El-Les - TCW [SOTDS] - Basic (CW47)

The Arcona drill sergeant El-Les trains clone troopers on Kamino. His extensive experience as a bounty hunter makes him well-suited to teach battle skills to the cadets. Always armed, the blasters El-Les carries are the models favored by many bounty hunters. The long-distance marksman rifle is designed for pinpoint targeting accuracy. His compact pistol is easy to conceal, so that he does not reveal his purpose as he closes in on his quarry.

Some of the best The Clone Wars television shows are ones that showcase cameo appearances of the many species that appeared in Chalmun’s Cantina in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Over the years our fondness for these creatures becomes stronger and stronger which is due in part to the amazing action figures Hasbro makes. We're constantly reminded of why we fell in love with them in the first place. Usually, these aliens translate very well into the animated line. We have seen just a few instances since The Clone Wars line began in 2008 of these recycled species and the Arcona El-Les is another great example of how well this works. El-Les is a male Arcona who is a bounty hunter hired by Sergeant Bric to train the clone cadets for various combats and battles. Somewhat sympathetic, El-Les became emotionally involved with his trainees and this is of course very uncommon for a bounty hunter. El-Les makes a very nice addition into The Clone Wars line, not for just his spiritual ties to Episode IV, but because he a very well made action figure. And more interestingly, El-Les is a figure that aggressively pokes holes in Hasbro’s argument that The Clone Wars action figures are just a kids’ line, and that they can't use spots in line to "waste" on collectors. Ironically, El-Les really couldn’t be more a collector-focused figure.

Hasbro has translated him well from the television show into the action figure before us. El-Les is immediately likeable thanks to the nostalgia attached to him as a direct result of his species appearing in Episode IV via Hem Dazon. He's is dressed in an outfit which is quite similar to Embo’s outfit however actually. In fact, he has a completely “Embo” feel about him. This makes sense since they are both bounty hunters from the same era in the Star Wars timeline. There is certainly something a lot more menacing about Embo, but between the green skin and the large ribbed sleeveless shirt, it appears that El-Les shops at similar clothing stores in space. El-Les has a head sculpt which looks very simple when compared to the other aliens in The Clone Wars line. His head is essentially colored in a textured/brushed/washed sea foam green with two magenta eyes. This “pink and green” combination is quite nice and draws your attention very easily. His outer shirt/vest matches the top portion of his boots in a rich camel color. There are many fine details applied to his costume including multiple insignia on his left forearm and a brilliant backwards “L” on his upper chest. He is wearing a clone trooper belt which ties his distinct look all together and has a holster hanging from his left hip. He is also wearing a dark gray long sleeved upper shirt underneath his sleeveless shirt and it runs all the way down his arms creating fingerless gloves. He is so cool!

El-Les comes with a tall and long rifle as well as a smaller blaster (that fits into his holster). The long rifle is a little difficult to pose in his hands unfortunately, but he can grasp it around the barrel without any issues and use it more like a staff than a gun. We love the dual functionality this rifle has and it all helps to add more "character" to this "character". From head to toe, El-Les is an action figure you'll most likely want for your collection because Hasbro did a fantastic job making him. El-Les will absolutely not be the most exciting action figure to come to us, but if you are into The Clone Wars and have a background that includes the Original Trilogy, you should find some value with this action figure (thanks to that magnetic pull of the original films). You’ll definitely need to get a Sergeant Bric figure to go along with El-Les. We wouldn’t have it any other way at least. And since Clone Trooper Hevy (In Training Gear) (CW41) is now available, El-Les now has someone to train. Whether you can get into The Clone Wars television show or not, we can tell you that Hasbro is certainly mastering the action figures they make based on it. El-Les is a testament to excellent action figure making. His proportions perfectly mirror the character in the television episode and the coloring and included details in the sculpt just bring it all home. El-Les is definitely one action figure to consider for your collection.