One of the best things about the Clone Wars was the idea of using multiples of the same dude taking on many robot soldiers. It can only be found in Star Wars, especially given how unique the concept was overall. It also makes for a more interesting class than the usual Rebel Trooper vs Stormtrooper battles. Whether you've seen them in the Expanded Universe media complimenting the movies or watch TCW separately from the 6 movies and the EU, it's always a treat despite the inconsistencies TCW brings in if combined with either canon tier. With all that said, let's take a look at two eras of Clone Troopers and two classes of Battle Droids.
Let's quickly compare the Phase 1 Clone Troopers next to each other. On the left is the new version and on the right is the 2020 version. Though they may appear similar at first glance, the figures themselves are either separate toolings or we have a 2.0 of a 2 0. The helmet, for starters, has a more complete deco for the mouth grille and visor, with both now filled in better than on the previous version of the design. It's not only more film-accurate but it also looks more proportionate for anyone to see through. The chest armor on the 2024 version is a more flexible material than the 2020 version, likely because Hasbro responding to limited articulation complaints. The arms function similarly, but the shoulder pads are now separate pieces, inserted before the arms are attached rather than more in the bicep armor. The lower torso sculpt work could be new or reused, but the differences are negligible at best. The legs work mostly the same but the new one has slightly more space to allow its legs to move around better. It's still not perfect, however, and some drop-down hips might have helped. I also have a stock photo of the 2014 version to further show differences in how its articulation and helmet details compare to the more recent versions.
The weapons are also slightly different in terms of coloring. The new one has its standard blaster and rifles cast in dark grey, while the 2020 version's weapons are cast in solid black.
With the weapon choices still being the same since 2014, one could argue that it it ain't broke, don't try to fix it...unless you're sharpening the details.
Let's also quickly cover a comparison with the Phase 1 and 2 Clones to see how distinct they could be beyond the helmet; they added deco to the right pectoral side and that's it. Still an interesting reminder of how similar Clone armors can be between different phases, especially in contrast to the Stormtrooper design being less refined, classic as it may be.
But this Phase 2 Clone comes with the first main star of the show: a Battle Droid! It's also capable of folding into a fetal position as it's deployed from the MTT carrier during 1/4th of Episode 1's final battle. And standing upright, I'm surprised at how durable the figure generally feels for a lanky clanker. The proportions match the character model, and I also like that the joints are perfectly concealed thanks to how the design was made. Granted, I wish that the figure was painted since there is no deco apart from the few bits here and there, and it'd help make the sculpt stand out much better, but at least the colors are right.
Its head sculpt is also unique for the shape and overall alien motif, representing how inhuman the Battle Droids truly are (until they had their own independent AI with varying results). Those slits in between the pupils also add a sense of evil intent than if they were dots similar to the Lego figures. Articulation consists of ball joints at the head and neck with slight wiggle for the shoulders, torso, and hips; hinges are used for the neck, elbows, hands, and knees while swivels are used for the biceps and wrists. Even ankle articulation is intact for this droid! You have the option to use the same backpack's extending antennae, or you can turn this into a commander droid. The former option is annoying because those thin pieces are easy to flex and I don't want to break them. The commander droid antennae are annoyingly bent out of the box, though.
Finally, we have the Super Battle Droid, which thankfully looks good despite some slight marbleization here and there in the sculpt. Given how gunmetal the droids are in this model series, the discrepancy is at least less noticeable than on something more vibrant, like, say, the 2023 comic Ultron from the Quantumania wave. There are at least some gunmetal paint apps around the joints of the figure to break up the sculpt, especially at the arms and midriff. The proportions are accurate to the design seen in the films, and I'm glad that we not only have some slight hints of color for the faint blue on the head and the red dot on the left, but the figure is also not top heavy nor floppy. The quality of this and the B1 is much better than the Magnaguards, which suffered from feeling flimsy and flexible. This at least is sturdy by comparison, and moreso with the depth of the limbs when viewed from the sides. The torso is somewhat hollow, but that can help in preventing the balance from messing up.
Articulation consists of slight ball joint movement at the shoulders, hinged elbows, rotation at the forearms, wrist hinges, a diaphragm joint, ball-jointed hips, hinged knees, and ankle pivots. Since he has no accessories of his own, he is left with a blast effect that plugs into the wrist rocket launcher. Very ingenious, and it opens up more display option potential for these bulkier droids. Ironically, Super Battle Droids are slightly shorter than regular Battle Droids, but it is somewhat accurate to the movies. Makes me want to look into finding life-sized replicas of these droids.
Overall, both the Clones and the Droids manage to be great armybuilders, especially with how huge any battle in the Clone Wars could be. While the Clone's hip articulation is still limited somewhat and the droids could use slightly better tolerances for the joints, I'm happy to see how each figure turned out. Also amusing is my Phase 2 Clone's forearm popping off easily, making it perfect to simulate him experiencing the toils of war.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (for all figures)
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