ARF Trooper - TCW [SOTDS] - Basic (CW18)

Advanced Reconaissance Fighter (ARF) troopers often operate All-Terrain Recon Transport (AT-RT) walkers on scouting or combat operations. Riding atop these armed vehicles, ARF troopers can swiftly sweep through an area and cut down battle droids in their path.

The ARF Trooper is a pretty cool action figure despite his clumsily enunciated name. A name that just doesn't match his very cool presence, you can quickly disregard the acronym here and realize just how easy it is to love this figure. After all, is that what we do as collectors? Names don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. The ARF Trooper is clearly the result of what would happen if you successfully cross-pollinate a clone trooper and a scout trooper. He has a boxy helmet atop a very standard clone trooper body. His helmet is decorated simply but brilliantly as there are cool olive green, navy blue and dark red markings on the anterior side of it and a few more extra green markings on the posterior. These colors against a white backdrop really pop out and look awesome. This is the only spot on him where you will find any color and it makes quite a poignant statement. The ARF Trooper has some unique articulation too. Of special note are his ball jointed legs, which allow for a very wide stance and maximum posing options. Trust us when we say this figure needs it quite badly. He is super-articulated and this too is very necessary for what his character is required to do. On the packaging, it shows him on an AT-RT in the picture and his bio describes this type of trooper often rides them, so while we aren't really sure why he is taking over the AT-RT Driver's territory, we do know he needs flexibility to steer these vehicles. Perhaps he is the phase I AT-RT Driver? Who knows, we just know he is ultra cool!

Unfortunately, ARF Trooper is another pristinely white decorated action figure. We don't really know what it is going to take to get Hasbro to start marking up their figures (and we aren't hopeful for a return to the dirty washes), but it is starting to become quite a travesty. He is not an indoor clone trooper, so we wish Hasbro would have even given us a few carbon scoring marks or dirt splatters or something. Unfortunately he is clean as a whistle and it is really the only detracting feature on this action figure. This will remain a bone of contention with us. We know Hasbro is under tight budget constraints. But we will never stop wishing for a return to this beautiful finishing touch that has all but disappeared. It made all the clones "unique" and the final results just looked spectacular! It is such a disappointment to see pre-production photos with beautiful lighting and shadowing (and some signs of battle-damage) and then only to get a ghost-white figure in the package. It is evident what dirt on a clone trooper can indeed do. The ARF is well accessorized. He comes with another huge gun (basically and unnecessarily large) and we think it is safe to say that a dirty wash over the figure in place of this huge gun would have been much more appreciated. Big guns are cool, especially for clones. He also comes with a basic DC-15 blaster. The ARF Trooper looks amazing posed with both weapons. And knowing that he will be able to straddle any AT-RT vehicle coming into the line, we’re excited to see how Hasbro will make this a reality.

We will take better articulation over the lack of dirt marks (for now at least). But we sort of want both. ARF Trooper is a sign that there are many unseen clone troopers yet to come from the popular The Clone Wars TV series. And it is especially cool to see elements of the prequel films mixed in with parts of the Original Trilogy films to create yet another flavor of the Grand Army of the Republic. Who would have ever expected the clones to have so much diversity not only in color flashes, but also in armor shape and size even beyond what we have seen already? We certainly didn't and we have to say that the ARF Trooper is one of the better brands of clones to come out of The Clone Wars. When all is said and done, ARF Trooper is definitely a "way cool" clone trooper, and we’ll learn more of theses clones’ backstory the further we get into the television series. The ARF Trooper will most likely be a clone trooper that you will want to army build. Or, if you are a one-of-everything collector, then this figure will most likely be added to your collection by default – who is never happy with a new clone? We believe you the collector, despite your collecting focus, will absolutely adore the ARF Trooper. We think he is a shining example of how Hasbro should be approaching all of the Star Wars action figures they make. We look forward to the potential variations or derivations of this sculpt in the future! Re-released for The Clone Wars [Shadow Of The Dark Side] line, we couldn’t think of a more deserving action figure to get another chance at retail.