Clone Trooper (Phase II Armor) - SW [TPM 3D] - The Clone Wars (CW2)

The weapons and armor of the clone troopers evolve as the Clone Wars continue. As battle conditions change, the troopers' armor and equipment is updated, including new helmets with more advanced communication and survival technology, and new weapons like missile-equipped jetpacks.

The look of The Clone Wars changed halfway through Season 3. Many of the characters we’ve watched for the first few seasons in the television show began to morph to their appearances to more like how they looked in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith. Hasbro picked up on it almost immediately and released 2011’s TCW [SOTDS] Anakin Skywalker (CW45) and 2011’s TCW [SOTDS] Obi-Wan Kenobi (CW40). These first two action figures upgraded the characters from their original outfits into the new look. When the line changed in 2012 to celebrate The Phantom Menace 3D, one of the very first figures to be tackled was the Clone Trooper (Phase II Armor) figure (in addition to a redo of Anakin Skywalker). Obviously we all have more phase I clones from The Clone Wars line than we can probably count in our collections already. And now it’s time to get a new inordinate amount of the very cool phase II clone troopers to stock our collections to increase the Grand Army Of The Republic there. The Clone Trooper (Phase II Armor) action figure is executed beautifully. It isn’t perfect and needs a bit more articulation, but aesthetically it’s a brilliant success from head to toe. The silhouette of the action figure just simply looks incredible and is the closest clone trooper body yet to what is seen in the television show. And it may change the way we receive our clone troopers in the basic figure line going forward.

Clone Trooper (Phase II Armor) has been designed with thin arms and legs and a proportionate torso. His chest doesn’t look overly barreled-shaped, but we like recent clone troopers, the waist has a swivel joint. This isn’t a great move on Hasbro’s part. It definitely limits how you can pose the figure. The head sculpt is the perfect size and not too big for his head. (But that’s probably because there is no removable helmet here.) The shape and size of the head sculpt is excellent, but it looks a little unfinished. Interestingly, we believe there could be a running change down the line. Just like how 2010’s TVC Clone Trooper (VC15) figure was originally shipped with some missing paint applications, Clone Trooper (Phase II Armor) is also missing some of the details in the helmet and it looks too “white”. (It’s especially noticeable that the line above the visor is missing.) It could just be because this is how Hasbro deems animated phase II clone troopers look like, but an update to the deco would do a lot for this figure to make it look even better. After all, the phase II ARC Troopers from 2010’s TCW [SOTDS] ARC Troopers Battle Packs set were decorated to have the line above the visor, so this figure should as well. Obviously it’s an animated take on the plain white clone that Hasbro has released a billion times in the basic figure line, but Hasbro clearly approached the design of this figure with precision.

Clone Trooper (Phase II Armor) has a nice supply of accessories. In addition to the DC-15 blaster and DC-15 blaster rifle, the figure also comes with a removable jetpack with a missile plug and missile projectile that activates via an action feature. Obviously the more you army build for your collection, the more varied you can set up your battalions. Unfortunately, a jetpack that plugs into the figure means that the figure has a big gaping hole in its back. (And this figure does sadly.) This is unsettling because Hasbro has already mastered how to attach backpacks/jetpacks to figure without a direct hole cut out of the back (utilizing harnesses or a jetpack attachment that goes over the square on the back). Maybe this is something they can revisit down the road. There are other aesthetically pleasing options Hasbro had without resorting to drilling holes into the actual figure to make the jetpacks/backpacks functional. At the same rate, there is indeed a lot to play with here and Hasbro has mastered how many accessories to include based on the type of character the action figure is. Clone Trooper (Phase II Armor) comes with the perfect amount. We love this figure, but it seems that hasbro should have started off with a phase II clone that had a more exciting pattern or color on it, like the many members of the 501st Legion. We’re waiting Hasbro. Please don’t disappoint us.