Clone Pilot Goji - TCW [SOTDS] - Basic (CW28)

A clone pilot flies a Y-wing fighter on a bombing mission. The leader of Red Squadron unleashes a new Republic weapon designed to destroy huge numbers of battle droids at one time. The pilot uses his innate skill and extensive training to deliver the weapon accurately and defeat the enemy.

Clone Pilot Goji is totally awesome from the neck up but he sorely leaves a lot to be desired from the neck down. Thanks to a great design and nice paint application on his helmet, it's the only thing that sets him apart from pretty much every other plain white clone trooper out there. Besides a boring white armored body, Goji really isn't much more than that at all. Sadly, what's worse is that it appears Hasbro has retired any "good" clone trooper basic body sculpt in favor of the new mold that recently dates back to 2010's TCW [S2] Clone Commander Stone (CW44) figure. Yes, you read that right. We now have the first clone pilot ever in The Clone Wars line that doesn't have any ankle joints and only a swivel waist joint. We are fine when certain action figures don't call for a lot of articulation, but any clone trooper really needs to be super-articulated at this point. It's sad but true. Clone Pilot Goji is an almost exact rework of 2010's TCW [S2] Clone Commander Stone (CW44) but with a new head (a non-removable helmet) and a new belt. And that's it. We can't write any more about this figure. Done. It is what it is.

As seen in the exciting The Clone Wars episode entitled The Zillo Beast, Clone Pilot Goji pilots a Y-wing Bomber starfighter during the Battle of Malastare along with clone gunner Rod. Thatnk goodness Hasbro has released 2009's TCW [S2] Y-wing Bomber vehicle! What's more, an interesting factoid is posted on Wookieepedia regarding the helmet design. It has been documented that it is supposed to represent Godzilla. But this brings us dangerously close to our real life world and the Star Wars universe colliding with disastrous results. Thankfully this reference wasn't mentioned in the television episode, so we think we can allow this one to slide by us unscathed. If you love clone pilots, well, here is another one for you, but we have to admit that they are getting a little bit too boring. All that separates them from each other are the helmet insignias and we don't think this is enough anymore. And then to go with a sculpt that didn't work for a clone commander really adds insult to injury. While Hasbro is certainly delivering a ton of good products in The Clone Wars line this year, the clone troopers are on the backburner and we think we need to make a stink so that they get "front and center" treatment.

But we are perhaps more dissatisfied that the body sculpt of 2008's TCW [F/S1] Clone Pilot Odd Ball (No. 11) figure or 2009's TCW [S2] Matchstick (CW34) figure are no longer being used (as well as the original Clone Trooper sculpt from 2008). Why in the world didn't Hasbro develop a new super-articulated clone body if the castings were wearing out? Hasbro has expressed that they don't think the clones need to be as super-articulated as they have been for kids. Excuse us, Hasbro, but you couldn't be more incorrect in your stance. Kids are smart cookies these days and they know when action figures aren't up to par. And collectors certainly know when their action figures are not making the cut and going to pot. Some feel that the 2010 [S2] Clone Commander Stone (CW44) body sculpt is inferior, but while it lacks articulation, it is more accurate to the clones seen in the television show. Noticeable differences between the sculpts range from his barrel chest (which is particularly strange) to the high-waisted look of the belt (it sits higher). Hasbro needs to do some bit of tweaking however to make these sculpts more articulated. Hopefully we will continue to see the ideal clone sculpt in the future.