501st Legion Clone Trooper - TBSA - Six Inch Figures

An elite unit of clone troopers, the 501st Legion patrolled the grounds after their seige of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

Some of the candidate choices Hasbro makes for The Black Series Archive line are relatively smart, even if the action figure originates from an inferior sculpt. A perfect example of this would be the 501st Legion Clone Trooper. This character originated in 2016’s The Black Series [Phase III] 442nd Siege Battalion Clone Trooper/212th Attack Battalion Utapau Trooper/Coruscant Guard (Phase II)/501st Legion Clone Trooper Entertainment Earth exclusive four-pack. Hasbro made the collecting community wait a half of a decade before getting this pivotal character out again in the 6-inch line. The four-pack goes for about $300 on the aftermarket today, so we all appreciate any effort Hasbro makes to get these figures out to collectors again. Plus, the 501st Legion Clone Trooper is THE main clone of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith, and they are prominently featured in The Clone Wars series. Unfortunately, Hasbro made 6-inch collectors wait five years before getting it out again. But the good news is that it is out now, and collectors are army building it, despite its inferior articulation and tooling. It seems as if the blue color flashes cover up many of this figure’s sins, and there is something about The Black Series Archive packaging, which also saves these older figures from certain doom.

Let’s go back to the roots of the 501st Legion Clone Trooper and recap how Hasbro produced the figure. The 501st Legion Clone Trooper is a retool and repaint of 2014’s TBS [P1] Clone Trooper (#14) figure. As you know, the Clone Trooper became the base figure for TOO MANY other clone characters, both infantry and commanders, released in the line to date. 501st Legion Clone Trooper is part of this big family with the same DNA as its counterparts. The Phase II clones are believed to have come with slightly revised hands, but that detail is unconfirmed at this point. Most noticeable is the all-new portrait, or bucket that this figure got back in 2016. Hasbro did a fine job recreating the helmet, and it holds up well after all of these years, even though it isn’t perfect. Despite the figure’s obsolete articulation (especially in the legs), the figure still looks proportioned and will work in any display with the modern clones. It won’t look out of place. Also, Hasbro detailed the figure’s body wonderfully. The best part about the 501st Legion Clone Trooper is that it doesn’t have a removable helmet. We’re glad to see Hasbro go in this direction for the infantry clones as it produces the cleanest (and proportioned) figure possible. There is little to complain about here. Many collectors waited a long time to purchase this figure again.

The 501st Legion Clone Trooper articulates well, but it has limitations regarding more advanced poses, like kneeling, slouching, or placing in a running position. The old legs of the original Clone Trooper (#14) are entirely obsolete at this point. And Hasbro should be using the latest clone trooper buck to reissue these characters. They should consider it an upgrade. The double hinge-jointed elbows and knees are painful now, and they’re downright pointless when it comes to assisting you in posing the figure in the way you want on your shelf. Perhaps the most noteworthy difference to The Black Series Archive 501st Legion Clone Trooper, when compared to its original 2016 release, is the “battle damage” or “dirt” throughout the clone armor. The initial release has darker and thicker markings on it. The Black Series Archive release comes with lighter dirt marking, almost as if this version saw less action during The Clone Wars. Also, the dirt is applied differently throughout the figure, including the helmet, shoulders, and arms. The 501st Legion Clone Trooper only comes with the DC-15 blaster this time. The DC-15 blaster rifle isn’t included with this release, and the missing weapon may put off some collectors. The included blaster interacts well with the figure. The MSRP for The Black Series Archive line is $24.99 currently.