501st Legion ARC Troopers (Echo/Fives/Jesse) - TVC - Special Action Figure Sets

The Clone Troopers of the 501st Legion were a tight-knit bunch, loyal to the end to their Jedi General, Anakin Skywalker. Also known as CT-27-5555, Fives trained with Domino Squad on Kamino before being shipped out to the Rishi Moon listening outpost. He survived the Separatist attack on the station there and was transferred to the 501st Legion alongside his squadmate and fellow survivor, Echo. Fives and Echo were promoted to ARC Trooper status after the defense of Kamino from Separatist invaders. Jesse was a hard-fighting patriot who proudly wore the cog-shaped symbol of the Galactic Republic on his helmet, and as a large tattoo that covered his face.

Yes, we will talk slightly unfavorably about the 501st Legion ARC Troopers despite giving it a perfect score. So, is it worth mentioning what bothers us about it? Of course, it is. As if the basic figure line for The Vintage Collection isn’t expensive enough, Hasbro somehow makes it OK to charge nearly $17 per figure in the most-recent and exclusive Special Action Figure Sets. It’s not that we’re not grateful for their continuance with these remarkable collectible sets that pay homage to the ones produced by Kenner decades ago. We’re trying to assess whether we need to spend so much one per figure when the basic figure line is significantly less. What makes the pain feel a little sharper with the 501st Legion ARC Troopers Special Action Figure Set is that we’re getting the same dang figure three times, with tweaks and changes made with all three figures, of course, and that doesn’t feel justified when the set costs $49.99. At the same time, if this is the only way we’re going to get multiple new figures at once, we’ll swallow our frustration and accept it. But it’s starting to rub the collecting community the wrong way. At the very least, it seems as if Hasbro could have charged $39.99 for this set when the only differences include head sculpts and paint jobs. Again, the 501st Legion ARC Troopers Special Action Figure Set gets a perfect score from us. All three figures are beautiful, and we’re happy that Hasbro focused on The Clone Wars for this “convention” exclusive. We hope that more characters from The Clone Wars are on the way because we need more.

Each figure in the 501st Legion ARC Troopers Special Action Figure Set contains all-new figures with all-new tooling. The only differences that set them apart are the unique paint jobs on the armor, and each figure has a unique head sculpt. However, we should clarify that we don’t see any differences between the portraits of Echo and Fives, save for the tattoo on Fives’ forehead. Hasbro developed a body for these figures that comes loaded with premium articulation, although articulating the lower body proves quite tricky thanks to the molded kama each figure has. If you’re looking to have these action figures “run” or to perform any other action-oriented pose, well, you may become a little disappointed. If you’re OK with the lack of lower body movement, you’re probably going to be one happy collector. All three action figures are beautiful and are stunning additions to The Vintage Collection line. The ARC Trooper tooling includes an impressive 28 points of articulation, and they look like fine action figures in the packaging. And outside of it, they are still awesome. After too many years, Hasbro still has trouble properly sizing the Phase II bucket, and the helmets for the ARC Troopers look too big. It’s not as bad as the earlier Phase II Clone Troopers in The Vintage Collection, but a sizing issue still exists. AT least we’re making headway. We prefer all of the ARC Troopers with their helmets removed. They all have more personality without the helmet on the head. Besides, the details in the “human clone” portraits are quite impeccable.

We had difficulty finding deco issues with any of the ARC Troopers’ head sculpts. Hasbro did a brilliant job on them. You’ll find that the white clone trooper armor is accented with a ton of blue and gray color throughout all of the ARC Troopers’ armor. You may find one or two spots with poorly applied paint, but overall, Hasbro did a fine job with these figures’ deco, and the results come off exceptionally well. The gauntlets have some extra detail, and they look beautiful too. We’re particularly fond of each ARC Trooper’s unique attributes on its armor, and Hasbro paid attention to all of the differences to remain faithful to their characters. The pauldron accessory design is screen-accurate, and overall we know collectors will be thrilled with how the figure succeeds visually. We love how there is a slot to plug the DC-15S blaster when not in use. The details here are impeccable. There is a small debate on whether Hasbro scaled the ARC Troopers’ bodies slightly smaller than other Clone Troopers in The Vintage Collection. We notice a somewhat smaller stature, but nothing that’s overly noticeable or something we feel is emergent to remedy. As we’ve mentioned, the only issue we find with this new ARC Trooper tooling is the lower body articulation. It’s not because Hasbro didn’t give this figure a wealth of premium articulation, because they did. The issue is that the molded belt/holster/kama combination piece on each figure, which is gorgeous by the way, inhibits the movement of the ball-jointed hips, swivel thighs, and knees to utter disappointment. Thanks to the “rocker” ankles, collectors will find the ARC Troopers offer more flexibility than other action figures with the same encumbrance. Despite the issues, this set gets a perfect score from us.