Verdict: Buy something else. The Clone Trooper is a repaint and the Battle Droid is a re-re-repaint of a mold originally sold back in 2002, and it is at the end of its rope. For army builders, customizers, and completeists only. Others will be faced with the bully that used to take their lunch money being replaced by Hasbro taking their lunch money.

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Bio: Clone Troopers from the 212th Attack Battalion battle Separatist droid forces on the planet Utapau. The Clone Troopers fight the Battle Droids in the closing days of the Clone Wars, as the battalion's Jedi General, Obi-Wan Kenobi, duels General Grievous. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Sculpt
Each figure is a new sculpt in this line, but not the Battle Droid. The Clone Trooper is the same body used on the Saga Legends 2013 Clone Trooper (AOTC) as well as the Shock Trooper and Utapau Clone Trooper. The Battle Droid is available with Jango Fett with a different paint job, but all of the new sculpts debuted in July 2013 together in these new waves.

The Battle Droid has 5 points of articulation and is derived from the 2002 Deluxe C-3PO figure. Yes, it's that old and likely the oldest mold still in circulation in Hasbro's entire 2013 action toy line-up. The figure's head, backpack, arms, and legs are all completely removable, and this figure has been sold and re-sold to us at wildly diverse price points. In 2007, Hasbro sold 2 of these on a card for $6.99. In the 2012 Movie Heroes line, they attempted to sell us 1 for $9.99. As half of a two-pack for $10, the value isn't terrible but Hasbro did introduce a newer, prettier simple Battle Droid sculpt, 4 of which were packed with the MTT vehicle. This mold needs to be retired as its age is showing and considering that the Battle Droids are the only figures in these new simple figure waves that can't stand well on their own, Hasbro can and obviously has done better. It's worth noting that this sample of the tan droid stands better than the companion red Battle Droid from this wave, which has a death wish and constantly plummets to the ground.

The 212th Battalion Clone Trooper is a 5-jointed figure with a smaller than expected helmet. He shares a body with Hasbro's latest Attack of the Clones trooper, with unique deco to match a shiny version of his legion. The patterns on the armor are similar to previous orange clones, but the patterns aren't identical. The figure's sculpting looks clean and sharp, although the armor's plastic lacks the glossy finish of most other troopers - if this is a benefit or not is entirely up to you. This figure is functional and neither disappoints nor surprises.

Deco
The Battle Droid may be the least-inspired deco of this mold, and that's saying something - over a dozen flavors of this mold have been released, and this one is preposterously plain. He has painted black eyes and a few incredibly subtle silver highlights on a few pistons here and there, plus a little silver on his backpack. In its current state, this figure's best purpose may to be as dismembered droid limbs in a diorama.

The 212th Battalion Clone Trooper is another functional paint job - the white figure has some black markings in addition to a minimal compliment of orange battalion markings. The deco is largely acceptable for a shiny new clone, but you can see around the crest on the helmet that either the paint job or the sculpt is just slightly off from where it should be. Hasbro got it right a few years ago, and this figure, while simpler, should not be largely less authentic than the originals. It's acceptable and cheap, though, so it may be adequate for your kid or diorama needs. It's still fun to play with, either way.

Accessories
Includes a E-5 and DC-15S blaster. The E-5 Battle Droid blaster does not feel as if it brings anything new to the table. Unlike other releases, it is not warped by rubber bands and the Battle Droid's left hand has no immediate problems grasping its weapon. It gets the job done nicely, and plugs into his backpack if you're so inclined.

The Clone Trooper's gun is a Clone Trooper gun. You have numerous DC-15S blasters in your collection by now, and this one has no visible trigger guard this time around. It fits into his hand easily without any real fuss, so kudos to Hasbro on executing both accessories in a pleasing manner.

Context
This is not the droid you're looking for. This Battle Droid has been released dozens of times over the years: 3 versions of this mold were packaged in a Battlefront-themed droid pack. 1 version came with the 2002 Deluxe C-3PO with Droid Factory fixtures. 8 versions of it were released in 2007's Saga Legends line, and a pair of them were packaged in a nifty, original Kashyyyk deco in late 2006/early 2007 as part of The Saga Collection. Hasbro had a new, similarly articulated sculpt of this figure from late 2012 (packed with MTT) and early 2013 (packed with the Class I mini-rig vehicles), so this particular Battle Droid's resurrection is something of an unpleasant mystery. The newer mold is far more interesting looking.

The 212th Clone Trooper has also been done recently, and better (overall) in the 2011 The Vintage Collection assortments. You no doubt have others of this battalion from either the 2006 The Saga Collection, or elsewhere. It's been done, it's been done better, but this is what's on shelf now and given what $10 buys you these days, if you're a kid, you can do worse.

Play Value
Highly debatable. Both figures can hold weapons and sit, but the Battle Droid's ability to stand varies from sample to sample as, somehow, he's lost his center of gravity recently. The Clone Trooper is certainly not spectacular, but it gets the job done - he can stand and look good doing it. He sits fairly well, and is a great vehicle driver. If I had to do it all over again, assuming the deco was a twinge better, this is the mold I'd have preferred to have had to build armies from the get go. All I want are guys that can fit in vehicles and stand in a line - this does it.

Packaging
Functionally superb, visually adequate. Two figures are packaged in a single, mind-bogglingly clever package. There's a trick to opening it - the top of the bubble is the only part sealed to the cardboard. Slide your finger under the heat seal, or make an incision along the top of the bubble. The entire plastic part of the packaging slides open without any fuss, sort of like those cardboard strips on fast food pie slice boxes.

The front of the packaging is a bit of a snooze, but it does feature both character portraits on the front. The Star Wars logo seems undersized for the design, with Vader's hand looming large over the figures, giving them an unintentionally small look. (The Mattel DC Universe Infinite Heroes 3 3/4-inch action figure line had a similar problem - the hand motif tends to visually "shrink" the figures to the consumer, leading to arguments between toy reviewers and fans over the actual size of the figures. Your average joe doesn't see these as their correct height.)

Hasbro deserves kudos for the design, as it takes up minimal cardboard and plastic with no twist ties or rubber bands. Two pieces of tape hold the accessories in place, and the plastic tray does the rest. This results in less waste and no frustration on the part of the collector.

--Adam Pawlus