Clone Trooper (Utapau Trooper) - Mini Busts

When Gentle Giant Ltd. releases multiple styles under one SKU, there is always one that stands out from the rest. We’re specifically talking about the Clone Trooper [Episode III] Mini Busts and the smallest produced variation of them all: the Utapau Trooper. Despite the issues with the sculpt, the Utapau Trooper has turned out splendidly well. Where gentle Giant missed the mark with the 501st Special Ops Trooper and the lack of a “wow factor” the inherently boring Clone Trooper [Episode III] has, collectors are left to appreciate the Utapau Trooper, and they should. The Utapau Trooper’s color is definitely a tad off, but it isn’t as dramatic as the 501st Special Ops Trooper. Some collectors disagree, but we feel strongly that Gentle Giant has inadvertently given the Utapau Trooper the most attention and created a fair representation of the most prominent military member from the Battle of Utapau.

Nine (9) parts make up the Utapau Trooper. In addition to the main Mini Bust section, the helmet, two interchangeable left arms, three interchangeable right hands (two holding blasters) and two interchangeable left hands (one holding a blaster). It may appear that there are many parts here to give the Utapau Trooper an infinite array of looks, but this isn’t really the case at all. The modular parts function more like smoke and mirrors than provide diverse poses for the Mini Bust. In general we’re not fans of Mini Bust modularity, but some collectors eat it up and becomes suckers for it. We think the Utapau Trooper would have been more effective with a permanent dynamic pose rather than holding up alternating DC-15 blasters and DC-15 blaster rifles in its hands. But that’s our two cents. Thankfully the Utapau Trooper looks pretty good despite not offering many various positions.

Limited to only 2500 pieces, the Utapau Trooper is perhaps the most appropriate Mini Bust of all the phase II clones Gentle Giant produced under this item number. The reason is that the packaging matches the Mini Bust inside as the artwork shows a nice big scene of the Battle of Utapau. Remember, all three clones (the all-white Clone Trooper [Episode III], the 501st Special Ops Trooper and the Utapau Trooper) share the same edition size (15,000), UPC, item number and box art work, so the others feel slightly out of place in this box. We find it ironic that the smallest edition sized variant gets the glory of the box art. The Utapau Trooper Mini Bust is definitely the most attractive Mini Bust of all three. Star Wars fans and collectors are particularly taken with the 212th Attack Battalion and all of the orange color that comes along with it. With a stunning paint job with tons of elements of battle worn armor, the Utapau Clone Trooper is one fine collectible.