Covert Ops Clone Trooper - ROTS - Exclusives

Clone troopers once served as the highly skilled army of the Republic. After the secret execution of Order 66, the clone troopers turn on their Jedi commanders and are ordered to eliminate them all. Now they serve as the official army of the Galactic Empire.

There comes a figure every now and again that just knocks the socks off of collectors. But what if that figure is a new concept and not based on any Star Wars character from the films. It goes without saying that most collectors want action figures based on the films. We certainly feel that should be the case 99% of the time. But if you look at an action figure like 2005’s ROTS Covert Ops Clone Trooper, we bet that you’ll find room in your collection to warmly welcome quality action figure like this without any reservations. The Covert Ops Clone Trooper is first and foremost a Hasbro concept. It didn’t appear in the film and there wasn’t an Expanded Universe source of it before its release. But it’s a character that you are going to wish was in the film just due to its sheer awesomeness. It’s quite honestly a stunning action figure. In a world where most clone trooper action figures are white, Hasbro takes the completely opposite road and develops a “stealth” clone trooper of their own. The Covert Ops Clone Trooper is a phenomenal release. It came out of left field, but maybe that’s part of the reason we’re so thoroughly impressed with it. Hasbro focused very hard on this figure to make it shine and look fantastic. Accessories and the like were secondary. But once you have this figure in your hands, you’ll know why it’s one you shouldn’t be without in your collection.

There are some figures that will get better with age. We're predicting this will be true for the Covert Ops Clone Trooper. We bet it won't lose its figurative and literal luster and instead just get better with age. Hasbro took their extremely popular 2005 ROTS Clone Trooper (III 41) figure and repainted it in one of the most aggressive paint jobs we’ve seen on a clone to date. In a very surprising move, they cast the figure in a gray metallic plastic. This figure glistens in light from the “glitter” throughout the plastic and you might mistake it for fine jewelry initially because of its lustrous properties. OK, that’s an exaggeration, but we hope you get our point of how sparkly this action figure looks. As much as this figure really picks up the light, the effect is subtle, but it’s also poignant. The top of its helmet, the shoulder armor, top of the chest armor and the lower leg armor have all been decorated with a gray camouflage pattern. (It looks spectacular.) The stripe (or mohawk) on the top of the helmet, the elbow armor and the center stripe of the knee armor have all been colored in a rich purple. And then to help accent the parts of the armor that are purple, Hasbro added three-pronged lines underneath the left and right sides of the helmet’s visor, the top of the hands and a larger version of this design runs horizontally and vertically across his chest. The Covert Ops Clone Trooper is striking to look at from every angle. And it’s the perfect way to celebrate the release of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith on DVD just as the packaging exclaims.

Covert Ops Clone Trooper comes with 14 points of articulation. Because it uses the same sculpt as the III 41 Clone Trooper, its hip joints aren’t perfect. When you articulate them in an action pose for example, the hips will pull away from the joint and create unnecessary stretching. We have always had luck with this setback and the legs have returned to their original position without any permanent damage. But we have also heard reports of the legs tearing at this hip joint from the force. Covert Ops Clone Trooper comes with a DC-15 blaster and DC-15 blaster rifle. Both weapons fit perfectly in the figure’s hands and you’re able to recreate many believable poses with them at a very authentic level. But truly the best part about this figure is its paint job. Another thing to note is that the Covert Ops Clone Trooper comes in its own unique packaging. Not in the standard Revenge Of The Sith line look, its fitting that such a special action figure would get its own unique packaging! It’s quite nice we have to admit. We hope Hasbro can continue to create more of their own incredible and unique takes on clones in the Star Wars action figure line because this one is spectacular. We hope they keep them coming to collectors! The Covert Ops Clone Trooper is as far as we’re concerned a staple for the Revenge Of The Sith line. It is certainly one of the finest clone trooper action figures you’ll ever see and it is certainly deserving of your attention (and dollars). (Editor's Note: The Covert Ops Clone Trooper has been retconned into the Star Wars Universe after this figure's release.)