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ADVANCE REVIEW: Sideshow 1:6 Star Wars - CAD BANE IN DENAL DISGUISE
The Galactic Gunslinger Makes His One Sixth Scale Debut...
Cad Bane made his cool character debut in 2008's Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series. A Durosian (first glimpsed in Episode IV's cantina scene), Cad Bane is a ruthless bounty hunter whose attitude and attire was heavily influenced by old western films (in particular, Lee Van Cleef's portrayal of Angel Eyes in The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly). A worthy new villain to the Star Wars universe, Cad Bane quickly became a fan favorite, the galactic gunslinger receiving his small share of toys and collectibles from Hasbro back in the day. Now Sideshow expands their own Clone Wars collection, introducing Cad Bane as a realistic 1:6th scale action figure. Alas, this version of Cad Bane isn't entirely the bounty hunter fans know and love.
Making smart re-use of their excellent 1:6 Clone Trooper weapons and armor, Sideshow presents Cad Bane in Denal Disguise. This figure is available for pre-order now priced at $149.99 and is scheduled to ship very soon. The figure depicts Cad Bane from the Clone Wars Season Two episode "Cargo of Doom" where the bounty hunter confronts and kills Clone Trooper Denal and assumes his identity to escape the Republic's clutches. Cad Bane is clever like that and this figure represents the bounty hunter's cold and calculating personae perfectly.
While based on a cartoon character's appearance, Sideshow's Cad Bane head sculpt is anything but cartoony. This is a super realistic portrait of the dastardly Durosian, the sculpt reminding me of your classic extraterrestrial "Alien Greys", except for the brilliant blue skin tone. Of particular note here is the nice glossy finish Sideshow applied to Cad Bane's eyes. The slick red paint application really gives the eyes a piercing, life-like quality. The Cad Bane head sculpt is phenomenal, but unfortunately it is the only thing that indicates this is a Cad Bane collectible.
The rest of Sideshow's Cad Bane action figure is the "Denal Disguise" half, Sideshow's tried and true Clone Trooper body, weapons and armor. There are some unique blue paint applications here to make the armor specific to Denal's character, in particular his Phase I Helmet with Macro Binoculars. I love the deco on this helmet and the Macro Binoculars, which fold up and down, are a very cool touch. Collectors have the option to complete Cad Bane's disguise by placing this helmet on the figure instead of the Cad Bane head sculpt. In fact, by going this route you can even say you own a Denal Clone Trooper action figure, a nice bonus option, especially if you have some other spare Sideshow Clones to transform into Cad Bane (as I did with the Bomb Squad Trooper pictured below). Like all of Sideshow's Clone Troopers, the head sculpts/ helmets are interchangeable. Nice options, but I feel the best look for this figure is with the Cad Bane head sculpt on and the bounty hunter holding his helmet. It incorporates most all the figure's gear in one display.
Other display options include your choice of blaster (the standard issue DC-15A Blaster Rifle and DC-15S Blaster Carbine), a total of 13 expressive hand gestures, as well as your choice of a backpack (with fabric cover), or my perosnal favorite, a JT-12 Jet Pack. Both of the back units attach via strong hidden magnets making switching between the two a snap.
I strongly assume that Sideshow is working on a full-blown 1:6th scale Cad Bane action figure, the bounty hunter decked out in his more recognizable western gunslinger attire. All-new figures like that take time to produce, however, and so I see this Cad Bane in Denal Disguise as a timely and affordable way to get the bounty hunter released as a collectible to tide fans over. Sideshow already had the Clone Trooper body and gear, so all that was needed was a new Cad Bane head sculpt. The portrait came out amazing, but a great head sculpt alone doesn't make a character. I can't help but feel that this figure is only 1/4 all-new Cad Bane, 3/4 Clone Trooper we've seen before (granted, it's Denal). Some extra scene-specific accessories, such as the Kyber memory crystal, would have made this figure more unique, or perhaps the inclusion of Cad Bane's signature blaster pistols (despite them not being in the scene).
As a new Clone Trooper action figure, Cad Bane In Denal Disguise makes for an excellent entry-level figure, or for those already with a Clone collection, another affordable army builder. As a Cad Bane action figure, however, Sideshow's Cad Bane In Denal Disguise is too much disguise and not enough Cad Bane.
Cad Bane In Denal Disguise is available for pre-order now priced at $149.99.
Review and Photos by Jeff Saylor
Review Sample Courtesy of Sideshow Collectibles
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