Clone Captain Howzer - TVC - Basic (VC210)

Clone Captain Howzer is a first in The Vintage Collection. Can you think of any other single-carded figure whose initial release was part of a multipack that eventually became part of the basic figure assortment, albeit with a corrected nameplate? You can check this scenario off your lists because Clone Captain Howzer is just that. It’s a straight repack of The Vintage Collection Clone Captain Ballast (VC210) figure with a new name, slightly revised card art, and a new UPC. A kit-bashed figure that uses the body of 2019’s TVC 41st Elite Corps Clone Trooper (VC145), it now has an all-new portrait and is wholly repainted. But Ballast and Howzer have no differences between them. We appreciate Hasbro correcting the name issue, but we wonder if the character might have needed a second release in The Vintage Collection. And we’re not so sure about that.

Clone Captain Howzer is a colorful clone with a distinct pauldron that falls on the character’s right shoulder. If you collected back during 2005's Revenge Of The Sith line, you might see a resemblance to one of the figures released at that time. We think that Clone Captain Howzer looks a lot like the “unnamed” Clone Commander (III 33) figure with green color flashes (there were two versions released – the other was red and represented Clone Commander Deviss). Hasbro incorporated battle damage and “wear” to the armor plates, and you can see where the colorful aqua is scratched from various battles. The articulation points move smoothly, allowing you to pose the figure in multiple ways. But now that we have a new “buck” for the Grand Army of the Republic, we feel it’s time for Hasbro to use that figure base instead. Howzer comes with a removable helmet, removable pauldron, and DC-15 blaster.

The Bad Batch is a mixed bag of Star Wars entertainment. Not everyone who likes the show collects Star Wars figures, and those who collect figures from The Vintage Collection don’t typically watch The Bad Batch. Still, with its close ties to The Clone Wars, hopefully, there is enough interest to pull people in and support an action figure like this. Thankfully, Hasbro packed Clone Captain Howzer one per case, so it shouldn’t flood store pegs or pile up online. We believe that most people who show interest in Clone Captain Howzer are Type A collectors who must have one of everything, or those who are passionate about clones. That may be a big enough audience to support an action figure like this. The figure looks good, but with new tooling, Howzer does appear a bit lanky by comparison. We wonder how many clones Hasbro plans to reissue that use 2023’s TVC Clone Trooper (Phase II Armor) (VC269) figure because Hasbro has come in their action figure-making skills.