Clone Trooper (212th Battalion) - TBS [P4] - Six Inch Figures (TCW09)

Far superiror to battle droids, clone troopers formed the backbone of the Republic's new military that waged war against the forces of the COnfederacy of Independent Systems.

Did we wait for this? Why does the Hasbro Star Wars experience worsen with each successive exclusive release? Remember when Hasbro and their PR company told us where and when we could order this exclusive figure, and then that date and time never came to fruition? And nobody knew what was going on with it until they started arriving at brick and mortar along with the Target exclusive Antoc Merrick? You cannot make this stuff up anymore. Distribution is at its worst, prices are at their peak (we hope), and once thoughtful reuses of existing tooling are now the square pegs being forced into the round hole to offer collectors something new (and you better like it). All-new figure tooling is the exception instead of the rule. And Hasbro still doesn’t grasp what the modern Star Wars collectors want and how to satiate two different generations of Star Wars fans: the old man-babies and the newbies who get their feelings hurt when you bring up these criticisms about Hasbro. The Walgreens exclusive Clone Trooper (212th Battalion) should be a figure that we all are excited to add to our collection, but it’s a feeble effort, and there is little to talk about here that you don’t already know.

Hasbro took 2020’s TBS [P4] Clone Trooper (Kamino) (TCW01) and repainted it in the color flashes of the 212th Battalion. Instead of gray, we now have orange. The audience is divided on the tooling of the new Clone Trooper buck. Many love it, but others quickly point out that the figure’s odd knee pads and shoulder pads and animation-inspired “look” prevent this base figure from receiving an “upgraded” status. Still, many are quick to praise the figure for the newly installed “butterfly” shoulder joints and the fluidity the buttery-smooth ball-jointed articulation points offer the collector when it comes to displaying it. The enhancements are overwhelming in many regards, and, generally speaking, we know the 6-inch collecting community will find favor with it. But cheaply repainting something that looks mediocre while still packaged is not a good look for The Black Series 6-inch line or Hasbro. And the cheapness and lack of thought put into this release is overall disappointing. The inclusion of a measly single accessory is salt in the wound. And would it hurt them to change things up and add something distinct or exclusive to the 212th Battalion for good measure? You almost want to yawn looking at this release.

The bucket on the Clone Trooper (212th Battalion) figure is correctly scaled to fit the figure’s body. This newer helmet design showed us that Hasbro paid close attention to what they screwed up with the older models of the Phase II Clone Trooper action figures. As you know, there is an unpainted “clone head” underneath the helmet. Should Hasbro think outside of the box, there are many characters from the second season of The Clone Wars they could create with a bit of forethought and ingenuity. So, we hope Hasbro makes it happen. There are other things to be happy about with this updated tooling. For instance, the omission of the double hinge-jointed knees and elbows, and instead, a complex ball-jointed point of articulation that allows for a wide range of movement that is impressive beyond measure. So it would be unjust to criticize this figure as a whole when it does offer the collecting community some benefits. But the paint operations are lazy and lacking, and they could have given the figure a stunning battle-damaged paint job. Instead, they decided to take the “easy street” and save their pennies. Hasbro’s indifference to this line is becoming palatable to collectors, and that’s dangerous when you’re trying to keep the line healthy.