19 Attachment(s)
Hasbro Star Wars Clone Wars 2010 Wave 2
The Clone Wars adventures continue with a quintet of exciting figures...
To order this Clone Wars wave and for all your Star Wars collecting needs, shop BriansToys.com!
While Hasbro continues to crank out Star Wars figures based on movie characters, the fresh and new stuff is all about Clone Wars. As the CG adventures progress we're lucky to be getting tons of new figures, vehicles, and more. In 2009 the Clone Wars line really hit its stride, and 2010 looks to build on that momentum with some really cool toys. Newly released is the 2010 Wave 2 collection, a very balanced set including one Jedi, one Sith, one clone trooper, one droid, and one alien. Are these figures worth hunting down? Let's take a closer look.
The packaging for the Clone Wars figures has not changed recently (though look for an update later this year). The current cardback is very clean looking in white with lots of hard edges and angles. Each figure stands in the usual plastic bubble with his or her name below and a CG image above. The Wave 2 figure packaging is further adorned with stickers advertising the Nahdar Vebb mail away figure. The back of each card has more imagery from the show along with a brief description, while the bottom third cross-references the other figures in the current waves.
Wave 2 consists of Anakin Skywalker, Darth Sidious, Clone Commander Stone, Commander TX-20, and Thi-Sen. Following a long and storied tradition of Star Wars characters outfitted for cold weather adventures, this Anakin comes bundled up in warm clothes to survive the frigid climes of Orto Plutonia, home planet of the Talz chieftain Thi-Sen. When it comes to the security of Republic Senators, Commander Stone is always on the job. Little did he know it would take him to the distant planet of Florrum under the command of Senator Binks... yikes. A frequent site on the field of battle is the T-series tactical droid, perhaps exemplified by TX-20 who served with distinction at the Battle of Ryloth. Not so visible in the Clone War is Darth Sidious, puppet master and Sith Lord.
Anakin Skywalker is the hero of this wave, and the only Jedi. While most Jedi figures have the traditional robes or flowing clothing, Anakin is bundled up in a heavy jacket complete with gloves headgear, and unfurled hood. The sculpt is quite good, with tons of clothing details on the puffy jacket including pockets and stitching, while the belt has multiple pouches and the pants creases and seams. Even the boots have treads and straps, while Anakin's hood is sculpted to look like fur.
Further complementing this figure is a very good paint job. The clothes are all color accurate to the show, with suitably "cold" blues, grays, and browns. The boots have several different colors, as does the belt. Emblazoned on Anakin's left breast is the Jedi symbol in white, while his headgear is an off-white cream color with accents in red and translucent yellow goggle lenses. The wintry Jedi also has a very well-painted face.
Wearing such heavy clothing, this Anakin can't quite compete with some others in the articulation department, but he does pretty well. He has joints at the neck (ball), shoulders (ball), elbows (ball), wrists, waist, hips, and knees (ball). Overall he's very poseable, and only ankle joints could have really made a difference. The Jedi would never leave home without his trusty lightsaber, and that is included along with the removable goggles. Note also that the collar/hood piece is not attached. If you'd like to remove it you can pop off Anakin's head to do so.
If there's one thing the Clone Wars figure line has given Hasbro extra practice in, it's making clone troopers (not that they needed it!). Down to a science, the clone figures are all pretty awesome at this stage, and that certainly includes Clone Commander Stone. Of course he has the standard clone trooper armor, with all of its layered plating, smooth "under sleeve" joints, and nifty utility belt. Stone adds twin pistol holsters hanging from said belt, and a removable helmet over one heck of a head sculpt. Gnarled, stubbly, and dented, this guy’s head says "I've been through a lot."
Paint application is also very good on Stone, with an intricate pattern of dark red up and down the armor that’s not quite like any other figure we’ve seen. There are also Senate Guard symbols on his shoulder plates, and a tattooed number and symbol on the back of his head.
Stone is articulated at the neck (ball), shoulders (ball), elbows (ball), wrists, waist, hips, and knees (ball). Like Anakin he really could have used ankle joints, but he’s still quite poseable. The Clone Commander comes with three weapons: twin pistols that fit in his holsters and a standard clone blaster rifle. He also has the aforementioned removable helmet. While the plastic of the helmet is soft enough so that it can fit on the figure’s head, it’s sturdy enough to retain its shape and look good.
Darth Sidious has been a character relegated to the shadows for most of his career. The alter ego of Senator, then Chancellor and Emperor, Palpatine, Sidious corrupted the Republic from within and nearly destroyed the Jedi Order. When necessity arises, the Sith Lord is a frightening combatant wielding his lightsaber or blasts of force lightning. The new Darth Sidious aptly applies the Clone Wars style to this secretive villain.
