Clone trooper armor is marked with color-coded flashes. At the beginning of the Clone Wars, the colors signify rank (red for captains, blue for lieutenants, green for sergeants). By the end of the war, the flashes come to identify specialized units such as the Galactic Marines and Shock Troopers.
When we think of the Clone Trooper Officer [Lieutenant], we think of exclusivity. You may need both hands to count all of the exclusive products made based on this clone trooper. The Gentle Giant Ltd. Clone Trooper Lieutenant Mini Bust, the Clone Trooper Lieutenant Classics Bust and the Walmart exclusive figure two-packs (the first time an articulated Clone Trooper Lieutenant was released) are just a few of the items that have been released in non-general release fashion. Hasbro decided to completely turn that theme around and release the Clone Trooper Officer [Lieutenant] action figure blatantly. The packaging proudly sports the Clone Trooper Officer [Lieutenant] character (as well as the reverse side) and all the other Clone Trooper Officer types were also placed into this same packaging as running changes. This also means that the captain, commander, sergeant and the lieutenant all share the same assortment number and UPC. This is definitely a bit of a strange move and we personally were never a fan of putting unique characters as running changes of a different unique character.
The Clone Trooper Officer [Lieutenant] also received the upgrades that the others did. And enhanced paint job graces a newly molded action figure body which is cast in the cleanest white plastic we have ever seen in the basic figure line. The color of the blue used to decorate the action figure looks spot-on perfect and it is cleanly applied. In the middle of this run, the Clone Trooper Officer figures came with chest dots similar to the ones that were applied on the Entertainment Earth exclusives. But thankfully Hasbro took cues from Lucasfilm, Ltd. and updated them so that they are larger and higher on the chest armor. We really couldn’t ask for anything more. This is truly a definitive version of the Clone Trooper Officer [Lieutenant] character. Super-articulated and possessing a great sculpt, this figure is a wonderful addition to the basic figure line. Now it has been carried forward into The Legacy Collection Saga Legends line with little to no updates at all. It appears Hasbro believes that these figures will do well once again at retail. Collectors may get bored however.
If you recall, the base sculpt from which all the Clone Trooper Officers are based came with very loose articulation. While the joints have been tightened up a bit, we still have noticed that the tightness of the joints has still not yet been perfected. If loose joints bother you, you might be put off by this figure still. We think tremendous efforts have been made to make this version better, but it still isn’t perfect. While the Clone Trooper Officer [Lieutenant] has enjoyed exclusive status for quite some time, it’s great to see him in the limelight as a general release figure now. We’re sure that may licenses in the future may continue to play off of his “exclusive history” a bit more for years to come, but the elusive character in Episode II deserves this time with general access and availability. Seen only on Kamino in the cloning facility, we unfortunately do not have screen time in Episode II to witness them taking down the Separatist Droid Army. However, if you look hard enough, you will notice that these clones can only be seen with their helmets off of the heads. How is that for a little bit of trivia?
Collector Notes
Clone Trooper Officer [Lieutenant]
Status: Clone Trooper Officer [Lieutenant] is a slight repaint of 2007's TAC Clone Trooper Officer [Lieutenant] Saga Legends figure.
Articulation Count: 23 points (14 areas of articulation)
Articulation Details: ball-socket neck (1), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), ball-jointed right shoulder (2), ball-jointed left elbow (2), ball-jointed right elbow (2), swivel left wrist (1), swivel right elbow (1), ball-jointed torso (2), swivel left hip (1), swivel right hip (1), ball-jointed left knee (2), ball-jointed right knee (2), ball-jointed left ankle (2), ball-jointed right ankle (2)
Accessory Count: 1
Accessory Details: DC-15 blaster
Date Stamp: 2003
Assortment Number: 89103/87995
UPC: 653569359807
Retail: $7.99 USD
Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on listings.