Elite Squad Trooper - TBS [P4] - Six Inch Figures (TBB03)

After the formation of the Galactic Empire, a small group of highly skilled enlisted recruits is tasked with neutralizing anti-Imperial insurgents throughout the galaxy as a means to prove the effectiveness of conscripted soldiers.

Well, not every figure in a case assortment can be perfect, can it? After introducing two members of The Bad Batch, Hasbro also included a member of the infantry, the Elite Squad Trooper. But instead of utilizing all of the tooling of the 2020 TBS [P4] Clone Trooper (Kamino) (TCW01) figure, they chose to use the legs of the original Phase I Clone Trooper sculpt. The result is an inferior-looking version of a grayed-out Phase II Clone Trooper, with meager articulation and screen-inaccurate details. The legs of the original Phase II template were good for their time, but now outdated, and Hasbro should be producing all-new releases with the complete 2020 designs. We’re not sure where the breakdown happened, but this is not a good action figure. Between the double hinge-jointed knees and arms to the helmet with wonky dimensions, the Elite Squad Trooper feels out of place next to Hunter and Crosshair, and that’s a very disappointing sentiment to feel about these figures.

As with many other phase I and phase II Clone Trooper action figures that Hasbro has released throughout the years, this particular Clone Trooper receives a body cast in solid dark gray plastic. And it has a clean paint job. At the time of the tooling’s original release, Hasbro included an acceptable articulation system, but it now the legs are obsolete. It no longer has the edge over other clone action figures in the line. The double hinge-jointed knees now see a decline in the quality of their movement. You’re not able to bend the legs in ways that ball-jointed articulation doesn’t allow. And you can attain some fantastic poses, but they're not ideal. Aestehtically, they look out of place too. After all, isn't that the point now? Don’t collectors prefer uniformity and similarity between figures now? Well, the three The Bad Batch characters don’t have this desire uniformity, unfortunately. There is, however, still plenty of mobility here courtesy of ball-jointed shoulders and wrists.

The Elite Squad Trooper can be posed in so many ways that all previous and similar 3.75” versions of clone characters couldn’t come close to capturing. That’s a positive here. The included accessory is nothing more or less than you would typically expect. You get a DC-15 blaster, and that’s it here. It complements the figure nicely. Exceptional articulation is evolving in the 6” line, and as a result of this, figures become obsolete quickly. The emerging line seems like it has an ever-existing learning curve to conquer. We suppose we should expect to see plenty of repaints using this tooling. We thought Hasbro would retire all parts of the original clone template, but they’re still coming, sadly. Regardless, the Elite Squad Trooper is a shiny new action figure. The paint operations are simple but can be appreciated. From the green visor to the midnight gray armor, the Elite Squad Trooper is a necessary addition to The Black Series 6” line, especially for The Clone Wars enthusiasts.