Clone Commander Cody - LC - Basic (BD44)

Clone Commander Cody receives a hologram from Chancellor Palpatine telling the commander to execute Order 66. Cody immediately orders clone troopers to fire upon Obi-Wan Kenobi, which sends the Jedi hurtling into one of the sinkholes on Utapau.

We are curious and would first like to bring up something completely unrelated to this review. Why is Commander Gree "Commander Gree" and Commander Bacara "Commander Bacara" but Commander Cody is "Clone Commander Cody". Rather rhetorical, we simply just observed this trend and are wondering why. Moving forward from the name game, Clone Commander Cody (in super-articulated glory) is finally here and let us exclaim what an improvement he is from 2006's TSC Clone Commander Cody (SAGA 024) figure. Interestingly, it appears that the most of the original figure was retooled, so you will see the same (or at the very least, similar) score marks on the armor as well as some near identical paint applications. There are probably more differences than similarities, but we do know what an amazing action figure this is. Loaded with accessories right out of the opening Order 66 scenes, this is likely our definitive Clone Commander Cody action figure. Collectors rejoice! Hasbro has finally gotten the orange color perfect with this release! Always looking a little too neon, the brightness has been muted and it makes for a very effective and authentic look. That blinding orange color has always bothered us and we are so elated that Hasbro has updated it to match the film perfectly! Not only is the color now perfect, but the way that the stripes and patterns have been decorated is a vast improvement as well. For example, the three chest stripes (going in different directions) are broken and stressed as they should be and let us reiterate how beautiful they look. And the greatness of this figure doesn't stop there. Hasbro has rescaled Cody and he now no longer looks like a shrimp next to the rest of your clone troopers. The 2009 Clone Commander Cody dwarfs the 2006 TSC Clone Commander Cody (SAGA 024). How awesome is this folks? Well, it makes us quite happy to say the very least!

Clone Commander Cody does miss the mark in a few areas, but in very minor (but nonetheless annoying) ways. While trying to stand him upright (and not take advantage of his awesome articulation), his legs seem to be the slightest bit misshapen most likely from the way he has been tied with bands in the plastic bubble. Clearly you know what an awkward angle (of the lower legs and ankles) will do to an action figure's stance. We hope that time outside of the packaging will return his legs to a more normal shape. (And we have seen time heal bent limbs before.) You know our opinions of a clean clone trooper. Well, to be fair, Cody has great battle-damage detail on his upper torso but it looks like the paint brush stopped and didn't go any lower. His legs are very clean in comparison and of course this looks a little bizarre to have half a body with battle damage while the rest is clean. And to make things worse, the back of his card back brags by showing a pre-production version of the action figure with the most beautiful paint job you could ever wish for, complete with dirty lower legs and carbon scoring on his thighs. It is almost bittersweet because Cody is a phenomenal action figure and he would have been more incredible were it painted like the back of the package shows. We certainly wish that the final production versions of action figures looked as good as the pre-production ones. Cody also possesses the small pea-head that the 2006 figure did. We know that the helmet has a lot to do with this, but we think it looks out of scale. Why Hasbro hasn't tweaked the head and helmet as required to make head better in scale is not something we are understanding, but this is not the end of the world. Lastly (and somewhat tragically), Cody's new belt has been assembled backwards/upside down (just like how the white super-articulated clone trooper's belt was). Yes, we hear your cries of "NOT AGAIN??!!" but it is indeed true. And it cannot be fixed unless you cut it off first. Why they got it right for the TSC figure and NOT here is quite upsetting. Hopefully a running change will fix this error. While we have pointed out these issues, it is not meant to detract from how unbelievable this action figure is.

The new Clone Commander Cody has a spectacular 25 points of articulation and two of them include ball-jointed hips. The most necessary joints required for an military figure, Cody has been absolutely perfected in a way that words probably cannot even capture. This enhancement allows Cody to be posed in an infinite array of angles and positions and we count ourselves very fortunate that Hasbro has given him all of this treatment. He comes with the same DC-15 blaster rifle, back-pack and helmet that the 2006 TSC Clone Commander Cody (SAGA 024) figure came with, but let us express that the helmet and backpack have been completely repainted and it is truly amazing what a new paint job can and will do for an already excellently sculpted accessory. The details that have been made more evident with the new paint operations is quite stunning. Hasbro has done such a flawless job and we are impressed. Cody also comes with a mini hologram of Darth Sidious (obviously enacting Order 66) in addition to Obi-Wan Kenobi's unlit lightsaber. These are all the accessories he needs and it just adds to the perfectly great design of the action figure. Clone Commander Cody is without doubt a massive upgrade to the 2006 figure. And we cannot believe how much time has surpassed since we first got him. What we do believe is that Clone Commander Cody is the definitive figure to lead your 212th Attack Battalion into war and then ultimately to kill the Jedi (we don't mean to be so grim here). We are so thoroughly impressed with this figure and we hope that an update to Commander Neyo and Commander Bly (and to a lesser degree Commander Bacara) are in the parking lot. With the likes of the relatively new 2008 Commander Gree and now this version of Cody entering the action figure line, the other remaining to be updated commanders are in definite need! While we wait, we will thoroughly, excitedly and enthusiastically enjoy this fascinating and wonderful Clone Commander Cody action figure. Easily one of the best figures in the red phase Legacy Collection, we are sure you will feel the same way too!