Republic Gunship - TVC - Vehicles (Exclusive)

There are probably just as many things “wrong” with the beautiful The Vintage Collection Republic Gunship as there are “right” with it. We don’t mean to start off on a provocative or precarious note like this, but don’t you think that exclusives should be created with the hopes that the response from the collecting community would be an unwavering affirmation that they will be buying something because of how incredible and needed it is? That may not be the initial reception of The Vintage Collection Republic Gunship however. Obviously some of the things that fall under the negative category will prevent this gem from entering the homes of many, but it should be noted that if you do pass on this release of it, you’ll be forfeiting a very important part of your Star Wars collection. You may also want to ask yourself a few questions too during the consideration process. Question: Have you seen this vehicle before now? Answer: Yes. Question: Do you really need this version then? Answer: Yes. These may be simple questions with perplexing answers, but not all is black and white here. And before accusing us of looking at this exclusive through rose-colored glasses, let us affirm that this is an impressive and interesting release in spite of its faults and/or benefits. The Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones Republic Gunship hasn’t looked better in the Hasbro line, and while it’s out of the budget of most collectors, Hasbro does believe it’s a perfect item for the holiday buying season. And it will sell indeed. In all honesty, if all there was in this box was a simply repackaged vehicle, we would still have to suggest it to you still, as it comes in splendid vintage Kenner inspired packaging. Even though the Prequel Trilogy wasn’t even a thought when the original Kenner line was active, it’s pretty sweet to see it solicited as such. We particularly love seeing characters and vehicles sourced from Attack Of The Clones in their own labeled line look. As you know, Attack Of The Clones got the short end of the stick and was the only Star Wars film not to have a toy collection based on its namesake. Sure, we all eagerly collected the Star Wars “Saga” line between 2002 and 2004, but it was a “saga” collection that culled together characters from everywhere in the Star Wars story, and not an exclusive “Attack Of The Clones” collection. Anyway, we are straying far from the point of this review, and that point is to get you on track as to why The Vintage Collection Republic Gunship should be seriously be considered for purchase. Clearly, the biggest obstacle with The Vintage Collection Republic Gunship is the MSRP. You do get a lot of content in the box for a whopping $119.99 (which hits you like a sucker punch to the face AND gut; and more than once mind you), but it still may not be enough to persuade and sway those on a tight budget, or any budget for that matter from biting at it. It’s egregiously expensive and what makes it difficult to swallow is that the Republic Gunship by itself could once be purchased for $29.99, albeit eight years ago. Without pointing figures at any one party directly, something is certainly out of balance here.

The Republic Gunship interestingly utilizes the sculpt of 2009’s TCW Republic Gunship, which is also known as the “Crumb Bomber”. It is a rare vehicle to find today, and most squawked at its price back then, which was significantly less than the TVC version. Before you yell at us and tell us we’re wrong because the TVC Republic Gunship doesn't have the same enhancements, let us explain. The shell of the ship is absolutely the 2009 The Clone Wars vehicle. The updated cannons, front door and full cargo doors have not been used for this release and Hasbro reverted to the ones from the 2002 Star Wars “Saga” version instead. But before you pout, it's important to note that this is screen accurate. The full doors only appeared in The Clone Wars television show, so let’s credit Hasbro with getting this detail correctly for The Vintage Collection release. Quite frankly, the movie version of the Republic Gunship has a more “at war” look then the finely reinvented version from The Clone Wars. Don’t get us wrong, we love 2008's TCW Republic Gunship, the “Lucky Lekku”, as well as the “Crumb Bomber” icons on the nose of the previously released ships, but we’re also all about screen accuracy foremost, especially for vehicles from the films. The folding-out cannons were a tremendous upgrade on the “Crumb Bomber” but there must have been reasons to forgo it for The Vintage Collection release as well, which we’re hoping is purely for screen accuracy only reasons. That being said, the Republic Gunship is extremely visually appealing and looks better than ever, honestly. The paint job is quite simply gorgeous and Hasbro added a nice amount of battle-damage to the vehicle, most notably a decent amount of carbon-scoring. The standard maroon, olive green and multiple shades of gray accents that are color-blocked here and there to accent the cream-colored shell of this beastly mammoth have been done with great precision and care. Our sample had no evidence of overspray and the colors are vibrant and clean. In some of the crevices you may find a few instances of imperfection where the machines couldn’t get into them deeply enough, but the small shortcomings certainly aren’t deal breakers, not for us anyway. Overall, the Republic Gunship looks fantastic and we honestly believe it’s the nicest iteration based on Episode II that Hasbro has ever done. However, depending upon your point of view, you may be more intrigued about two identical accessories that complement the Republic Gunship. We know we were. The big bonus here is that collectors also receive the Bubble-Turret Cannon Sphere (x2) first offered in 2009’s TLC Geonosis Assault Battle Packs set. If you recall, collectors were outraged to have to spend over $40 to get two of them back in 2009. Not that the price is that much better in 2013, it’s still nice to get the two that you need to adorn the Republic Gunship and complete a much-needed look to this vessel. While not to scale, we have to express that they still look awesome on the Republic Gunship and are thrilled that Hasbro put everything in one box for once. These gunnery stations add a great deal of personality to an already impressive vehicle.

