2010 Tactical Droid TA-175/ Armoured Scout Tank mini-rig pack

Ok, so here are my thoughts on the 2010 Clone Wars mini-rig of Tactical Droid TA-175 and Armoured Scout Tank!

Tactical Droid TA-175: TA-175 appeared in the Clone Wars episode called "Liberty on Ryloth". He betrayed his Separatist general, Wat Tambor, by stealing his shuttle as Tambor wasted time trying to get the last 'valuables' in. TA-175 is a re-paint of the 2009 CW46 TX-20 figure. The re-painted areas of TA-175 include the sides of his legs, just above the feet, the head, the chest armour and part of the arms. He has a logo near his chest, similar to TX-20's but in a different colour. The articulation is decent on this figure. His feet, head and arms are all really flexible. The only bad articulation is the stiff knees, but they're not too bad. His only acessory is the standard droid E-11 blaster. I rate this figure at 9/10. Detailing is superb on this figure, flexibility is good as well. Only blip is the stiff knees, bit it's still a really good figure and well worth getting.

Armoured Scout Tank: This mini-tank is a straight re-pack from another mini-rig, "Battle Droid with Armoured Scout Tank". It's basically the front part of an AAT (Armoured Assault Tank) taken away from the rest of the AAT, and with the cannon's on it's right side missing, but is still in a way, Hasbro's invention. You have to squeeze whatever figure you want to put in into a certain part near the back, so it doesn't fall out easily, or move around on the vehicle. There is also a handle for putting a figures hands on. It has a neat playability feature, aimed at the kids, where you twist the part at the back one way, which fires one of the rocket firing pieces out, twist it the other way, and it will fire the other way! I rate this vehicle at 9/10. The colouring and detail on it is superb, very reminiscent of the front of the AAT. Only problem is it could have used two more cannons on the other side, but it is still a great vehicle.

As a whole, I give this pack a 9/10. It's a very useful pack to have. It contains one of only two of the Tactical Droid's made so far. It also has a neat mini-rig which has only appeared twice, once in this, and once in another mini-rig.

2010 ARF Trooper Boil/AT-RT Walker mini-rig Pack

Ok, so here are my thoughts on the Clone Wars 2010 ARF Trooper Boil with AT-RT Walker mini-rig!

 

ARF Trooper Boil: Clone Trooper Boil wears this armor in the episode "Landing at Point Rain". Boil was the first ARF Trooper in the desert camo that Hasbro made. Boil has the standard Clone body, which includes all the necessary articulation, including ankle. Detailing, his helmet features a deco of that girl Numa, on the side of his helmet. He also has a red triangle on the top of his visor, as well as a blue line going straight through the middle of the helmet. Boil's ARF armor is very similar to the generic ones, except that he has yellow paint on his shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, shins, around his chest area, and a bit on the side of his ribs. ARF Trooper Boil's only acessory is the standard DC-15 blaster. I'm going to rate ARF Trooper Boil at 9/10. Artculation and detailing on Boil is absolutely superb, Hasbro have got all the colurs, positions and paint colours for the detailing is simply spot on, everywhere. It would have been nice to get another acessory with him, or a removable helmet, but that's the only downside of a otherwise fantastic Clone figure.

AT-RT Walker: The only AT-RT Walker appearance in the show was in the episode "Liberty of Ryloth", though it will be returning in season 4 of the TV show. The AT-RT Walker never appeared in the episode this mini-rig pack is based on, so it's deco's and all are entirely Hasbro's creation. The AT-RT features good movement and articulation in the legs, top and bottom. It has a very nice rotating cannon, which is good playability for the kids. It has a neat removable piece on it, right behind the driver's seat, which you have to push it inwith it's pointy thing into the hole on the AT-RT. It is very easy to get a figure into a good position onto this vehicle, which is good. The paints applications on this are really cool, and definitly make it stand out from normal AT-RT's. It has a yellow line going down the front of it, similar to the Waxer line on his ARF Trooper gear. The AT-RT also has a red triangle on it. It's painted in the desert camo, like the Geonosis troops. It has four yellow lines on it. Two at the front, near the cannon, and two just behind the driver's seat, although I don't know what they say. It contains two handles for the figure you choose to put on it to hold on to something. I'm going to rate this superb vehicle at the full 10/10. It's a really, really nice vehicle. Articulation on it's legs are awesome, rotating cannon is a cool playability addidition, and the paint applications and detailing are really outstanding on this.

