Phase I Clone Trooper - TVC - Basic (VC309)

In the beginning phases of the Clone Wars, the introduction of white-armored clone troopers in the Republic's Grand Army represented the future of galactic warfare.

We suppose it was inevitable, and we’ve seen previous examples of this in the line, but it’s becoming frequent as of late. Hasbro is revisiting characters designated as “definitive” in The Vintage Collection. It makes sense. Better technology comes with better tooling, likenesses, and action figures. We cannot fault Hasbro for taking advantage of these things when the opportunity is right. After using the heck out of the Clone Trooper (VC45) tooling, Hasbro designed an all-new (and much better) version of the Phase I Clone Trooper. With updated articulation, much-improved proportions, and enhanced design, the 2024 Phase I Clone Trooper version is a marked improvement. However, its share of issues should surprise no one as they come with the territory. Unfortunately, in this world, improvements are often sidetracked by setbacks, and we’ll try to give you examples of these with the new release of this action figure. We never anticipated wanting Hasbro to tool an all-new Clone Trooper action figure for The Vintage Collection, but we’re glad they did. The often-underrated Clone Trooper (VC45) figure got a lot of unnecessary flack. Sure, it wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it serves a long and consistent purpose for collectors, and we amassed a huge Grand Army of the Republic because of it. Hasbro based the new clone trooper buck on the dreadful Disney Star Wars characters, but it works equally well for any clones in the Prequel Trilogy or The Clone Wars series.

The Phase I Clone Trooper, not unlike its close cousin, the Clone Trooper (Phase II Armor) figure, is fantastic. From the start, we’d like to point out that Hasbro once again utilized matte white plastic for this figure, which is a little whiter this time, which makes us thrilled. The flat matte color of the armor is perfect here, and we’re glad they avoided a shiny finish instead. The articulation system on the Phase I Clone Trooper figure is astounding. Including ball-socket hips and “rocker” ankles do wonders for army-building action figures like this. Plus, Hasbro figured out the proper way to keep the friction intact so that the hips don’t get loose after articulating them several times. Hasbro did an excellent job in that regard. They also added some unnecessary, yet appreciated, details like outlining the bottom of the boots with black and distinct textures to the body glove underneath the armor. This clone version is noticeably smaller than most others we’ve previously received. But it’s also the most accurate as clones are average height and do not tower over most other characters in the Star Wars universe. While we appreciated the new Clone Trooper (Phase II Armor) figure’s bucket, we’re a little disappointed with the bucket for the Phase I version. It seems too broad and small, and “barely” fits over the figure’s portrait. We find this deflating and frustrating. Also, we notice it more on this release, but the Phase I Clone Trooper suffers from “no neck” a little bit, although it’s less noticeable when the helmet is on the head.

The fairest thing Hasbro did here was to include the Phase I Clone Trooper on a card with the Attack Of The Clones entertainment logo. And we’re also elated to see them choose a unique character photo since this figure is neither a reissue nor a re-release. The head sculpted underneath the helmet looks like Hasbro once again reused it. And we’re confident the Phase I and II clones share the same portrait. Also included with the Phase I Clone Trooper figure are two weapons, including a DC-15 blaster and a DC-15 blaster rifle. Both guns fit well into the figure’s hands, and thanks to outstanding upper body articulation, you can use one or two hands while holding them. The fluidity in the body movement allows you to pose the figure in various positions. You can accomplish all these positions without issue, whether standing, running, or kneeling. Now that Hasbro has designed a Phase I helmet, we expect that we’ll be going through the motions again to get all of the clone officers from Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones, but also various Phase II clones from Revenge Of The Sith. We may finally have a uniform clone army using this tooling from here on out. It will be overbearing to go through that exercise because most of us are tired of clones. However, we should all prepare to receive MULTIPLE Clone Trooper action figures because Hasbro needs to amortize the tooling expended to create the new tooling. We’re happy to see the Phase I Clone Trooper redo added to The Vintage Collection. Hasbro should show off the beauty they accomplished here.