Rishi Outpost Attack - TCW [SOTDS] - Battle Packs

Commando droids capture a Republic tracking station from clone troopers. The station guards the cloning centers on Kamino that are vital to the Republic. The clone troopers – all rookies – who man the station are defeated or forced to retreat. When two battle-hardened clone officers arrive, the shinies join them in a fight to retake the station.

The Commando Droid is perhaps the most underrated action figure in The Clone Wars line yet. We think we have good reason to feel this way. Either Hasbro had made (a lot) more of this figure than we realize or it is has just become an unfortunate and chronic peg warmer because Star Wars fans out there just don't know how awesome these figures are. This is absolutely a figure that should fly off the shelves ever time it hits retail, but it seems to hang around a little longer than it should. As the red phase of The Clone Wars line phased out, the remaining stock of the Commando Droid finally began to sell through, and then there was demand. Hasbro satiated that retruned demand with the release of 2010's TCW [S2] Rishi Moon Outpost Attack Battle Packs set. Based on a very exciting scene in the Season 1 episode Rookies, the Rishi Moon Outpost Attack Battle Packs set may appear to look a little light, but trust us when we tell you that you get a lot of quality in this box set. Four super-articulated action figure have been included here and they all come with wonderful accessories. Add to that a revised basic Clone Trooper (with light up green button on his communicator – this time a different color green) and there isn't pretty much else you'd want tosee in this set if you're a collector of The Clone Wars. Besides, let us remind you that the Commando Droids in this Battle Packs set are repainted and different from the basic figure release. So you're definitely get some variety here and not just simply spending more money on something that you already have. Now the set has been released with the revised title Rishi Outpost Attack with a few new bells and whistles in The Clone Wars [Shadow Of The Dark Side] line.

The Commando Droid Captain and the two Commando Droids are all repaints of the 2009 TCW [S2] Commando Droid (CW16) figure. As you probably already know, this is a phenomenal action figure already and Hasbro didn’t need to do much more to make this figure better. But they did. The grayish silver bodies of the droids are now darker and the bronze details are shinier. As a result, we think that the Battle Packs version of the Commando Droids end up looking better than the original basic figure version and the differences in color are more than negligible. The Commando Droid Captain is identical to the character we saw in the television episode. Accented with some extra paint in the face and chest, the Captain is very reminiscent of how the battle droids were ranked in Episode I and Episode II. This droid leader looks great and thanks to marvelous articulation, the figure can be posed in nearly every configuration we saw it contort itself in The Clone Wars. This is a great thing and it makes us love these figures more. The two “regular” Commando Droids come with standard droid blasters that attach to the holes in their backs. You may not like holes in the back of your action figures, but we have to say it is a nice touch in this scenario. The Commando Droid Captain also has a hole in its back, and in addition to a droid blaster, it comes with a vibro blade with a removable “energy” effect. It is a nice transition from the very common droid blaster and it is accurate to the weapon used in the TV episode. But it's nice to have both options. All of these figures have a stationary center of gravity and can contain a wonderful array of poses. All of the figures are slight repaints of the first release. The Commando Droids are notably darker for example.

You may think that the Clone Trooper is just a repack of the 2008 TCW [F/S1] Clone Trooper (No. 5) figure, but this isn’t the case at all. It is actually a “clean” repaint of the 2008 TCW [F/S1] Clone Trooper (212th Attack Battalion) (No. 19) figure. The figure differs in a few ways, but its most noticeable difference is the head (and in particular the fin on the helmet). So you “kinda/sorta” get a new Clone Trooper right here in this multipack. But then again, this is a plain and white clone trooper without a removable helmet, so it might be a little boring to the casual collector. To be honest, he isn’t the reason to pick up this set. The Commando Droids and Commando Droid Captain absolutely steal the show here. But if you love clones you have feel differently about this. The accessories in this set are not that heavy, but you certainly get enough. Probably the most entertaining accessory is the extra clone trooper helmet. This serves a purpose as a “disguise” for the Commando Droids and Captain. Star Wars is always good for some corny humor and it's a funny take on the “fearsome” Separatist droids. We love this little addition and we think the Rishi Moon Outpost Attack Battle Packs set wouldn’t have been the same without it and it recreates the scene from the episode beautifully. This set does not have plans to ship after its initial release, but it should be plentiful for a while. But with Hasbro’s ever shortening attention span with new products and retail, coupled with terrible distribution issues, it is unknown just how prevalent this Battle Packs set will ultimately be. We recommend not waiting. This set is an absolute must-have for your The Clone Wars collection!