Clone Trooper - Unleashed

Identical soldiers produced in a world of clinical efficiency, Clone Troopers are created for only one purpose – battle. Every fiber of their being, every thought in their minds, every muscle in their bodies is infused with the capability and desire to be warriors. Through genetic engineering and military training, Clone Troopers are molded to be the ideal soldiers. And, indeed, the source of their genetic material comes from an extremely skilled fighter, the legendary bounty hunter Jango Fett. The clones experience accelerated growth and relentless training to shape them into superior soldiers totally subservient to authority. Devoid of individuality, identity and independence, Clone Troopers fight with complete and unquestioning dedication. They pour onto the battlefield, relentless warriors who do not falter but instead keep marching forward, without pause or pity for their fallen comrades. In a desperate hour, the Clone Troopers are called to perform the job for which they have been created, when war erupts in the galaxy.

Starting a new and differently scaled Star Wars figure line from the ground up is no easy task. If you think about it, Hasbro needs to develop quite a few unique sculpts before they can starting retooling and repainting them to make different characters. When the Clone Trooper Unleashed figure finally saw release, collectors immediately assumed that Hasbro would be milking the sculpt to bring new characters into the line. Well, they did and they didn’t. (Editor’s Note: The Clone Trooper [Captain] figure was really the only “repaint” in the entire line, but they did utilize this sculpt for future figures including the ARC Heavy Trooper and the Shock Trooper, each with unique tooling as well.) The Clone Trooper is definitely one of the first figures collectors wanted to see in this unique and long-awaited lineup. Now it’s a reality. One of the most aggressive and clever sculpts in the entire line, the Clone Trooper is absolutely one of the finer sculpts in the entire Unleashed line. It looks as if the Clone Trooper, as well as the dead Clone Trooper, have been ripped from the scenes of Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. And it’s quite evident he is in the middle of battle. Both clones represented in this display look beautiful too.

What we’re most impressed with is the option of a separately sculpted DC-15 blaster rifle. It fits seamlessly into the running Clone Trooper’s hands. The Clone Trooper itself is running over the mortally wounded Clone Trooper laying on the base of the Unleashed figure and has one foot on the top of the rocky hill he is running over to escape certain Separatist doom. The Clone Trooper is brilliantly sculpted. Hasbro nailed the proportions as well as the armor perfectly in our opinion. And the dull off-white or egg-shell color of the plastic they used to cast this figure in couldn’t have been bettered. There is also plenty of orange Geonosian dirt collecting on the Clone Trooper’s armor. Hasbro did a fantastic job with the deco, like they have successfully done with most of the figures in this range. The running change, which features a Clone Trooper [Captain] was released in minimal quantities and typically only found in specialty shops in the mall like Suncoast. We have never encountered the Clone Trooper [Captain] in brick and mortar locations. (That doesn’t mean they never were shipped there.) Perhaps the running change Clone Trooper [Captain] is the more exciting of the two releases because the dead clone is a standard infantry Clone Trooper. This way you get two unique clones.

The dead Clone Trooper is identical for both releases. Would you believe that Hasbro sculpted a dead Clone Trooper about equally as well as an alive one? This phenomenon couldn’t be more true in this case of these Unleashed figures. The dead Clone Trooper is flat on his back and if you look very carefully, it’s quite possible he was maimed in the eye because his visor is cracked there. (At a cursory glance it actually looks like a spider web!) The dead Clone Trooper is really the perfect addition to the Unleashed Clone Trooper (both versions) because we always tend to think of our Star Wars characters alive and well (even if they die in a film)! The Unleashed Clone Trooper paints the Battle of Geonosis in a light that this is the reality of war. This piece works very well because of that idea alone. Thank goodness it has a fabulous sculpt to accompany it. Fans of Attack Of The Clones get to build their clone armies in the Unleashed line a little more easily thanks to Hasbro killing two birds with one stone. We certainly don’t need every last clone trooper officer represented in the Unleashed line. Perhaps a commander would make one more final nice addition, but they can stop here and we will be just as happy.

As a bonus feature to this review, we have provided the original artwork created for this Star Wars: Unleashed figure. Click the thumbnail to the left to see the amazing illustration.