Elite Corps Clone Trooper - Mini Busts

Led by Commander Gree, these specialized troopers of the 41st Elite Corps were deployed on the beach of Kashyyyk to battle droid forces invading from the water. Swarms of droids overran the beach but the elite troopers held them back, supporting their Republic leaders... until the Emperor ordered the corps' commander to execute Order 66.

Ever since Hasbro released their Elite Corps Clone Trooper action figure in The Saga Collection, the character has been a bit of a misnomer in collecting. It actually caused confusion. Is this an Expanded Universe take on the Kashyyyk Trooper seen in Episode III? Or is it a cheap way for Hasbro to get us the Kashyyyk Trooper quickly. Well, it actually was the latter. And it wasn’t until 2008 where Hasbro released an accurately sculpted Kashyyyk Trooper (08 04) in the tail end of the 30 (77-07) line. A little bit short for a clone trooper, it would nonetheless go on to become a mainstay in the basic figure line and most collectors love the figure. So now it’s time for another licensee to take on this member of the Army of the Republic. Released as a Premier Guild Member exclusive, Gentle Giant Ltd. shipped out a very late (but better than never) version of the Elite Corps Clone Trooper. The bust is nice, but not perfect. But it’s cool to get one of Commander Gree’s specialists to display next to him.

Elite Corp Clone Trooper has been painted in a very complex camouflage pattern. You’ll find lots of green, brown and tan all mixed together. The colors work very well together and give the piece a very realistic final look. The mini bust comes outfitted with a nicely designed DC-15 blaster and he’s got it posed at the ready for the next Separatist droid that enters his pathway. The head/helmet is beautifully sculpted. As you already know, the Scout Trooper from Episode VI and the Kashyyyk Trooper from Episode III have very different helmets. Gentle Giant Ltd. ensured all of the differences were copied flawlessly and we don’t think that they could have done a better job capturing it all. There are some production anomalies that we intend to address with Gentle Giant and that is we noticed some paint peeling on the top of the helmet. We are concerned that over time, the stunning paint job may start to peel away or crumble off destroying the mini bust. We hope ours is an isolated case.

The back of the mini bust has just as much attention to detail as the front of the piece. But it is on the posterior that you’ll be able to appreciate how much artistic prowess the creators had to design such a remarkable collectible. All of the pouches, backpack details and many other things are forever frozen in time. And they couldn’t be more accurate for even the most discriminating collector. Effortlessly, the sculptors have visibly shown the various pieces that make up the Elite Corps Clone Trooper’s armor with unbelievable precision and exactness. The bust sits atop the standard display base and the bottom of it is colored silver to denote it as an exclusive to the Premier Guild Members club. We are surprised by gentle Giant’s choice to include this type of clone trooper as an exclusive. It seems that there will be many non-members who will want to get their hands on one of these limited pieces. Some could consider this piece to be Commander Faie, but hopefully Gentle Giant can release a similar piece again for a broader audience this way instead.