Episode II: Attack Of The Clones - SW [SOTDS] - Blu-ray Release Commemorative Figure & Mini-Poster Collection

Ten years after the Battle of Naboo, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are assigned to protect Padmé Amidala when her life is threatened by political separatists. As relationships form and powerful forces collide, they face choices that will impact their lives and the destiny of the Republic, as the Clone Wars begin.

Hasbro created a special Blu-ray Release Commemorative Mini-Poster & Figure Collection for each of the six Star War films. These quality sets really don't bring too much new to the table, but we have to say they are some of the greatest companion products released for a multimedia event like the release of the Star Wars films on Blu-ray. Seemingly the concept for the Episode II: Attack Of The Clones set was ripped right from the 30 (77-07) line. The contents of the 2006 TAC Episode II Commemorative Tin Collection and this set are nearly identical. In fact, 50% of the contents are the same exact figures (well, one exact figure and one repainted to be a generic white Clone Trooper). And then the other two are the same characters, but 2011 has offered collectors updated action figure versions of the characters represented thankfully. The Episode II: Attack Of The Clone Blu-ray Release Mini-Poster & Figure Collection set is the perfect addition to anyone’s collection that doesn’t have the included action figures. Here, you can get them at a reduced rate and still get the same (or similar) quality you would get in The Vintage Collection yet pay significantly higher for each figure. And the extra bonus is the mini-poster of the original theater one sheet. These are really nice pack-ins for collectors that will look stunning either framed and are small enough to store away to prevent any damage to them

Although this set is essentially filled with all straight repacks, we must point out that the Clone Trooper has a noticeably different paint job from its original 2005 ROTS Clone Trooper to Stormtrooper [Version 2] Evolutions release. It’s clearly evident that Hasbro did their best to match the figures (who were separated by over half a decade from their respective releases), but obviously the disparity in age between them just prevents them from looking like dead ringers of each other. Interestingly, Hasbro probably could have saved time and money by developing a new battle-damage pattern for this figure. It seems more work went into trying to match it rather than just throwing some random battle-damage instead. But what do we honestly know? We have heard reports stating that the Clone Trooper comes with a yellow helmet, but we have yet to see this ourselves. Our sample has a sterling white helmet. Jango Fett, the only true bummer in this set, is a repack of the figure that came in 2008’s TAC The Fett Legacy Evolutions set. Hasbro has updated this figure a few times since, so better versions exist. There are better versions out there, including 2011's TVC Jango Fett (VC34) figure in particular, so this was a bit of a disappointment and a setback. The paint job on his face is just terrible. Instead of a molded face in flesh-colored plastic, its been painted in a pale beige and the details in the eyes is atrocious.

Count Dooku is a straight repack of the figure that came in 2010’s LC Geonosis Arena Showdown (2010 Edition) (5 of 6) set. It probably can be considered the best Count Dooku sculpt we have, so it’s a great (and only acceptable) choice for this set. While we feel more comfortable calling Count Dooku a straight repack, we did notice some variation in the paint applications on his knees and legs. Some parts appear flat while others look glossy. It’s actually very bizarre to understand what happened here because it really doesn’t make any sense. And we are not even sure if we are explaining what we're seeing very well at all. Anakin Skywalker too is a straight repack of the figure that came in 2005’s ROTS Anakin Skywalker To Darth Vader Evolutions set. The figure was subsequently repacked twice (in The Legacy Collection and Legacy Collection lines) and we did notice a few differences in the finest details (like the way his food rations containers are painted, etc.) but overall should be considered a straight repack. A solid set nonetheless, these commemorative sets provide exactly what they should. They document a very point in Star Wars fandom and we think they are the best "tribute" sets Hasbro has ever made.