Imperial Clone Shock Trooper - TBS [P4] - Six Inch Figures (TBB07)

Originally founded during the Clone Wars as security police for Coruscant governmental facilities and bodyguards for Republic representatives, the group of clones known as shock troopers now operates as elite forces of the Empire.

We wondered how long it would take Hasbro to release the first Shock Trooper into The Black Series 6-inch line, and now we have our answer. The Walmart exclusive Imperial Clone Shock Trooper, part of The Bad Batch Disney+ series, is that figure. However, it comes with a permanently attached pauldron, which we only see in The Bad Batch and other “old” Expanded Universe sources. If you recall, Hasbro gave us an all-gray version of this character in the opening wave of The Black Series [Phase IV] line. The Clone Trooper (Kamino) (TCW01) figure is nothing more than a gray Shock Trooper, and now that the Shock Trooper character is part of the forefront of The Bad Batch storyline, it’s time to get the character out again. It’s not the first time Hasbro produced a 6-inch version of the Shock Trooper. But the one that was part of the Entertainment Earth exclusive 442nd Siege Battalion Clone Trooper/212th Attack Battalion Utapau Trooper/Coruscant Guard (Phase II)/501st Legion Clone Trooper set was based on the character from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith instead. The updated buck feels more inspired by the animated characters, which is why Hasbro reused it for the Imperial Clone Shock Trooper Walmart exclusive.

Details including “butterfly” shoulders and tightened up joints appear to be the new normal from here on out, and those two updates continue to alter the landscape of the line. Hasbro is also revisiting characters in new lights. Instead of dusting off the sculpts from yesteryear, they’re creating modern tooling to include better-than-ever articulation and mobility that wasn’t possible in the past. Making a new “buck” for popular Star Wars characters will receive a mixed reception from the collecting community. Many collectors want uniformity in their collections, and that’s understandable. Who wants two Stormtroopers or multiple Clone Troopers of varying scale? So after the inaugural Clone Trooper (Kamino) (TCW01) figure, it’s lovely to see Hasbro continue reusing the tooling to help stabilize that uniformity with the phase II clones. Correctly scaled to fit the figure’s body, the new helmet shows us that Hasbro paid close attention to what they screwed up on older models of these characters. As you know by now, there is an unpainted “clone head” underneath the helmet. Hasbro plans to make the most of this sculpt with future releases, which is thoughtful of them. But the addition of a ball-socket head with a reverse ball-socket neck gives the Clone Trooper (Kamino) (TCW01) figure an impressive range of movement in the head alone.

The angle you can pose the arms at the elbows is also mind-blowing. Hasbro developed ball-jointed articulation that attains sharp angles we’ve never seen possible until now. We don’t think we’re exaggerating when we say that the elbows achieve 45 degrees. Do you remember when we were thrilled to get 90-degree angles of an action figure’s elbow? The upper body joint is smooth as butter. The joint no longer click and sticks and keeps its position with ease. And the ball-socket hips are so tight, yet they move easily to pose the figure as you desire. As you know, this new tooling is quite different than the 2014’s TBS [P1] Clone Trooper (#14) figure. What we would like to see with this figure is wider availability. Hasbro is relegating too many principal characters to retailer exclusivity. And many characters are not getting the mainstream release they deserve. We hope this changes because about half of the Star Wars figures Hasbro produces are exclusive, while the other is general marketplace releases. The Imperial Clone Shock Trooper doesn’t break any new ground. And the figure is unfortunately too light with accessories, but it’s a nice-looking action figure, and fans of The Bad Batch show will indeed be looking to add it to their collections. We also hope Hasbro tweaks this a bit to release a new Episode III version of this character.