ARC Clone Trooper: Echo (Phase II Armor) - 1:6 Scale Figures

"This is our only chance! We've got to stop them!"

From the award-winning animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Sideshow Collectibles is proud to present the ARC Clone Trooper: Echo Phase II Armor Sixth Scale Figure from our Militaries of Star Wars collection.

Given the official designation CT-21-0408, the Clone Trooper known as ‘Echo’ earned his nickname early on for his tendency to repeat every order on assignment. Trained with Domino Squad on Kamino alongside his fellow squadmate, Fives, the two were transferred to the 501st Legion under the command of Captain Rex, and later promoted to the prestigious ARC trooper status after bravely defending Kamino from Separatist invaders. Featuring a newly designed portrait with a battle-hardened expression, the heroic Republic soldier is fully equipped with ARC trooper armor distinguished with custom markings and blue handprint, a complete arsenal of weapons, and full range of articulation to create action-packed displays.

As an intergalactic conflict rages on, a massive army of Clone Troopers fights in service of the Republic. Build your army!

If you converse with any longtime Sideshow Collectibles 1:6 Scale Figure collector, you probably know all too well that the attack they’re feeling from all the clone being released has become a little too much to bear at this point. It’s not that the figures in the line aren’t fantastic. They are. In fact, they exceed most expectations. The issue is that too much of any good thing can turn you apathetic towards it and that’s about the level of pain 1:6 Scale Figures collectors are beginning to reach. In Sideshow’s defense, they are expanding who and what type of clones they’re adding to the lineup. Always reaching for more, they’ve introduced infantry clones, clone commanders, clone specialists and now they’ve added ARC Troopers to their repertoire. ARC Clone Trooper: Echo (Phase II Amor) ushers into the 1:6 Scale Figure line a take on these popular brand of clones through the eyes of The Clone Wars television series. Admittedly they did a fantastic job on this figure’s armor, but we’re more impressed that licenses refuse to let the spirit of The Clone Wars die and are continuing to release so many figures from this media event into collectible format. ARC Clone Trooper: Echo (Phase II Amor) is nothing short of amazing as far as deco is concerned. Remarkably, Sideshow Collectibles seems to get better and better with this art form. As quality diminishes horribly with Hasbro’s figures, the complete opposite is true for Sideshow Collectibles. Clearly Sideshow isn’t afraid to expend a few extra pennies on their impressive line of 1:6 Scale Figures so that the final products look museum quality and not some cheap Happy Meal toy. Can you tell we’re bitter. We’ll move on because we don’t want to steal away Sideshow’s thunder. ARC Clone Trooper: Echo (Phase II Amor) is an achievement in multiple ways. And despite being blasé about clones, we’re ecstatic that they’re done so incredibly well.

ARC Clone Trooper: Echo (Phase II Amor), as seen in the season 3 episode entitled The Citadel (which is a favorite episode among fans of The Clone Wars by the way), is thoughtfully and wonderfully made. We have to tell you right up front that Sideshow Collectibles has done an astounding job bringing forth this animated character into realistic style. There is a great deal of newness to this style of clone. Sideshow Collectibles had to tool multiple new parts for this figure including new shin armor, new boots, a new backpack, new chest armor, a revised kama (and corresponding straps) and an all-new helmet (amongst other parts). They’ve mastered the ARC Trooper Commander sculpt so well that we actually hope they make some of the other popular characters from The Clone Wars television show too utilizing this sculpt. We’d love to see Commander Colt and Commander Blitz in their unique color flashes addressed with these parts too. While most of ARC Clone Trooper: Echo (Phase II Amor) is tight and articulates well, these Armored body types still fail in certain areas (most notably the legs) and it is very difficult to pose them without exerting a lot of blood, sweat and tears in order to make the figure stand unassisted. We feel that for the price, the joints should function perfectly and tightly and hold their positions without slipping and making the figure topple over to the ground. Even so, with a little patience and the proper balance, these figures can still be posed in some interesting and dramatic ways and if you decide to use the included display stand your options are nearly endless. It’s a little complaint, but we still wish that Sideshow Collectibles would address this issue.Other than that, the figure functions quite well. There is extra movement in the head articulation and on our sample it was a little bit loose. Despite its looseness, we’re more happy to get a better range of movement out of the revised helmet.

We are completely impressed with the new ARC Trooper helmet. As evidenced by this figure’s name, it is indeed a phase II helmet, but it has a mohawk like the phase I helmets. Then, the nose of the helmet comes to a sharp flat point, giving the character a very pug like appearance. It looks fantastic. All of the new parts work together seamlessly and we have to be honest and say that ARC Clone Trooper: Echo (Phase II Amor) looks and feels like a completely new figure for the Militaries Of Star Wars sub-line. ARC Clone Trooper: Echo (Phase II Amor) also has an impressive paint job. As always, Sideshow Collectibles refuses to disappoint collectors of this line because they’re hell-bent on ensuring that their figures looks as realistic as possible. There is plenty of dirt and grime on this figure and then tons of battle-damage like scratches and whatnot that makes this figure feel like it has just fought in battle. The identifying handprint on his right breastplate is the final touch that stirs your memories of the beloved The Clone Wars television show and the rapport Echo had developed throughout the years with fans of the show. ARC Clone Trooper: Echo (Phase II Amor) comes with plenty of old new accessories. New for this figure are two cartridges that fit like a glove into the revised belt/kama combination into the “cartridge holders”. These extras make ARC Clone Trooper: Echo (Phase II Amor) even better. Also new is the survival backpack which is exclusive to The Clone Wars show and especially the ARC troopers. A droid popper is also included, although there isn’t any place to stow it when not in use. The obligatory DC-15 blaster and blaster rifle are also included as well as the pair of DC-17 blaster pistols that can be stored in the holsters that hang at Echo’s sides. Admittedly, ARC Clone Trooper: Echo (Phase II Amor) is a fresh release in the 1:6 Scale Figures line. Yes, clones are becoming tiresome to us, but this release reinvents the clone in new and exciting ways!