AT-TE Assault Squad - TCW [B] - Battle Packs

A chaotic battle ensues when Anakin and his troopers arrive to attack the B'omarr monk monastery in which the Huttlet is being held prisoner. AT-TE walkers with clone trooper assault squads on board surge into combat against swarms of battle droids. The rugged walkers advance relentlessly up the side of a steep cliff, intent upon reaching the monastery at the top of the mesa.

The Clone Wars brought us a whole new perspective in the Star Wars universe. And for the first time since 2005, we have been receiving an pretty impressive animated-based line of action figures. So far, there haven't been that many disappointments. Accepting that The Clone Wars is full of various clone troopers, there are going to be a lot of toys that share similar molds. Take for instance the AT-TE Assault Squad Battle Packs set. Although Hasbro has decided not to translate that animated style into their vehicles, the figures that pilot the vehicles do. And an animated figure in a non-animated vehicle works much better than you might initially assume. The figures work flawlessly with the new AT-TE vehicle and it makes sense why Hasbro decided not to put an animated spin on their vehicle line. Hasbro's most successful Battle Packs to date have been those filled to the brim with clone troopers (or other army builders for that matter). Star Wars fans cannot get enough members of the various militaries in their collections and this set affords collectors and kids a great opportunity to grab four at once. As a result, this Battle Packs set will not be hugging the shelves for long and we bet Hasbro will have a hard time filling its demand. Of particular interest, this is also the first set of clone troopers we have received in phase I armor that have gray color flashes on their armor. We don’t recall seeing this style in The Clone Wars film or the television series to date, so it may be a Hasbro concept or something that is just off-screen enough not to be noticed. Still, the color and pattern is very believable and Hasbro likes it so much this is the second time they are using this flavor of clone trooper. The set comes with one AT-TE Gunner and three clone troopers (with the gray color flashes). They all look pretty cool and they certainly add a new level of diversity to your many clones. Most importantly, this Battle Packs set also gave us our first animated version of the 2005 ROTS AT-TE Tank Gunner (III 38) figure.

While the three “regular” clone troopers with the gray details are nothing more than reworks of the standard white 2008 TCW Clone Trooper (No. 5) figures, the updates that make them unique are very simple but important to their role in the Republic. They don’t offer anything new (besides color) to the collector, so don’t expect to be wowed. But clone troopers are clone troopers and it is very cool to get them in a new color. Two of the three troopers have two gray dots on their chests while the other has three which obviously denotes some ranking difference. The gray paint used on these figures is a nice color, but it has unfortunately been applied sloppily on some parts of the figure. These uneven paint applications work against the quality of the set because since the gray paint is really the only deciding factor that makes these clones different, well, better care should have been applied to make these clones looks at tidy as possible. For the most part, the Battle Packs that contain these figures have looked pretty good to us in the wild, but you should at least be warned of this potential problem and pick out the best possible sample for yourself before purchasing it. Lastly, the fourth figure in the set, the AT-TE Gunner, is really special. You may assume that he is simply a clone trooper with a fancy hat, but this figure has been retooled (by the very same figure as the reworked gray clones) very well. He has a new head, chest (so the gray chest armor could be added) as well as new upper arms that also sport this gray armor and Republic symbols. The armor has a very distinct pattern on it which is created by beveled grooves in an even dot-like pattern. Think of a Chinese checkerboard. That is the texture of his new armor. It is quite impressive to say the least and we love how it looks on this figure.

This Battle Packs set shipped in an assortment by itself as it was the only new Battle Packs in the wave. Still, it had hit pretty hard and had flown off of the shelves in relatively all retail locations. It is a fantastic idea (army-builder sets) for a Battle Packs set and we hope more are on their way from Hasbro soon! The AT-TE was truly a groundbreaking vehicle and has done quite well at the retail level. It only makes sense that Hasbro provides us groups of clone troopers that can pilot them. Honestly, it is something very special to get a set of four super-articulated clone trooper action figures in one box, even if they look all the same. But whatever your reason is for buying this set, it is a quick and relatively painless way to get a quick group of clone troopers that doesn’t put a huge burden on your pocketbook. And it is also small bonus to get “new'' clones decorated with a color and style we have not seen before. These troopers don't have any battle-damage markings, so if you’re a fan of dirty clones, you may have to pass this one by. Hasbro has canceled the final dirty washes from their basic figures due to cost, so we expect that we will be getting an infantry of very clean soldiers in the next few years. This is unfortunate to us, but it is what it is for now. We also like getting animated versions of characters that we recognize from the films too. So, it is a pleasure to get an animated version of the AT-TE Gunner. There is a basic carded version of an AT-TE Tank Gunner action figure on the horizon and it looks like we may be getting additional and unique version of these AT-TE commanders. The AT-TE Assault Squad Battle Packs set is a very simple multipack, but is essential you’re your collection if you’re looking to stock your AT-TE vehicle with some pretty cool clone troopers. You will quickly find it out that this is a set worthwhile of your time and energy because you'll truly be satisfied when you play with it.