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INTRODUCTION
The Militaries of Star Wars line goes forward with the
212th Attack Battalion Utapau Trooper. These battle-hardened
soldiers would do whatever it takes to apprehend the Cyborg villain
General Grievous. Under the command of General Obi-Wan Kenobi and
Commander Cody they would enforce their might. You can bet the Sideshow Collectibles exclusive
version would be highly sought after too. They are not wasting any time
delivering the armored Troopers after several years of not doing
Clones or Stormtroopers of any kind. While there were only 1500
pieces worldwide, I really do question the validity of an exclusive
"stand". The upside might be if you did not get the
exclusive version, you wouldn't be too upset settling for the
standard edition.
PACKAGING: 8.9
The package, and even shipping box, seems to shrink with the
economy. As long as my product arrives in good shape, it's not an issue. You
also can't say enough about the ease of sliding the figures in and
out of the package for display purposes. The fold-out package is a
sound option for those who fear the entire ninety plus dollar
investment will be shot the minute you take it out of the sleeve.
One complaint I have with this exclusive version, as with many from
the line: If you have to pay an increase, can they not use a sticker
that will stay on the box? They seem to peel right off without any
problem. If your going to ask for money, use high-quality to really
express the exclusivity of the product.
SCULPT: 8.8
Since this is an armored character, you can't really say too much
about the sculpt. They appear to be perfect size, and standing next
to the Stormtrooper, it appeared to be the same figure. I will say
he does appear to have a slight case of shrunken head syndrome. I
spoke with several collectors who would agree with me in this
statement. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but it seemed to be a
little off in scale.
PAINT: 8.6
This figure was given a superb paintjob. This is one aspect where
they really excelled and did a considerable job helping justify a
pretty hefty price tag. The battle-scars were not too
excessive, but a drawback might be a collector with an
extensive supply of surplus cash might only want one more. Unless
you thought about doing custom work, otherwise I would have to guess
they are all painted the same. One thing I was concerned with would
be if they would nail the shade of orange, and without a doubt they
most certainly did.
ARTICULATION: 7.9
The articulation is very decent, as are all of the Sideshow 1/6th
scale figures. One thing I do not like is the plastic undersuit, as
it does make poses a bit difficult, and I can only guess a cloth or
more elastic-like body glove would have been a better way to go, but
we'll save that for the paragraph after next! The other thing I
really liked about the movement was the helmet. You could put him in
any position, looking up or down and you might think it was a
blessing the helmet wasn't removable.
ACCESSORIES: 9.5 for Reg 5 for Exclusive
The accessories of the blasters
are incredible. The DC-15 and blaster rifle counterpart are quite
impressive. The carbine blaster has a working, fold-away stock that
really increases your pose options. One thing I find to be a tad
tiresome and boring might be the option of the clenched fists. I
really don't think of Troops being brawlers, and they might try
including a set of hands that would allow you to grip the thicker
rifle better. I'm also a bit curious why they didn't incorporate a
removable thermal detonator on the belt. I know there were problems
with the armored Obi-Wan, and really do hope it is secure as it
looks.
OUTFIT: 8.0
It pains me to think as expensive as this figure is, why they went
with the plastic undersuit as I mentioned previously. I would have
preferred they use the same as the Stormtrooper. This thing reminds
me of those tacky Atari jackets from the early 1980's. If there is
one thing I would change about it, the under garment would be out of
a different material for sure.
VALUE: 9.5 for Reg 8 for Exclusive
You know the team at Sideshow work very hard to deliver a superior
product. While there were a couple of things I disliked about this
figure, if you are a diehard collector of this line, you will no
doubt want to add this one to your collection. It is pretty easy to
get past the minor things I touched on, as it's still one fantastic
figure. I'm not sure if it's worth near one hundred dollars shipped.
I would really like to see them get back to the seventy five dollar
price point. I also think there's something to be said about having
a fancy paintjob on the stand, it's hard to imagine they couldn't
come up with a better idea.
OVERALL: 8.2
For the fan of Revenge of the Sith, the Militaries of Star Wars line
does a significant job of paying tribute to our armored heroes that
would later turn to agents of the Empire. I really do hope they
improve the mold for future Clone Troopers, as the head did seem to
be a touch too small. Is it my favorite of the line? No. However
there are many worse things you could spend your collecting dollar on
these days. Fortunately the Sideshow Star Wars line doesn't make
any of them!
RATINGS RECAP
Packaging- 8.9
Sculpt- 8.8
Paint- 8.6
Articulation- 7.9
Accessories- 9.5 For Reg 5 For Exclusive
Outfit- 8.0
Value- 9.5 For Reg 8.0 For Exclusive
Overall- 8.2
SPECIFICATIONS
Edition Size of the 212th
Attack Battalion Utapau Trooper is 1500. SOLD OUT!
Regular 2500
PHOTOS
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