Commander Cody (212th Attack Battalion) - Militaries Of Star Wars - 1:6 Scale Figures

It’s hard to believe that owning a one-sixth scaled version of Commander Cody is now a reality, but it is. If in 2005 you asked us when we would see 12” versions of all the cool clone commanders in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith, we probably would have said never. After the debacle that was Hasbro’s 12” white Clone Trooper with the 91st Reconnaissance Corps insignia on it, we personally didn’t have much hope that we'd ever see an acceptable attempt at the clone leaders. Hasbro certainly wouldn't have been able to do them justice. Thankfully, Sideshow Collectibles came to the rescue and took over the 12" scale and proved us wrong with the release of their Militaries Of Star Wars line that they could remedy the situation. The latest offering is the gorgeous 12” Commander Cody (212th Attack Battalion) figure and it is sure to please. Sideshow has entered a whole new world on how to approach the clone leaders and ingeniously bring forth newfound authenticity as well as honing in on their already brilliant skill of incredible attention to detail. What an accomplishment to still be able to make strides forward despite this long running line being great from its very beginnings. When it comes to the various 12” clone troopers they’ve previously produced, not too much is really that new (aside from some deco changes) on Commander Cody. But because the figure has unique armor pieces and a distinct helmet (two if you include The Clone Wars version), all-new parts needed to be sculpted for him. As you can imagine, Sideshow Collectibles flawlessly and seamlessly translates these differences into the figure wondrously and the collector is left with a wonderful final product that will absolutely bring smiles for years to come. Commander Cody did come with a few initial things that bothered us, but those minor grievances quickly become insignificant next to all of the incredible details they've captured forever for us in this 12" figure. (Of the things we didn’t like for example; the battle-damage on his armor has been created with paint. There is no texture to the damage. Even Hasbro beveled out some of the armor to make this detail as authentic as could be, so we find it a setback that Sideshow didn't follow suit.) Even despite some very small flaws, Commander Cody is nonetheless essentially flawless in our eyes and an incredible figure that we waited very impatiently for over a half a decade. We couldn’t be more proud to finally own this amazing interpretation of him. If you haven’t bought into this line yet, Commander Cody is a great place to start. Let’s face it. You won’t be able to enjoy the hobby of collecting in full unless you are able to see all the fine nuances in detail. Sideshow is able to freeze all of these things for us in their small works of art. That is the glorious nature of this line of figures.

Commander Cody is extremely authentic to both his appearance in Revenge Of The Sith as well as The Clone Wars television show (and film). For his appearance based on Episode III, Sideshow has expertly created a small scale model of the helmet. All of the corresponding deco is in place and the proportions are perfect. And there are even two separately molded pieces (antennas of sorts) that you need to assemble to the helmet to complete it. The color of Commander Cody is perfect. We feel that Sideshow has even managed to match the orange color flashes beautifully as well. (As you’re more than aware, the “Utapau orange”, or so it has been called, has been a difficult color for Hasbro and Gentle Giant Ltd.. to get right.) We think Sideshow Collectibles eclipses all the licensees and rises to the top with their color choice and we congratulate them on being so specific to use the correct shade of orange. The pattern on his chest armor looks amazing and his ranking badge is right in place. There are obvious signs of wear and the paint jobs are gorgeous (but still not as good as the prototype sample shown on the box cover which is a shame - oh well, prototypes always have more fun). Commander Cody’s half-colored utility belt is as it should be and the stripe running across his left thigh couldn’t have been executed better. The copper details on his right arm and the back of his belt just look fine and the yellow color on his thermal detonator just makes Commander Cody stand out from the rest. The phase I helmet included also looks fantastic. We love the flexibility Commander Cody brings to collectors. He is versatile in that he can be posed with the Filoni-inspired 12” figures as well as the movie-specific versions of the many Star Wars characters in the films. This is a great option for collectors. Sideshow could have easily released this figure twice, but instead included all of the options before you in one package. Commander Cody’s armor is slightly yellowed, but unfortunately it doesn’t match the armor on the Republic Clone Trooper (212th Attack Battalion: Utapau) figure as they were extremely dark in comparison. The portrait of Commander Cody is fantastic but has us scratching our heads because Sideshow went with The Clone Wars haircut for Cody instead of the Episode III look. It’s quite possible that you'll be able to see some sort of noticeable thinness on the sides, but the color is the same and it isn’t clear that there is some distinguishing line in his (buzzed) haircut. It’s strange that Sideshow went with that look on him because even Hasbro’s version (who is TCW-focused) went with the Episode III look instead. Cody also comes with his "nasty" signature scar on his face. It looks unbelievable!

Commander Cody comes with a plethora of accessories. In fact, just like Captain Rex, we would dare say too many accessories. The multiple hand attachments border on sensory overload for us but many other collectors appreciate very much the versatility these attachments bring. We find one, two or three we like the most and stick with them, but that’s just our preference because we don't really play with them and pose them as artwork instead. We’re astounded at the level of detail Sideshow captured in the included accessories. You’re probably already familiar with how well they make the guns, but for Commander Cody we also get a hologram base (molded into one of the hand attachments), a holographic Darth Sidious figure (it looks marvelous by the way), two DC-17 blasters (from The Clone Wars television show) and his removable jetpack (which attaches via a magnet). Commander Cody also comes with interchangeable action-posed feet and this does wonders when trying to pose him kneeling. One accessory Sideshow did neglect was the hilt of Obi-Wan’s lightsaber. The good news is you already have this accessory if you own Sideshow Collectibles’ Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Master) figure, but it would have been nice for them to include it here, especially since it is part of a very memorable scene. Even his film-specific helmet has its own accessories. There are two very fragile “antenna” pieces that plug into the back of the helmet. This will likely cause indigestion in type A collectors. God forbid this figure falls off of the shelf or even over to the ground, these pieces are in danger of breaking. We firmly suggest ensuring that your Commander Cody figure will not be slipping or sliding off of his stand. With the recent pre-order of Commander Bly, logic dictates that the rest of the clone commanders including Gree, Bacara and Neyo are right around the corner. We impatiently await their official announcements too. They can’t come soon enough. Commander Cody may be only the second clone commander released in the Militaries Of Star Wars line, but he should foreshadow what incredible things are coming our way. Commander Cody is excellence all wrapped up into one 12” figure.