Republic Clone Troopers - SW [TPM 3D] - Battle Packs

Clone troopers train for combat on the planet Kamino. Kamino is not only the place where the clone troopers are engineered; it is also where they are trained in battle tactics, fighting techniques and explosives. Seasoned clone troopers push the cadets hard to turn them into the toughest and most skilled soldiers in the galaxy.

Hasbro’s most inconsistent sub-line are the Battle Packs. Can you think of another sub-line that goes from extraordinary to complete garbage literally on a month to month basis? Some of the greatest action figures and accessories our collections have ever seen came from the Battle Packs line. It’s gone from five figures down to three in its relatively short shelf life, but it has outlived other sub-lines including Evolutions and Comic Packs. Hopefully it will still be hanging on for a few more years because it truly is the bets way to get collectors cool figures at a reasonable price, or at least a price that is slightly under the basic figure cost. Usually the Battle Packs set that contain trooper builders are the most successful and Hasbro knows this very well. So when it came time to think of a great set to release in the new 2012 line, they based one on a group of random clones that never “saw” each other in the television show. The Republic Clone Troopers Battle Packs sets includes one clone trooper each from the first three seasons of The Clone Wars all packed together in a great army-building set. This set is so good that we would recommend to them to “rerelease” it a few more times to knock out the Domino Squad, help us army-build the awesome Bomb Squad Troopers and then include a third random clone (like the 501st Legion). We bet each one would sell incredibly well.

The Battle Packs approach has changed throughout the years, but perhaps it’s biggest evolution is happening now for the 2012 Star Wars [The Phantom Menace 3D] line. The figures are attached in a blister like fashion. Battle Packs are no longer a box of figures that you open. They’re almost like deluxe basic figures now. The packaging isn’t that impressive, but it’s likely very economical. Sadly, the savings isn’t being applied to the MSRP. (It’s still not a bad price for three figures though.) Clone Trooper Cutup (also labeled as Clone Cadet Cutup on the Galactic Battle Game card) is the second member of Domino Squad we have received. We’re actually surprised to see him because Hasbro announced a while back that they had no plans to release the rest of the members as action figures. Cutup is a rework of 2011’s TCW Clone Trooper Hevy In Training Gear (CW41) and comes with a removable helmet and DC-15 blaster rifle. Sourced from the opening episode of Season 3, Cutup is most welcomed and it makes us want the rest of the Domino Squad more than ever. Hasbro did their best to match the exact shades of color to each other, but there are some differences that just can’t be helped when figures are manufactured at two different time periods.

Bomber Squad Trooper is technically a Clone Ordnance Specialist and is sourced from the Season 1 episode Blue Shadow Virus (from the last half of the season). Unfortunately, he doesn’t come with his most important artillery, the bombs. This is a most terrible oversight and we are praying at some point Hasbro has plans for a nice big multipacks riddled with these clones and their respective bombs. The orange paint Hasbro used matches the onscreen characters very well and it almost looks neon on the action figure. It’s likely the most colorful clone trooper yet based on The Clone Wars franchise. And Clone Trooper Hardcase from Season 2 is a bit more obscure (but a very popular clone nonetheless) and his addition to the line is especially warranted. Both the Bomber Squad Trooper and Clone Trooper Hardcase are reworks of 2010’s TCW Clone Trooper Draa (CW35) figure. Obviously both are repainted to match their respective characters. Although there still remains a great deal of criticism and controversy over this revised 2010 TCW Clone Commander Stone (CW44) mold,the proportions are perfect despite having less articulation. The Republic Trooper Battle Packs set is hopefully something you won’t be ignoring. It’s a fantastic set and so far the best Battle Packs set in the 2012 lineup.