. The Republic Attack Shuttle may not have the popularity of some other vehicle in the Star Wars universe, but there is no denying that a great toy like this will create an all-new appreciation for it. We highly recommend the Republic Attack Shuttle for your collection. You’ll find its full of surprises. And if you just aren’t into The Clone Wars, well, we don’t know what to say at this point. The stories, characters and the vehicle are all excellent. You’re missing out!