Clone Commandos - LC - Evolutions (Exclusive)

Elite commandos conduct fierce battles and covert operations from the earliest days of the Clone Wars to the final days of the Galactic Empire. The lethally effective Alpha (Alpha-17) accompanies Jedi generals on missions and trains clone troopers on Kamino. Fi Skirata (RC-8015) serves as a team medic in Teroch Squad and Omega Squad, easing tensions with his sense of humor. Storm commandos receive special training to fight the Rebel Alliance; also called shadow scouts, they wear dark armor that deflects light and energy.

The opinions of collectors on the Evolutions sets are varied and numerous but for the most part seem to be very positive. Unfortunately despite the positive feedback we hear, it doesn't seem to translate into strong sales. We tend to be big fans of them, but think Hasbro took a wrong turn when they started making essentially repaints of previously released sets (Rebel Pilot Legacy, Rebel Pilot Legacy II and Rebel Pilot Legacy III as well as Imperial Pilot Legacy I and Imperial Pilot Legacy II) or poor figure construction/design that is deemed as premium quality (The Padmé Amidala Legacy set). It soon seemed like Hasbro began desperately grasping for ideas on what they could include in the Evolutions line without considering the historical quality of the catalogue of figures the line once contained. But without being too critical, we have come to adore [all] the sets even if they haven't met the stringent fineness of yesteryears (essentially all new sculpts and not retools/repaints with tons of awesome articulation). We always felt that the Evolutions series was a perfect medium to pack three premium figures together with a quality (or better) that would rival that of the modern Vintage figures. This would include super-articulation as mentioned earlier, lots of accessories and the use of soft-goods whenever possible. So depending on where you stand, you may agree that Evolutions just aren't what they used to be, despite having multiple good points and a bunch of excellent figures. Hasbro has stated that Evolutions did not meet expectations like years before and, well, we aren't that surprised either by this. Save for a few great sets in the 2008 The Legacy Collection line (and even more awesome ones in the 30 (77-07) and Revenge Of The Sith lines), they didn't meet us with the same enthusiasm like the older sets did either. (It works both ways, Hasbro.)

Hasbro soon announced that the line was going into retirement but promised us three final ones that would be released as Walmart exclusives in 3rd quarter 2009. The product line was refreshed and the three will be the only ones available in the red phase of the Legacy Collection. As far as the product inside, the Clone Commandos Evolutions delivers a fine set of figures and we think you will be very happy with it. The multipack includes Alpha (ARC Trooper), Fi Skirata (Omega Squad) and Storm Commando (Imperial Special Forces). They all have their pros and cons, but they all function as a great potpourri of diverse clone troopers. Perhaps the figure most likely to make you think "why do I need to buy this again" is Alpha-17. To be honest, he is different enough to warrant a purchase. He has an aged look about him (thanks to a new head sculpt and great salt and pepper hairdo) and he mimics his appearance in the comic very well. Besides a few paint application issues (sloppy), he is a decent action figure. It's no surprise that he is a retool/repaint of the first Alpha we received in the 2007 TAC Obi-Wan Kenobi/ARC Trooper (No. 07) Comic Packs set, but this time instead sports new red detail on his armor set. Collectors are likely to be most impressed with the next two figures in the set. Fi Skirata (RC-8015) is a Republic Commando who is mostly constructed from 2006's TSC Scorch Republic Commando (SAGA 021) figure. He however comes with new legs making him the first super-articulated Republic Commando we have ever received, though many will still be disappointed in the swivel shoulders. Although a little too clean and white, his purple coloring looks fantastic and he also comes with a whole bunch of accessories that outfit him quite well. (They are also well-painted as well.) Still, until these characters come super-articulated (why so close and no coigar, Hasbro?), collectors will wait for better to come down the road some other time.

Storm Commando, the obligatory "Shadow Biker Scout" is another surprisingly cool action figure. He is simply a retool/repaint of 2006's VTSC Biker Scout figure with a new head, new lower legs, and a new belt. But these three small changes really make him nearly unrecognizable from the action figure from where he was originally molded. We are very impressed with the design of this figure. We are not sure if the popularity of clone troopers will ever diminish. And since Hasbro is notorious for releasing new or revised versions of them frequently throughout all the toy lines, we don't expect this to slow down any time soon. This Evolutions set was a quick and convenient way to get updated versions of clones to us that we already had but are now much more improved. But going forward, we should expect new ways to attain them since the Evolutions line has now officially gone the way of the dinosaur. We are hoping that time will regenerate an interest in the line for both collectors and Hasbro. We believe that is Hasbro spends more time planning the assortments out better the line can be very successful once again. If Hasbro released the now-canceled Obi-Wan Kenobi Evolutions set before deciding to break them up and place in the basic line, we are confident that it would have been a massive seller. Perhaps price increases, lack of new sculpts and overall apathy in the line due to glut of other product have all worked together to make this line less successful than in the past. But we also think this may open the doors for the return of other lines. We are not sure if this is something you have noticed, but it seems that Evolutions and the Vintage line of figures are out at alternating times. Since Evolutions is out for next year, could this be the return of more Vintage figures? We sure hope so! While we wait, be sure to check out Clone Commandos Evolutions. They are a cool set of clone troopers no doubt intending to make a splash in your already impressive collections.