V-wing Fighter & V-wing Pilot - TCW [B] - Vehicles (Exclusive)

The Clone Wars pits two mighty armies against each other on countless inhabited worlds. Fighting for the Galactic Republic, clone pilots swoop into battle in their sleek V-wing fighters. Hailfire droids, part of General Grievous's enormous droid army, open fire on the V-wings from the ground below. Both sides are well matched in weapons and determination, as another devastating battle erupts in the galaxy-wide Clone Wars.

The V-wing Fighter was a huge hit in the 30 (77-07) line and it’s a big part of the reason Hasbro added to The Clone Wars [Blue] line. What was surprising however is that Hasbro created an exclusive version of it for Toys R Us by both renaming the name of the vehicle as well as the pilot to make it, well, unique. Collectors should probably read the back of the boxes to the V-wing Fighter & V-wing Pilot as well as the Hailfire Droid & General Grievous, because it will provide details and a synopsis of how these two Toys R Us exclusive vehicles and pack-in figures are supposed to interact with each other. The V-wing Starfighter made its first onscreen appearance in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith. They accompanied Emperor Palpatine to Mustafar so he could check on the status of the newly deemed Darth Vader. But because of the clone focus, Hasbro cleverly realized that they could reuse and repurpose it for The Clone Wars line. And it works like a charm. What’s more, they also took 2008’s TCW [B] Clone Pilot Odd Ball (No. 11) and renamed him V-wing Pilot for this exclusive release. We do see very minor deco changes, but for all intents and purposes it’s a straight repack of that figure. The V-wing Fighter & V-wing Pilot fit into The Clone Wars world like a glove. The V-wing Fighter vehicle may not be completely perfect, but it’s impressive to us and we love what it brings to the 3.75” scaled action figure line; even the animated The Clone Wars line.

Unlike 2008’s The Clone Wars [Blue] V-wing Starfighter vehicle, Hasbro repainted the V-wing Fighter in this exclusive release. It’s completely clean now and has no battle-damage markings whatsoever. Other than the differently approached paint job, the V-wing Fighter is pretty much identical in functionality as well as the color of the plastic to both the original 2007 30 (77-07) release as well as the 2008 The Clone Wars [Blue] version. As mentioned, the vehicle itself is functionally identical to its original version. The V-wing Fighter has a roomy opening cockpit and has the ability to accommodate almost every clone trooper action figure (we could find at least) from both the realistic and animated lines (and of course the one that comes packed with it). It’s rare when we approve of action features, but we actually are fond of the one included with the wings of the vehicle. The wings can be articulated into a parking mode and locked into place. (When released, they spread widely and away – both vertically and horizontally – from the vehicle and give it a much larger stature. It’s pretty impressive.) And then you can push in the top exhaust port and it releases the legs. When locked into place, they act as landing gear for the vehicle when parked. Think of how a bat’s feet are attached to its wings. It’s the same exact principle here. Hasbro didn’t miss a beat with this vehicle. Collectors are going to find joy once again with this vehicle. And hopefully this will introduce a new generation of fans to Hasbro’s great workmanship: the mid size vehicle assortment.

For us, aside from the too small R2 (R4?) unit in the droid socket, this vehicle shines. (Why couldn't they tool a functioning droid socket?) There is also a third leg that pulls out from the hull of the V-wing Fighter for complete balancing support. Other features include adjustable ailerons (which are actually more of a nuisance than anything else) and adjustable stabilizers. The vehicle also fires projectiles from four cannons and this is a great feature for the kids. We’re so glad that Hasbro repainted this (albeit cleanly) this time for the exclusive version. Differences like this make repurchases completely worthwhile. What makes a repurchase especially difficult however is the MSRP. Would you believe Toys R Us has set this vehicle and figure at $39.99? We feel very strongly that this duo should not be higher than $24.99. This may prevent interested parties in obtaining this very awesome release. You do however get a lot of parts with the V-wing Fighter. It definitely feels like you’re getting a nice amount of plastic here, but it certainly isn’t worth more than $40 (after taxes). It’s hard to determine whether the paint operations on the general marketplace The Clone Wars release is better than this one. They’re just two different approaches. Both look good. If we had to complain, we wished Hasbro would have repainted the V-wing Pilot is some pretty cool colors to make him different from Clone Pilot Odd Ball. But other than that we’d say this release is a winner. The V-wing Fighter is a pretty solid vehicle.