Attack Cycle With General Grievous - TCW [SOTDS] - Deluxe

Added: July 13th 2011
Category: Clone Wars [Shadow Of The Dark Side], The
Reviewer: Paul Harrison
Score:

Name: Attack Cycle With General Grievous
Collection: The Clone Wars [Shadow Of The Dark Side]
Number: N/A
Source: Expanded Universe (Hasbro Concept)*
Availability: July 2011
License: Hasbro

*The Attack Cycle is based on the design of General Grievous' Tsmeu-6 personal wheel bike from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith

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General Grievous drives an attack cycle developed for him by the Separatist Techno Union. The bike has two side-mounted blaster cannons and special supports that can hold lightsabers or MagnaGuard electrostaffs for striking down his prey while the cycle is in motion.

Hasbro is absolutely taking the Deluxe line in the right direction as evidenced by the Attack Cycle With General Grievous set. As Star Wars fans, we tend to prefer miniature versions of the larger vehicles we see in the films. If Hasbro can’t bring us screen–specific mini rigs, then reduced scaled vehicles are the next best thing. Sometimes it doesn’t work as demonstrated by 2010's TCW [SOTDS] Naboo Star Skiff With Anakin Skywalker set. Perhaps it "failed" (with collectors) because it wasn’t an aggressive enough of a vehicle or maybe fans just want to see the queen’s Naboo Royal Starship get a second chance at retail. We’re not exactly sure, but for some reason (or another) the scaled down wheel bike is a success on every level. It may not have the articulation you’re looking for but it does bring us a few new surprises, most notably the General Grievous figure. We’ll elaborate more on him in a moment. But we think that the Deluxe line is heading is a very positive direction. We will respectfully ask Hasbro that they leave the BARC speeders alone for a while and focus on some new and exciting concepts for the time being.

Surprisingly, General Grievous is an all-new figure. Hasbro must have become frustrated with the 2010 TCW [SOTDS] General Grievous (CW10) basic figure since his armor didn’t stay on and his overly loose joints prevented him from standing up without issue. All of that has been remedied and aside from a severe lack of paint operations completing him, this is the [almost] definitive The Clone Wars General Grievous release for now. No falling off armor pieces, no awkward leaning, it's a great version of Grievous. When you compare the Deluxe figure side by side next to the basic figure you are going to realize how Hasbro has improved the figure. Ironically, improving the figure meant reducing some of the articulation. But what has been left in place is enough to make even the most stringent articulation junkies very happy. Most notably, his torso articulation has been removed. This actually was needed so he could fit into the seating of the Attack Cycle as needed. (By the way, Grievous looks amazing piloting this miniature version of his wheel bike. We’re quite impressed with the final results.) As a bonus, Grievous comes with a lightsaber and an electropole and two clips have been added to the front of the Attack Cycle (within arms length) to where you can attach these weapons for Grievous’ later use of them.

It would have been fantastic to have articulation in the wheel of the Attack Cycle, but Hasbro decided instead to attach two “legs” (for lack of a better word), one on each side which left the wheel above the ground and allows it to slide across various surfaces for traveling play. The Attack Cycle’s four wheels are quite smooth and it effortlessly glides across any smooth surface without issue. As General Grievous steers this vehicle of destruction into battle, he can grasp the steering wheel while sitting and can also reach for his lightsaber or electropole to help destroy an offending party of the Grand Army of the Republic. The design of the Attack Cycle is believable and it’s quite plausible that Greivous owned a smaller version of his wheel bike for various travels around the galaxy. Hasbro ensured that this miniature vehicle looks like an authentic part of the Star Wars universe and we think they really did a great job in bringing it to the basic figure line. But the real bonus here is the updated General Grievous action figure. You may not prefer the simple paint job and the reduced articulation, but we think it has worked to this figure’s advantage. But you may have to see it for yourself in person before you can make a final judgment call.

Collector Notes

Attack Cycle With General Grievous

Assortment Number: 29957/29960

UPC: 653569601562

Retail: $19.99 USD

Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on Click here to check the market value on eBay! listings.

Attack Cycle

Status: Attack Cycle is an all-new vehicle.

Features Count: 5

Feature Details: 4 rolling wheels, weapons storage

Accessory Count: None (vehicle can disassemble into 5 separate pieces: wheel chassis, 2 remoable cannons, 2 removable "leg" sections)

Accessory Details: None

Date Stamp: 2011

General Grievous

Status: General Grievous is an all-new figure. It looks very much like 2010's TCW [SOTDS] General Grievous (CW10) figure (and may borrow a few of its basic parts) but this version is an all-new figure.

Articulation Count: 19 points (13 areas of articulation)

Articulation Details: ball-socket head (1), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), ball-jointed right shoulder (2), ball-jointed left elbow (2), ball-jointed right elbow (2), swivel left forearm (1), swivel right forearm (1), ball-socket left hip (1), ball-socket right hip (1), ball-jointed left knee (2), ball-jointed right knee (2), hinge-jointed left ankle (1), hinge-jointed right ankle (1)

Accessory Count: 2

Accessory Details: electropole, lightsaber

Date Stamp: 2011

The Clone Wars [Shadow Of The Dark Side] Deluxe Wave 1

Naboo Star Skiff With Anakin Skywalker

Pirate Speeder Bike With Cad Bane

Speeder Bike With Plo Koon

The Clone Wars [Shadow Of The Dark Side] Deluxe Wave 2

BARC Speeder Bike With Obi-Wan Kenobi

Mandalorian Speeder With Mandalorian Warrior

The Clone Wars [Shadow Of The Dark Side] Deluxe Wave 3

Armored Scout Tank With Tactical Droid

AT-RT With ARF Trooper Boil

Freeco Speeder With Clone Trooper

The Clone Wars [Shadow Of The Dark Side] Deluxe Wave 4

BARC Speeder Bike With Clone Trooper Jesse

The Clone Wars [Shadow Of The Dark Side] Deluxe Wave 5

Attack Cycle With General Grievous

Republic Scout Speeder With ARF Trooper

Separatist Droid Speeder With Battle Droid

Speeder Bike With Castas

The Clone Wars [Shadow Of The Dark Side] Deluxe Wave 6

Y-wing Scout Bomber With Clone Trooper Pilot

The Clone Wars [Shadow Of The Dark Side] Deluxe (Exclusives)

AT-RT Walker With ARF Trooper

BARC Speeder Bike With Clone Trooper Buzz

Separatist Speeder With Geonosian Warrior



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