Republic Clone Lieutenant (Phase I Armor) - Militaries Of Star Wars - 1:6 Scale Figures

At the time of their introduction, the Republic clone trooper represented the future of galactic warfare. Far superior to the battle droid armies of the era, the clone troopers formed the backbone of the Republic's new military initiative that battled against the forces of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. So pervasive and symbolic were they of the times, the galaxy-wide conflict that saw their debut took its name from their ranks: the Clone Wars. It would be a long and bloody conflict in the years to come, but the efficiency of the clone trooper infantry would be proven time and again on many scattered worlds.

According to Jedi investigations, the clone army was apparently commissioned by one of their own a decade previous to their introduction on the battlefield. Using the original genetic code of bounty hunter Jango Fett, the Kaminoans carefully tampered with the material to produce clones with diminished independence and accelerated growth. For a decade's time, the clones were constantly trained in fighting techniques, vehicular skills and battlefield tactics. Yet, they still maintained a spark of independent and creative thinking, making them far better suited than droids to handle the unexpected turns of warfare.

Identical in form, physical prowess, stamina and mental capacity, each of the first generations of clone troopers were fully encased in hard white armor, each identical face concealed behind a t-shaped visor. Eventually, color-coded flashes on the armor denoted rank and later came to signify individual units, who often became more customized with mission specific gear and armor modifications.

The blue color flashes on a phase I clone trooper denotes rank of lieutenant. And probably no other clone trooper screams “exclusive” more than the clone trooper lieutenant. It first received its exclusive status as one of the most controversial exclusives of all time, the Gentle Giant Ltd. Clone Trooper lieutenant mini bust. Gentle Giant again used this clone trooper in another exclusive and different format as the classics bust Premier Guild Member exclusive of 2008. It is in that same spirit (almost) that Sideshow Collectibles proudly releases their 1:6 Scale Republic Clone Lieutenant San Diego Comic Con exclusive figure. While collectors can certainly expect pretty much every flavor of clone trooper to come out from Sideshow so that they maximize their tooling costs in the Militaries Of Star Wars line, this SDCC exclusive brings quite a bit new to the table and it may just introduce the new take Hasbro is going to take with their clone trooper figures. The Republic Clone Lieutenant is quite a few steps above the previously released generic Republic Clone Trooper (Phase I Armor) so there more to be impressed with the exclusive lieutenant. But Sideshow Collectibles have clearly shown a new and improved commitment to their 1:6 Scale Figures and we can’t help but become more excited with what the line will bring us. The quality of the line is reaching all new levels and while the possibility exists that you may be a little bit bored with all the clone troopers at this point, you can expect to see something updated with each release.

If you own the generic white Republic Clone Trooper (Phase I Armor) 1:6 Scale Figure from Sideshow, you know that he is pretty clean. Sideshow Collectibles went the completely opposite way for the lieutenant and dirtied him up from head to toe. The dirt collects in all the right places and the overall presentation of the figure leaves the viewer with the confirmation that this character has seen some action in the various battles of the Clone Wars. Full of streaks, scratches and splatters of earthy Geonosian terrain, the Republic Clone Lieutenant is one of the best decorated 1:6 Scale action figures Sideshow has ever produced. And this is saying a lot because up to this point we thought that both the Republic Clone Trooper (212th Attack Battalion: Utapau) and Imperial Shock Trooper were Sideshow’s finest work to date. It is our unadulterated opinion that this Episode II clone trooper steals the show. The blue color flashes may be the slightest too dark, there are expertly painted on the figure and the lines are straight and even and clean, almost too perfect for human hands. The final results are extremely impressive! This precision continues down the figures arms and the paint job is free from any bleeding or uneven lines. We are quite curious how Sideshow has upped their quality control here but it has certainly paid off in this situation. Then to top it off Sideshow Collectibles added a wealth of final dirty paint operations which gives this 1:6 Scale Figure a stunning real-world look as if he has actually participated in battle. The paint operations are simply stunning. If only other licenses could treat their figures in this manner collectors would just be awestruck.

So, what about all of those enhancements? There are indeed a few here. Sideshow has crafted a brand new body glove for the clone trooper. Instead of a bulky vinyl body suit that bunches up when you pose the figure (as in all older clone trooper figures released to date), a new ribbed textured polyester fabric body suit is in its place. It has various ridging in it and looks absolutely spectacular. But there is also a problem. We wish you could dress our older clone troopers in this same body suit because now the figures aren’t uniform. Hopefully Sideshow will offer collectors the opportunity to order (even purchase) replacement body gloves in this new material. Again, it is totally incredible. Also new to this figure is the actual 1:6 Scale Figure stand. If you collect this line you know that the ring that goes around the waist often leaves distress marks or starches on the figure. Sideshow cleverly crafted a new end to this stand that hold the figure up via between his legs and cups each inner thigh in the cod section and keeps the figure upright much better (and without possible damage to the figure either). Overall, this is essentially the most perfect 1:6 Scale Figure Sideshow has made so far in their extremely impressive line. Whether you are tiring of clone troopers or not, it would be a shame to not give this figure a second chance and see if there is a place for it in your collection. Because this figure is done so well, we actually are very excited to see the more commonly seen captain and commander from Episode II. But we believe we will be seeing them much sooner than we expect!