Yoda - CW [A] - Basic

Through the creative vision of Lucasfilm Ltd. and the Cartoon Network, the Clone Wars are brought to life in an exciting new series of short animated chapters. A unique animation style captures the drama of this epic period in galactic history along with its outstanding heroes and adversaries. Noble Jedi warriors lead Clone Troopers into battle against the evil Separatist forces and their droid armies. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Yoda and their comrades struggle against the rising power of the dark side and confront personal challenges against a backdrop of war-torn planets.

There is one thing that couldn’t be more true of the Clone Wars [Animated] line. You either love it or you hate it. There really isn’t any in between. That’s fine though, because for those who love Tartakovsky’s interpretation of this period of history in the Star Wars timeline, we couldn’t be more rewarded than receiving the great action figures Hasbro has been producing for the line. Just like the show, the Clone Wars [Animated] line probably hit you hard and you fell for it completely or just made you feel indifferently. The former has been our experience and it’s an effect so strong that we’re thrilled to express that these characters have now been immortalized in plastic as they appeared in the animated micro-series. If you can accept that the figures in the Clone Wars [Animated] line are really just little plastic statues, you might be able to appreciate them a whole lot more. But if you’re driven by articulation, you’ll likely consider this a whole step backwards. But if you catch the Clone Wars [Animated] bug, it will be a virus that you probably won’t be able to shake because Hasbro is dedicate to producing the best action figures possible inspired from the micro-series and there quite successful at it.

Yoda was one of the first characters collectors desired to see made for the Clone Wars [Animated] line. He is essentially the “logo” for the entire multimedia event and a main character in the television as well, obviously. Yoda has been made with the same  attention to detail as all of the other figures in this animated toy line. But dare we say that Hasbro has given Yoda a little extra splash of perfection that the others figures seem to miss out by a hair? Yoda has the most wonderful expression on his face. And his body language clearly spells out that he is engaged in the middle of battle and that his and others’ safety is priority number one. He is definitely action oriented, but it suits the sculpt well. And because of how much horizontal space he takes up (thanks to outstretched arms), he looks the best on the standard action figure display stand that has been included with every other Clone Wars [Animated] figure released to date. From the warning in his eyes, to the “at attention” posturing of his ear, Yoda is definitely a standout action figure in the Clone Wars [Animated] lineup. Oh, and the paint operations are beautifully accomplished as well.

Yoda also comes with a lightsaber accessory. As you can imagine, it’s a very short hilt and blade combination piece. But it’s perfectly scaled to his small stature and he can hold it in his right hand without issue. Because Yoda only comes with three points of articulation, there aren’t that many unique poses you can achieve. But when you do have him yield his lightsaber, he just looks remarkable. A lot of the Jedi action in the Clone Wars micro-series was manufactured. But that’s what gave the show its strong anime feel. We feel that Hasbro has captured the spirit of this technique beautifully in Yoda. Sadly, as the Clone Wars [Animated] line is meant to be a niche and small collection of figures for Star Wars fans, it’s likely that we’ll never see Yoda in his various outfits represented in animated format. So this is our one and only chance at an animated version of Yoda from the Clone Wars micro-series. This line wasn’t meant to rival lines with a whole lot more articulation, it was just intended to be a supplement to the already fantastic realistic line Hasbro produced for us too. Yoda is another fun highlight in this line. And he will look good on a shelf or in your office just as any other action figure would.