Republic AV-7 Mobile Cannon - TCW [SOTDS] - Vehicles

A Republic AV-7 mobile cannon unleashes its firepower on Separatist forces. The gunner swings the barrel into position and hits the enemy with laser fire, as clone troopers aim their blasters from the platform. The cannon deploys rugged treads for rapid deployment to the front lines. The articulated legs provide stable support on any terrain.

It was sensory overload the way we were introduced to new Star Wars “things” in The Clone Wars film. New characters, new planets, new settings, new battles, new droids and new vehicles all worked together in spitfire fashion to create a fast paces opening to the television. Hasbro has even admitted that they are desperately trying to play “catch-up” in the basic figure line and they still haven’t got to everything they’ve wanted to attack in the line either. So with each new year and/or line look, Hasbro still manages to delve into the earliest The Clone Wars moments and find a pivotal item to render into a toy. And now they’ve created the Republic AV-7 Mobile Cannon in the "Shadow Of The Dark Side" phase of The Clone Wars line and you better believe it’s one of the nicest “vehicles” they’ve made to date in the 3.75” scale. Not exactly a vehicle, the Republic AV-7 Mobile Cannon fits into the Mid Size Vehicle assortment beautifully and dare we criticize them, but they’ve really developed a cleaver play-set instead of a vehicle here. See Hasbro, play-sets are awesome and will sell. (So buy this thing without even thinking about it, OK?)

The Republic AV-7 Mobile Cannon has two attack modes. You can pose it planted on all four of its legs in a stationary position, or you can articulate the legs and set them up off of the ground and two sets of wheeled treads will flip down and you can use it like a vehicle. This toy is loaded with play features as well. The main cannon fires one missile at a time, but there is storage in the body of the vehicle for three more projectiles. (This storage unit is actually in a bad spot. If you have projectiles stored while you move the legs into the “tread mode” they’ll block the legs. Don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world.) Other features include an adjustable gunner seat with movable tactical screen. There is also a platform that pulls away from the back portion of the cannon and reveals gears and various controls. That platform also stores a blast shield for the clone troopers’ protection against Separatist file. The barrel of the cannon elevates up and down and can spin 360 degrees. The Republic AV-7 Mobile Cannon is wonderfully colored and will fit into any animated or realistic diorama you choose to set up.

First seen at the Battle of Christophsis, the Republic AV-7 Mobile Cannon played an integral part on this battle. Not entirely to proper scale as those seen in The Clone Wars film, Hasbro did make it a generous size for the basic figure line and it should please everyone who purchases it. There are a lot of fine details to appreciate with this vehicle. From the “steps” leading up to the gunner seat to the multiple textures engraved into the tooling to bring this piece to life, it is evident that Hasbro has new (and high) standards for their vehicles now. The accent colors like the red in the “body” section of the cannon to the multiple colors found in the length of the barrel all are painted evenly and neatly without any bleeding. It’s definitely nice to get a large “accessory” like this. It certainly changes things up a bit. After all, how many Jedi starfighters can one has in his collection? If we have to pretend that this is a vehicle in order for Hasbro to make something like this to fit in the line, then so be it. But you should know that the Republic AV-7 Mobile Cannon is so nice that you’ll want more than one in your collection. It’s that good!