RC-1138 (Boss) - TBS [P4] - Six Inch Figures (GG07)

Republic Commando introduced the elite Delta Squad, a team of clone commandos dispatched to handle the most dangerous missions for the Republic.

It seems many collectors are growing tired of Hasbro’s nth clone trooper variation anymore. As they produce new figures for the line, they’re quicker than ever to reuse that tooling to create an entirely different character. While this protocol seems “fine” for most collectors on paper, the fact that Hasbro doesn’t tweak any existing tooling to make the “new” characters specific to their entertainment aggravates and exhausts longtime supporters of the line. At first glance, you’ll believe that RC-1138 (Boss) is primarily an all-new figure. But this assessment is the furthest thing from the truth. RC-1138 (Boss) is 95% 2021’s TBS [P4] Hunter (TBB01) figure, you know, the Rambo character, and besides an all-new portrait, the Republic Commando helmet, and a starkly contrasting paint job, that’s all that separates the two characters. But is that enough difference for the discriminating 6-inch collectors that are waiting for Hasbro to bring forth the latest and greatest with every successive action figure released in this format? And then they receive a figure like RC-1138 (Boss).

What makes RC-1138 (Boss) feel slightly painful is Hasbro’s laziness on this figure. They didn’t even attempt to bring any newness or freshness to the action figure. As expressed, RC-1138 (Boss) is almost a 100% “copy and paste” reuse of The Bad Batch’s Hunter figure. But the finest of details are the same here as well. The scuff marks on the legs are identical to Hunter’s, the backpack is the same, the chest armor is the same, the arms are the same, and the blaster is the same. It doesn’t seem right that the only detail that separates the two characters is Boss’ unique Republic Commando helmet is different. And since this is the case, why did RC-1138 (Boss) cost more than the all-new figure (Hunter) when first released? To make matters worse, Hasbro did nothing to “cover” or “hide” the knife/sheath attachment spot on Hunter for RC-1138 (Boss). So, Boss has a big hole in the left arm, and it does nothing. We felt our sarcasm taking over in the Photo Gallery and decided to insert the DC-17m blaster there. We won’t tell you where we’d genuinely like to insert it.

The figure has excellent articulation, but the legs still cause some consternation. It’s a bit difficult to pose the figure in a kneeling position. Also, some running or action-oriented poses don’t turn out as you wish, thanks to the complexity of Hasbro trying to work in premium articulation while hiding it under clone armor like knee pads. But if you compare Hunter side by side with RC-1138 (Boss), you’ll be pretty surprised how Hasbro phoned this action figure in and didn’t bother doing anything new. Is this what we have to look forward to with the remaining Republic Commando characters not yet released? Part of the Gaming Greats sub-line between Hasbro and GameStop, it feels like the character’s sourcing makes the most sense, although it would have been nice to see it placed in The Clone Wars sub-collection. What won’t make sense is the complete lack of disregard for the character’s uniqueness in a line where Hasbro has the widest profit margins to tweak things here and there to freshen things up a bit. But they’d rather rinse and repeat instead.