I rate the pack as a whole at 9/10. Boil doesn't come with a removable helmet, but it is still a truly great pack for your collection, or for your Clone army. I totally recommend you pick this one up. Hasbro really did do a superb job on this one.

2011 Clone Wars Special Ops Clone Trooper/Geonosian Drone 2-pack

Ok, so here are my thoughts on the Clone Wars 2-pack of Special Ops Clone Trooper/Geonosian Drone, as well as an inclusion of ARF Trooper Waxer from the other 2-pack of this wave!

Special Ops Clone Trooper: This variation of Clone Trooper made it's debut in the episode "Landing at Point Rain". The figure of this Clone uses the original Clone mold, which is good for me as it's my favourite mold while the Stone mold sucks in some departments, but this mold rocks! Anyway, this Clone, like any Clone that doesn't sport the Stone sculpt, has ankle articulation, which is always a bonus. The design and colouring is great and I really like it. He has a red logo on each shoulder pad. The helmet is a new sculpt, with those sonic repelling devices used by Clone's on Geonosis to stop their sonic blasters. I really like the helmet sculpt, mainly because it's new, and differ's from the regular re-painted helmets. The only accessory with this figure is a usual DC-15 blaster. I'm rating this figure at 10/10. It's a superb troop-building Clone, detailing is spot on, and he has a new helmet variation! So I can find no faults with this figure!

Geonosian Drone: Like the Special Ops Clone Trooper, this figure debuted in the series in "Landing at Point Rain". It is always nice to have another new species as a figure and this is a great figure at that. All the limbs on this figure are removable, which is indeed a great playability feature. He has a decent sculpt and looks very animated, like a Clone Wars figure should. He has decent articulation on him. His head is a kit-bash of the head from the 2010 CW34 Undead Geonosian figure, but of course with a more 'living' look to him. Like the Special Ops Clone Trooper, this one is a superb troop building pack and well worth a purchase, maybe even two or three of this two-pack. The accesorie's with this figure are a neatly designed sonic blaster, and (Hasbro really went over the top with this) a tri-pod mounted machine gun as used in season 2 episode 5! I'm going to rate this figure at 8/10, Hasbro have done on a fantastic job, detail wise and accessory wise. The only blip, which is problematic, is that he doesn't hold either gun well, which can be a problem displaying him, other then that, it really is a purchase-worthy figure!

ARF Trooper Waxer: Like the figures in the other pack, Waxer had his ARF trooper gear in "Landing at Point Rain". Waxer is another ARF Trooper variation and probably my favourite ARF variation at that. Waxer has a ton of paint applications, all of which Hasbro have done accurately and superbly. As he is in the original Clone mold, he has ankle articulation, which is always a bonus for displaying figures. Waxer is not part of the Special Ops Clone Trooper/Geonosian Drone 2-pack. I got him loose from Ebay which is why I don't have the 2-pack he comes with. My favourite detail on this figure, is the yellow line in the middle of his helmet. It just looks great and really stands out on this figure. The paint application with Numa on his helmet is nice and very touching toward Numa. The accesories this figure comes with are a standard Clone DC-15 blaster and a also standard Z-6 Rotary Cannon. Very usual that Clone's receive these weapons with their figures. I'm going to rate him at 9/10, Hasbro have done an amazing job on this figure, paint wise and he looks great. I'm taking half a mark off as I dislike getting yet another Z-6 rotary, and another half because when you try to put the DC-15 blaster in either hand, it just moves off awkwardly and points in another direction.

New Upcoming Cad Bane In Denal Armor

Ok, so here are my early thoughts on the upcoming "Cad Bane in Denal armor" from the "Cad Bane's Escape" battle pack!

This is by far the best figure out of a pretty poor pack. It contains a re-pack which no one at this stage needs another of (Anakin), a re-paint of the messed up first space variation (Ahsoka) and the only new figure, which is this version of Cad Bane. The helmet design is good, only difference between it and the 2009 Denal helmet is the red visor attatched. This battle pack is based off the episodes "Cargo of Doom" and "Children of the Force". Cad Bane's clone armor is excellent and totally accurate to the show and is in the SA Stone sculpt which I have noticed, has pleased some collectors. This Cad Bane's face is different to the 2011 Cad Bane with Todo 360 in that the breathing masks arn't present and that the shape and size of this one is smaller. Cad Bane comes with a DC-15 blaster. The pressence of ankle articulation is welcome as well. The last point of interest is that there is a small green part on his left arm which is his blood as he was shot in the arm at one point when a bolt of his was deflected by Ahsoka Tano back at him. Right now, I rate this figure at 8/10 but my thoughts could change!