Editor’s Note:  This review has been updated with a second look…

Original Review:  Chris 1/30/2014 05:53 AM

Some fans complain about upgrading figures when there are so many characters yet to be realized in plastic form.  Apparently Hasbro heard these complaints, so instead of upgrading a figure, they decided to downgrade a figure.  Strike that.  They decided completely utterly mindbogglingly downgrade a figure.  There is so much wrong with this figure, I don’t even feel like reviewing it.  I’d rather talk about the Wonder Twins.  Why did the writers of Super Friends think turning into water was a super power?

As everyone knows, despite absolutely nailing the paint applications on the Legacy Collection 41st Elite Corps Clone Trooper, the Black Series version manages to skip most of those paint applications.  So instead of the appropriate white and gray armor, we end up with a mostly white Clone Trooper.  The solid gray that should appear on the shoulders, lower torso, belt and shins is missing.  When that much detail is missing, you can’t even call this figure a 41st Elite Corps Clone Trooper.

Adding insult to injury, the paint apps Hasbro miraculously remembered to include are applied with seemingly no quality control.  The only distinguishing mark that is included is the gray piping in certain areas.  Of course the lines are painted so sloppily that they may have been applied by a caffeine addict riding a mechanical bull.  Look at the vents on the left side of the helmet on the photographed sample to see more sloppy execution.  Lastly the universally hated oversized removable helmet rounds out one of the worst figures Hasbro has delivered in recent memory.  Once again, this is a figure I would never have bought were it not for this site.  No one should buy this piece of garbage.

This brings us our final celebrity guest reviewer for the another wave 2 misfire.  Dean Wormer, how would you score this figure?

Well said, sir.

Updated Review:  Bret - 11/03/2018 07:05 AM

The Black Series line was already barely holding on to the TVC mantle.  The first wave consisted of several figures that were generally TVC grade, although often missing some touches that made collectors feel like there was no value inside the bubble. They either had shoddy paint apps, lacked some expected accessories, or fell a little short on the articulation front.  But while there may have been a decline in quality and value through the first few figures, that trend dropped precipitously with this release.

Despite the best efforts of a handful of very insistent members of the collecting community, Hasbro was continuing to pump out clone variants using their relatively new VC45 mold.  You either love the mold because it’s a clever hybrid of animated and realistic styling and it’s true to the CGI rendering in AOTC/ROTS, or you’re not insane and you realize that this is a terrible thing and that Hasbro expects us to replace our existing clone armies with these disturbingly undernourished variants.

As we’ve said over the past 389 reviews of clones using this mold, Chris likes it and I don’t.  But if you’re okay with the skinny limbs, you then have to get over the Phase 2 helmet.  The bucket is terrible, and needs to be reworked.  If you can get over the skinny limbs and the terrible bucket, you then have to accept that this clone only comes with the blaster, and not the rifle.  It’s a cheap maneuver by Hasbro.  At least they did give the blaster the TVC-level silver paint touches, which honestly do give a higher-end look, but the lack of the second weapon is disappointing.  If you can accept the skinny limbs, and the terrible helmet, and the missing rifle, well…let’s just say you might as well have not bothered coming this far.  Because nobody can forgive the paint apps, or what pass for paint apps. 

As Chris mentioned, whatever grey unit markings are actually present are woefully applied.  They look to me like they were drawn on with a Sharpie.  But the bulk of the gray armor flashes are completely absent.  I don’t know what happened here, but it’s a travesty.  It’s questionable whether or not this figure was really necessary in the first place, but nevertheless, the quality is horrendous.  It’s an embarrassment.  Shame, Hasbro.  Shame!  We’ll keep the zero-point-zero for a score.

Verdict: Re-paint (VERY LOW PRIOR….Ah, what the hell.  A repaint is already coming in TVC in 2019) 

If you want this figure, you basically have two choices.  Either get the well loved “ROTS 41” clone mold from The Legacy Collection, or wait until the TVC version drops in 2019.  Under no circumstances should you buy this (or the version that comes with the ROTS battle pack), unless you’re an uber completist.  If you are, I would wonder if you collect the drivers themselves, or just the cars.  HA!  A fine jest worthy of being part of the review of this crapfest of a figure.  This party’s over.  Yeah, tell ‘em, Mace!

Verdict Guide:
Re-sculpt = The figure is not definitive, and a new version should be developed.
Re-issue = This version is definitive (or close enough), and shows sufficient secondary market demand to warrant a straight repack.
No Action = This release does not require new attention.