The Sith Lord is rail thin, and he wears a traditional belted tunic and pants under a floor-length robe. Sidious’ hood (non-removable) is hard plastic while the rest of the robe is fabric. The sculpt is good, with particular attention to the gnarled hands and face half hidden by the robe, as well as the ornate (Sith?) clasp at Sidious’ neck. Primarily black and gray, the figure has appropriately evil-looking old skin tone.
When figures have extremely thin limbs, either the look or articulation must suffer. In this case, it's half and half. Sidious is articulated at the neck, shoulders (ball), elbows (ball), wrists, and waist under the tunic. While joints were included in his arms, the legs have none; below the waist there is no movement. That's not necessarily a bad thing as Sidious, at least before Episode III, is not really an action hero. Unfortunately, the solid legs make the figure a bit hard to balance. Darth Sidious has three accessories: a very nice looking lightsaber and two "snap-on" lightning effects that can attach to the top or underside of his arms depending on the pose/look you want.
After the films, I think everyone was getting a little tired of the same old Battle Droids. In the Clone Wars series, the stock troops are joined by an array of different mechanical men, including the ingenious T-series droids. TX-20 is an excellent representation of that line. He has a somewhat untraditional form, with an egg-shaped body, long thin limbs and a head that looks like it’s part poker visor, duck bill, and Johnny 5. There's a lot of cool sculpting on this figure to make it really stand out from the crowd.
The joints on the arms and legs are covered by circular plates, the feet have an interesting toe and rear pad setup, and the hooked fingers have a lot of personality. Of course, TX-20's head is very interesting with lots of details like ridges on its neck and even the tiny vertical lines on its "eyes." The T-series droid is primarily a navy blue and off-white cream, with a fair amount of scuffing and wear to add realism. There's also a symbol on the TX's chest in orange and blue and its eyes are a pale green.
TX-20 has good articulation that goes a long way to making this figure one of the better and more stable droid designs. It has joints at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, and ankles. The neck, shoulders, hips, and ankles are all ball jointed, and while their range of motion is impeded the overall design provides a lot of poseability. The ankles especially give the figure great stability. TX-20 comes with three accessories: a standard droid blaster rifle, a large missile-firing rifle, and a hand-held holographic projection of Wat Tambor of the Techno Union. The hologram is really cool, and is a welcome addition to those that have come before it.
A chieftain in a primitive tribe of Talz, Thi-Sen gives collectors a whole new look at a familiar alien. While previous versions of the four eyed creatures have been bulky and heavy, Thi-Sen is much more limber with great poseability to boot. Standing at 4 ¾ inches, the humanoid alien has a distinct body shape with short legs, a teardrop shaped body, long arms, and a large, forward jutting head. The creature is covered head to foot by thick shaggy fur, which is intricately sculpted. Both feet and hands are tipped with large claws.
Thi-Sen's face is dominated by four circular eyes above a small proboscis. Most of the Talz' fur is arctic white with gray shading to blend in with his surroundings. His hands and claws are black, as is the fur on his face while pink shows up on his eyes and “nose.”
For such a big and bulky figure, Thi-Sen has very good articulation at the neck, ball jointed shoulders, ball-jointed elbows, wrists, torso swivel, hips, and ball jointed knees. The arms in particular have a very wide range of movement for great posing options. The alien’s accessories are also top notch. First, he has a very hefty spear that he can hold in either or both hands. When anticipating combat Thi-Sen can wear his armored cape, a very cool solid piece that includes some decorative necklaces and a huge spiky shell for protection. To equip or remove the accessory simply pop off the Talz' head. Finally, as leader of his people Thi-Sen has an ornate headdress that plugs into the armored shell and extends over the top of his head.
The figures in this wave are very representative of what we've come to know and love from the Star Wars Clone Wars line. They're sturdy, look good, and they have lots of articulation and some cool accessories so here’s plenty here for kids and toy collectors alike. Standouts in this wave are definitely Clone Commander Stone and the awesome Thi-Sen, while Anakin and TX-20 are solid figures (and Anakin will be a crucial part of your collection as the snow-bundled figures continue with Obi-Wan, clone troopers, etc.). Sidious makes for a better display piece than an action figure, but there's definitely fun to be had with him as well. Don’t miss out on this great wave!
To order this Clone Wars wave and for all your Star Wars collecting needs, visit Brian's Toys!
For more images of this wave, CLICK HERE!
Review Samples Courtesy of Brian's Toys
Review and Photos by Scott Rubin
