Clone Trooper - SW [S - P1] - Deluxe

Ten years after the fight to save Naboo from invasion, the galaxy is on the brink of civil war. Under the leadership of a renegade Jedi, thousands of solar systems threaten to secede from the Galactic Republic. A courageous Jedi Knight, his impulsive and headstrong apprentice, and a queen-turned-senator are drawn into the heart of the conflict... and the beginning of war.

Formidable fighters engineered for battle, a number of the Clone Troopers are deployed on speeders, then race into battle against the enemy forces. Daringly flying alongside the AT-TEs, they lob electro grenades into the vehicles to disable them in crippling explosions.

Not all of the toys Hasbro produces are directly from the film. Take for instance the Clone Trooper (With Speeder Bike) from the Star Wars “Saga” Deluxe line. Inspired from some of the concept art from Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones and probably some of Hasbro’s own ingenuity, they’ve produced a fairly nice toy which perfectly accommodates vehicle and rider into a seamless plaything. Keep in mind that the Deluxe line is for the kids. Hasbro works some aggressive play features into these toys to produce something that will provide ours of enjoyment while opening up the imagination of a child’s mind. Collectors often get a bug up their butt when they see toys like this. If anything veers away from the “collectible” format all hell breaks loose. But we believe if collectors can forgive some of the features here that they’ll be able to appreciate what the Clone Trooper (With Speeder Bike) brings to the Star Wars “Saga” toy line. No, this isn’t Hasbro’s finest effort. But it has broken ground for hopefully some cool new approaches on how they develop the Grand Army of the Republic. This play features here ar definitely designed for kids, but maybe this can be worked into the collector line somewhere, somehow.

The Clone Trooper figure itself has its moments, but when it is by itself it is awkward at best. It has absolutely been designed to integrate with the included Speeder Bike. He comes with a very wide stance and a couple premium articulation points (like ball-jointed knees for example) to fit on the Speeder Bike as best as possible. As a gimmick, Hasbro decided to go with a “removable armor” take on the Clone Trooper, a first for the line. While it is definitely meant for play value, we think Hasbro did a great job on choosing pieces of armor that make the most sense to take off and then put back on again. It works. It’s not a perfect concept. But it works. For us, we wish they could have included a slightly larger helmet. The one included is too tight of a fit. When fully assembled, the Clone Trooper looks amazing on the Speeder Bike, frankly. The posture is about as perfect as you could hope for and he is able to hold onto the handlebars which is a blessing in and of itself. The head sculpt of the Clone Trooper is pretty excellent, save for his strange red eyes, something not most collectors understand. Hasbro opted for the “middle” stage of clone that we witnessed seeing in Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. The likeness is great.

The Speeder Bike is based on some of their oldest sculpt from the past. The Speeder Bike breaks in two pieces so you can recreate some battle-damage scenarios of your own. The paint job is odd, but attractive at the same time. Probably meant to blend in with the red Geonosian terrain, the Speeder Bike is a light maroon color with dark metallic details (like on the landing gear, front and rear of vehicle). The details are beautifully painted as well. It would have been amazing to see the clones ride the Speeder Bike vehicles during the Battle of Geonosis. But George Lucas wanted to focus on a love story that ultimately detracted from the film. Oh well. At least we can enjoy this aspect in the toy line now. The Speeder Bike isn’t the only accessory given to the Clone Trooper. He has also been given a DC-15 blaster (which he can hold but it is a bit difficult to get it into his hands) and an electro grenade. Again, we didn’t see the electro grenade (in this capacity at least) in Episode II. This is all meant for play value and from that perspective it works. The Deluxe Clone Trooper offers a great deal of value here. For less than $10 you get a figure and vehicle (and then some other stuff). For us that is a total win.