Hasbro also included three obligatory pack-in figures. But as far as we’re concerned, the included figures make us yawn. Yoda is a repaint of the figure from 2002’s Star Wars “Saga” Yoda Deluxe set. Clone Pilot is a repaint of 2002’s Star Wars “Saga” Clone Trooper (Republic Gunship Pilot) (’02 #49) and Clone Trooper is a slight repaint of 2003’s CW Clone Trooper (’03 #50) figure. Of course, these three pack-ins figures will disappoint collectors. Kids will probably be fine with them, but these figures certainly don’t hold up that well to today’s standards of super-articulated action figures. And know that Hasbro has perfected the phase I clone with 2011’s TVC Clone Trooper (VC45) figure, well, there is no need to ever resurrect the 2003 Clone Wars sculpt ever again. We have to say however that if Hasbro had included three TVC-quality super-articulated action figures to this set that it would have made the price tag slightly more palatable. It wouldn’t have completely healed the wound, but it certainly would have helped out. All three pack-in figures interact reasonably well with the Republic Gunship. They serve their purposes well we suppose, but aesthetically they look tired and appear mismatched when compared to this impressive vehicle which has aged much better all of these years. So, we’ll just get over it and appreciate what good is in this overly priced Toys R Us exclusive. With anything that falls under The Vintage Collection banner, packaging is the most intriguing factor that draws collectors in and piques most of our curiosities. Even if you despise the Prequel Trilogy, how can anyone not get remotely excited to see something from any of the three modern prequel Star Wars films in a vintage-styled box. Sorry, haters or lovers of the Prequel Trilogy should be able to at least appreciate these efforts because the box art does look fascinating. From the retro captioned boxes showing off the Republic Gunship’s play features to the awesome dioramic scene on the front and back box covers, this vehicle truly is astonishing before you even remove it from the packaging. Also right on time to complement The Vintage Collection Republic Gunship are the “mismatched” Battle Of Geonosis: Jedi Knights [Version 1] and Battle Of Geonosis: Jedi Knights [Version 2] multipacks under the Star Wars [Darth Vader/Revenge Of The Sith] line look. They are wonderful sets with articulation and sculpting geared for adult collectors, but they have been packaged in the kid-focused line look. Hasbro has been inconsistent with how they delegate products for kids and collectors, so at this point we’ll just accept that they released something to appeal to those not interested in five points of articulation. Anyway, they’re not made for the Republic Gunship exactly, but the timing couldn’t have been better. The Republic Gunship is an excellent release. Yes, it’s overpriced and if you do that math you may still come out slightly ahead, but in this day and age, most collectors are looking for a bargain when it comes to getting multiple items at once. That won't happen here, sadly.