Equipped
with specialized weaponry like the DC-17m rifle, special tactical visors,
and Katarn-class body armor, the Republic Commandos can infiltrate the
deepest, darkest reaches of the Separatist strongholds. The Clone Wars
were won or lost, more often than not, due to the efforts of small, anonymous
squads of Republic commandos, working behind the scenes and deep behind
enemy lines to do what larger armies could not.
Gentle Giant Ltd. did a great service to mini bust collectors with their very impressive line of Delta Squad Republic Commandos. Each one is brilliantly sculpted which is only rivaled by the stunning paint jobs and awesome action poses each possess. Scorch, probably the most popular member of Delta Squad, no doubt in part to a 2006 awesome Hasbro action figure, is probably the coolest decorated member. His coolness is likely defined by his familiarity but there is no denying that the mini bust is unbelievable. There is something quite striking about the yellow paint on his forearms against the gray armor which in turn contrasts against white chest armor. This coupled with a similar color pattern on his head (a white face surrounded by a gray helmet) reinforces his unique design and fortifies the brilliant design concept. Scorch is probably our favorite Republic Commando out of the four, but like we stated a moment ago, it’s probably because he was out first Hasbro action figure too.
It’s not like the mini busts vary by disparate levels, because they all have their high points. Scorch happens to just rank as our favorite. Complete with a full gamut of battle-damage detail, various dirt applications and scratch and score marks, Scorch is the consummate Delta Squad member defending the Republic at any cost. Wookieepedia quickly describes him as follows: RC-1262, also known as Scorch or Delta 62, was a clone commando in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars. Among the commandos of Delta Squad he was often referred to as Scorch, he was considered to be Delta Squad's wise guy, and was often chided by RC-1140 known as Fixer, the squad's unofficial second in command. It is also believed that he was accident prone though quite efficient went it came to strategy in battle. Gentle Giant’s sleek design actually leaves the collector with the realization that Scorch is confident and formidable, not slapstick or goofy.
Also limited to 1300 pieces, Scorch is strictly a Gentle Giant Ltd.. exclusive. Starting out obviously as a PGM exclusive, remaining stock was offered to the general public. Despite this, he still sold out relatively quickly, but there was certainly more opportunity to acquire him than the other three. We still think that 1300 pieces is an extremely small edition size, but with major Star Wars characters being made in sizes less than a 1000 pieces now, we suspect it is a rather generous edition size for the demand. We don’t know however. Times have certainly changed for high-end collectibles. Less and less people are sticking with the more expensive items. While we understand it may be a financial necessity to bail from the hobby, we think many will be disappointed to skip over these in the long run. But if you can pick up the Republic Commandos, we recommend starting out with Scorch. He will be the easiest to locate and he is the best one. He is a win-win mini bust.
