332nd Ahsoka’s Clone Trooper - TVC - Basic (VC248)

The surprise release of 2022 was the Clone Trooper (501st Legion) variant figure, complete with a different portrait. Hasbro abandoned the 2012 TVC Clone Trooper (VC60) figure from Revenge Of The Sith to focus on the latest characters from Disney Star Wars. Admittedly, the buck used to produce The Vintage Collection isn’t the best, but fellow collectors critique it harshly and to extremes. The figure still poses beautifully and achieves an abundance of positions thanks to its relatively good design. Sure, it may not have ball-socket hips or “rocker” ankles, but once you play with the figure, you’ll discover a nice amount of surprises, and it will be a redeemable figure in your Star Wars action figure collection. Hasbro made TVC collectors wait gruelingly long with the release of 332nd Ahsoka’s Clone Trooper from the late run of The Clone Wars. After The Black Series 6-inch and Galaxy Of Adventures 5-inch ranges, 3.75-inch super-articulated collectors were boiling over with aggravation because Hasbro left us out in the dark for this well-liked character. But only a couple of months after the updated Clone Trooper (501st Legion) release, Hasbro came through and gave us the variation based on the 332nd Company. There isn’t much to say. The action figure comes with a newly painted bucket sporting the silhouette of Ahsoka Tano’s head and a noticeably different paint job throughout the rest of the figure.

The updated 2022 release of the Clone Trooper (501st Legion) (VC240) figure is a bit frustrating, as it is appreciated. 2011’s TVC Clone Trooper (501st Legion) (VC60) is the rarest figure from the original run of The Vintage Collection. It became one of the top finalists in Jedi Temples Archives’ “most requested wish list” poll, a poll of figures that collectors want to see added to the line again. We’re thrilled that Hasbro is paying attention to our list and releasing all the highest-ranking characters. Now we’re up to the 332nd Ahsoka’s Clone Trooper figure. And now we have a third variation, but this one looks the most different. The entertainment logo is The Clone Wars, and Hasbro kit-bashed the figure with a familiar-looking portrait for this release. 332nd Ahsoka’s Clone Trooper is a repaint of the newest Clone Trooper (501st Legion figure). The latter is a kit-bashed figure that utilizes the body and accessories of 2012’s TVC Clone Trooper (501st Legion) (VC60) figure. Also, Hasbro incorporated the head of Clone Captain Rex (VC208) from 2022’s TVC Special 4 Action Figures [Clone Captain Rex/Clone Captain Ballast/Clone Captain Grey/Elite Squad Trooper] multipack. This time, Hasbro repainted the figure and included a distinct helmet. The bucket is still too big, but it’s more rigid this time, and this is a detail we’ve been seeing for some time. Because Hasbro used Clone Captain Rex’s head sculpt, the bucket stays on tightly and doesn’t fly off the figure’s head if you turn the figure upside down.

Honestly, it’s a fair assessment to note that the articulation system is outdated. Collectors feel there aren’t any “rocker” ankles desperately needed for the figure. The ball-jointed hips do nothing to help you pose the figure without interrupting another part of the figure you pose. Yes, the buck is sometimes annoying and disappointing to see. But with patience, you can pose the figure brilliantly. With all the complaints out there, the figure still has merit. It looks good, especially in action-oriented poses. The applications of the blue color flashes look fantastic, perhaps a bit crisper this time. The mismatched bright-orange color flashes on the helmet are stunning. They look great, and Hasbro ideally applied them to the new version; another benefit here. We’re happy Hasbro still included the broken strokes of color representing the battle damage the armor sustained in various harsh environments or skirmishes. Had Hasbro updated the helmet, we believe that most of us could forgive the reuse of a decade-plus old mold at this point. We don’t understand the disconnect with that accessory. Do they bother to look at their figures before approving them? At this point, we don’t foresee them ever updating this out-of-scale accessory. The new 332nd Ahsoka’s Clone Trooper is a lovely addition to the line. It looks excellent next to Ahsoka Tano and, to us, is the best version of the 332nd Company of all the scales that Hasbro produced of this figure. Maybe that’s not saying much.