Rishi Moon Outpost Attack - TCW [R] - Battle Packs

Commando Droids capture a Republic tracking station from clone troopers. The station guards the cloning centers on Kamino that are vital to the Republic. The clone troopers, – all rookies – who man the station are killed or forced to retreat. When two battle-hardened clone officers arrive, the inexperienced troopers join them in a fight to retake the station.

The Commando Droid is perhaps the most underrated action figure in The Clone Wars line yet. We think we have good reason to feel this way. Either Hasbro has made (a lot) more of this figure than we realize or it is an unfortunate and chronic peg warmer for reasons unbeknownst to us. This is absolutely a figure that should fly off the shelves every time it hits retail, but it seems to hang around a little longer than it should. We hope it is the previous reason because this is an action figure that you should be army-building and enjoying by the dozens. As the red phase of The Clone Wars line phases out, ultimately we expect this figure to perform well at retail, but it should have had brisker sell through sooner. Hasbro seems to have realized that they nailed a perfect action figure with this action figure and they decided to make a Battle Packs set based on it. And the cool thing is that we can army-build these quicker thanks to this Battle Packs set. Based on a very exciting scene in the Season 1 episode Rookies, the Rishi Moon Outpost Attack Battle Packs set may look a little light, but trust us when we tell you that you get a lot of quality in this box set. And you would be wise to note that the Commando Droids in this Battle Packs set are repainted and different from the basic figure release. So you get some variety here and not just simply spending more money on something that you already have.

The Commando Droid Captain and the two Commando Droids are all repaints of the 2009 TCW [R] Commando Droid (CW16) figure. As you probably already know, this is a phenomenal action figure already, and, Hasbro didn’t need to do much more to make this figure better. But they did. The grayish silver bodies of the droids are now darker and, the bronze details are shinier. As a result, we think that the Battle Packs version of the droids look better than the basic figure version and the differences in color are more than negligible. The Commando Droid Captain is identical to the character we saw in the television episode. This droid is also accented with some extra paint on the face and chest, The Captain is very reminiscent of how the battle droids were ranked in Episode I and Episode II. This droid leader looks great and thanks to marvelous articulation, the figure can be posed in nearly every configuration we saw it contort itself in The Clone Wars. This is a great thing and, it makes us love these figures more. The two “regular” Commando Droids come with standard droid blasters that attach to the holes in their backs. You may not like holes in the back of your action figures, but we have to say it is a nice touch in this scenario. The Commando Droid Captain also has a hole in its back, and in addition to a droid blaster, it comes with a vibro blade with a removable “energy” effect. It is a nice transition from the very common droid blaster, and, it is accurate to the weapon used in the TV episode. But it's nice to have both options.

You may think that the Clone Trooper is just a repack of the 2008 TCW [B] Clone Trooper (No. 5), but this isn’t the case. It is actually a “clean” repaint of the 2008 TCW [B] Clone Trooper (212th Attack Battalion) (No. 19) figure. The figure differs in a few ways, but its most noticeable difference is the head (and in particular the fin on the helmet). So you “kinda/sorta” get a new clone trooper here in this multipack. But then again, this is a plain and white clone trooper without a removable helmet, so this figure might be a little boring to the casual collector. But to be honest, he isn’t the reason to pick up this set. The Commando Droids and Commando Droid Captain steal the show here. The accessories in this set are not that heavy, but you certainly get enough. Probably the most entertaining accessory is the extra clone trooper helmet. This serves a purpose as a “disguise” for the Commando Droids and Captain. They look hysterical with the helmet on their heads, but Star Wars is always good for some corny humor, and the creators of Star Wars have decided to incorporate some slapstick humor when it comes to the “fearsome” Separatist droids. We love this little addition, and we think the Rishi Moon Outpost Attack Battle Packs set wouldn’t have been the same without it. This set does not have plans to ship after its initial release, but it should be plentiful for a while. But with Hasbro’s ever-shortening attention span with new products and retail, coupled with terrible distribution issues, it is unknown just how prevalent this Battle Packs set will ultimately be. We recommend not waiting. This set is an absolute must-have for your The Clone Wars collection!