Friday, October 5, 2012

The Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilot Is More Than Just An Accessory For The Hard-To-Find Vehicle Toy!


The Good: Cool accessory, Decent figure coloring, Great idea, Relatively inexpensive
The Bad: Flimsy accessory that wears poorly.
The Basics: The Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilot might depend upon a much bigger, much cooler toy to get the most out of it, but it is a great staple Clone Trooper figure!


Once upon a time, I harbored a fantasy. That fantasy was that I would be able to find a Republic Gunship from the Attack Of The Clones toy line dirt cheap on clearance after the main run on the figures and toys was done. Unfortunately, that was right around the time that the local store that did the best clearance for such things went bankrupt (anyone else remember Ames department stores?) and I was, alas, left with a Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilot without a ship. The Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilots is a decent figure, but its accessory truly was made to enhance the Republic Gunship toy.

For those unfamiliar with the Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilot, these were the armored soldiers of the Republic that were seen coming to the rescue of the Jedi in Attack Of The Clones (reviewed here!). Coming in with Yoda on the giant Republic Gunships at Geonosis, the Republic Gunship Pilots worked the turrets to mow down the droids that had surrounded the Jedi.

The 4" Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilot figure is a decent action figure, even if its key selling point is an accessory that might not hold up quite as well!

Basics

The Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilot is a good support figure for anyone's Star Wars action figure collection as it is a generic Republic toy. While there have been a slew of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and even Chewbacca figures, it is hard to play with more than one at a time without some serious suspension of disbelief. Not so with the Republic Gunship Pilots! The figure stands 3 7/8" tall to the top of his helmet. This is a decent replica of the Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilot and it is pretty incredible for a representation of a virtual character. This Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilot has yellow paint on the helmet that indicates which division it is a part of, as well as flecks of brown as if it has been through a sandstorm or received realistic weather wear.

This toy is an awesome sculpt, looking precisely like the Republic Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilot. The Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilot is good in its coloring detail, but is very basic in its sculpting. This figure is made to look assembled and it succeeds with that. The figure’s belt includes molded details, presumably for ammo, and the back of the figure actually looks remarkable, too. The helmet includes a control panel and tubes descending from it.

Outside the helmet coloring and the weather flecks, the Republic Gunship Pilot also has added color detail on the control panel on his chest.

Accessories

The Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilot is mostly bought for its cool accessory, the Republic Gunship Cannon, though he also comes with a blaster pistol. The 3 1/2” tall and 2 3/4" long turret has a platform that attaches to the pegs on the Republic Gunship. The gun has two grips for the figure’s hand. The Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilots hands are molded to grab both handles on the cannon and when it stands behind the turret it looks good, but it is so flimsily attached to the back of the head of the round cannon that it is virtually impossible to get the Republic Gunship Pilot to look cool while holding the controls. The turret is multiple shades of gray. This launches the 2 13/16” green missile, but only about four inches!

The Attack Of The Clones Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilot has a 1 5/16” long black blaster pistol that fits in either of the figure’s hands. The black gun is molded to look like a round-barreled pistol with no embellishments molded or colored. The gun looks good held in either or both hands.

Playability

The four inch toy line was designed for play and Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilot is very good in that regard. The figure is well articulated, though it has poor balance, especially compared to the subsequent incarnations of the figure. When detached from the turret, it may still be stood up, but it really is ideal on the platform on the Republic Gunship. With the holes in the figure’s feet, it may be posed in outlandish positions, especially on other playsets or vehicles.

This Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilot has eight points of articulation, with swivel joints at the groin socket, shoulders, elbows, head and waist.

Collectibility

The Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilot is part of the Attack Of The Clones four-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that was exceptionally common. This was a pegwarmer at the time, but it seems it was bought up by the people who snagged the Republic Gunships because it has appreciated in value.

The Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilot is Attack Of The Clones figure number 49.

Overview

The Clone Trooper Republic Gunship Pilot may be slightly off balance and have a turret that does not hold up well over time, but it is still worth picking up as a staple for anyone’s clone army.

For other 2002 extended Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones action figures, please check out my reviews of:
#01 Acklay Battle Obi-Wan Kenobi
#02 Arena Escape Padme Amidala
#04 C-3PO
#05 Kit Fisto
#10 Shaak Ti
#13 Kamino Escape Jango Fett
#15 Geonosian Warrior
#17 Clone Trooper
#18 Zam Wesell Bounty Hunter
#19 Royal Guard Coruscant Security
#23 Yoda
#26 Luminara Unduli
#27 Count Dooku
#29 Bespin Luke Skywalker
#35 Orn Free Taa
#36 Chewbacca Cloud City Capture
#38 Obi-Wan Kenobi Jedi Starfighter Pilot
#39 Supreme Chancellor Palpatine
#40 Djas Puhr Bounty Hunter
#41 Coruscant Attack Padme Amidala
#45 Ephant Mon Jabba’s Security
#46 Teemto Pagalies
#48 Destroyer Droid
#52 Tusken Raider With Massiff

7/10

For other toy reviews, please click here to visit my index page!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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