MAKE THE MAINS:  Attack Of The Clones

I'm going to keep beating some familiar drums for these #MakeTheMains introductions. First, the tiering has to do with market viability and not the worthiness of the characters. Second, while I want every single PT Jedi brought up to modern 2022 "Jedi Level Articulation" standards, many of them are not "main" characters (but I will be pushing that boundary for the Revenge of the Sith entry for a certain key (wink) Jedi).

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Last 100% new tooling: 2008
Exists in Vintage Collection: Yes
Original 96: No
Original 96 alternate card opportunity: N/A
Requires 100% new tooling: No
Notes: I sense a growing frustration in the community that a new Jango Fett hasn't happened yet. Those 2008 Fett Legacy Evolutions Mandalorian figures were never outstanding even from day one. I think between all the new Mandlorian figures we've received recently, 80% of the tooling for a Jango Fett already exists, which only adds to the frustration that we continue to wait.


Last 100% new tooling: 2011
Exists in Vintage Collection: Yes
Original 96: No
Original 96 alternate card opportunity: N/A
Requires 100% new tooling: No *
Notes: Hasbro seems to have no plans to sunset the VC45 - Clone Trooper mold any time soon, but they should. It's not that that figure is particularly dated. It has better articulation than 90% of the modern line. It's more about how ridiculously well received a Phase I Clone Trooper with 2022 articulation would be. It would absolutely crush it in terms of sales. The other big issues is that, while the 2011 release has most of the modern articulation (minus the new hips, rocker ankles and a thigh swivel), the proportions have always been off. Because they were CGI, the Clones in Episode II were unnaturally thin, but the figure is even skinnier than its on-screen counterpart. I honestly feel that Hasbro was trying to thread the needle between the live action and animated looks of the Phase I Clones.

* A new Phase II Clone Trooper has been pipelined for the Vintage Collection. A lot of that tooling could be reused to help us retire the too-skinny VC45.


Last 100% new tooling: 2008
Exists in Vintage Collection: No
Original 96: No
Original 96 alternate card opportunity: N/A
Requires 100% new tooling: Yes
Notes: Oh, believe me, Dooku is not in Tier A because of me. It's here because the community has been screaming for this figure for years now. I actually happen to think that the 2008 Sith Legacy Evolutions Dooku is the dreaded "good enough". The late Christopher Lee was 198 years old when he filmed Attack of the Clones. He didn't perform many (any?) advanced dueling maneuvers. The only thing that would benefit from modern articulation is the way Dooku addresses Obi-Wan and Anakin with his saber prior to doing battle. Hinged wrists would greatly add in that pose. Otherwise, I was initially dubious about putting Lord Tyranus in Tier A, but then I remembered one of the immutable laws of the universe:

Sith sell, BABY!

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Last 100% new tooling: 2007
Exists in Vintage Collection: No
Original 96: No
Original 96 alternate card opportunity: N/A
Requires 100% new tooling: Yes
Notes: This is the flip side of Dooku. For me, Master Windu is as Tier A as Tier A gets. I can't stand the VC35 - Mace Windu figure, which was actually based on 2007's TAC 30-06 - Mace Windu figure. 15 year old tooling is ridiculously outdated for a trilogy spanning Jedi Master, who served a primary role in the story. Unfortunately, Hasbro just re-released VC35 with Photo Real, and I'm not confident that the market would tolerate another release any time soon.


Last 100% new tooling: 2008
Exists in Vintage Collection: Yes
Original 96: No
Original 96 alternate card opportunity: N/A
Requires 100% new tooling: Yes
Notes: Can I just write "ditto" here? Everything mentioned about Mace Windu could be repeated about Episode II Obi-Wan except that the tooling is one year newer, but that's not exactly significant. It would be like replacing your 39 year old quarterback with a 38 year old. They're both over the hill (unless they're named Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr.).

As far as the Tier B status, VC31 is currently being re-released. The market would need a break from this source before investing in all new tooling.

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