HOLY COW!  This is breaking news! I found this figure at Target yesterday, and I was shocked!  It was a previously unannounced basic figure in the vintage collection, and I was absolutely beside myself that I discovered it on the pegs!  It’s a Christmas miracle!

Nah, I’m just tickling your funny bone.  For those reading this far into the future, ARC Trooper Fives was mysteriously the worst kept secret in the history of the line.  It was already HEAVILY rumored as part of its wave (along with Chirrut Îmwe, Jedi Luke Skywalker, and Hondo Ohnaka).  For whatever reason, it almost seems like Hasbro simply forgot to make the figure part of their official reveals this year.  It was being shipped from online vendors and found in brick and mortar without being official.  On top of that, it was also nearly simultaneously announced (and previously revealed) to be part of the Hasbro Pulse Con Exclusive TVC 501st ARC Troopers special set.  So there you go.  Wacky stuff.

Finding the figure in stores, joking aside, was still a thrill.  I don’t even shop in stores much anymore, because it’s hard to find TVC at all.  But aside from that, I’m a 501st junkie, and collect anything and everything with the blue-marked clone troopers from Anakin’s/Vader’s Legion.  That includes cookie jars, bobble-heads, helmets, and something called a Tsum Tsum.  (I’m not a proud man).  Fives is also one of the most compelling characters Filoni created for The Clone Wars, and there are many that are outstanding.  His story arc was emotional and very well done.  So for him to finally make a long overdue appearance in the collector-focused line of the One True Scale, is a treat.  The card art is similar to most of the other Clone Wars inspired figures, with an artist’s rendering of a “realistic” take on the animated character.  The colors really pop on this one, and it may give even reckless openers pause before tearing the bubble off the cardback.

Fives is promising on so many levels, and starts out great upon releasing him from his clear plastic prison.  The face sculpt and PhotoReal application are both outstanding (assuming you get a sample that doesn’t have the face paint offset by a nanometer).  The figure appears to be all new, and the sculpt is fantastic.  While Hasbro continues to not use the VC54 ARC Trooper Commander (“Not Fordo”) for recent figures like this, as well as the recent VC168 Clone Commander Wolffe and the upcoming pack refresh Rex, (more on that later) the advantage here is that this clone addressees my frustration with the skinny clone trooper mold which Hasbro adopted starting with VC45, while also improving upon lesser quality clone commander sculpts from the Black Series phase 2 (like VC168 Wolffe).  Fives is well proportioned as a standalone figure.  One problem, however, is that he’s quite short, almost half a head shorter than fellow clone, Captain Rex.

The articulation is top notch, with all the most modern inclusions.  Fives has the “barbell” neck joint, which allows for a large range of motion than a typical ball joint.  He’s got ball joints at the shoulders, elbows, wrists, torso, hips, and ankles.  AND he’s got ROCKER ANKLES!  Bravo, Hasbro!  Bravo!

However, there’s something that almost qualifies as “devastating.”  The plastic kama/skirt which is sculpted onto the thighs almost completely (but not quite) negates the ball jointed hips.  It’s maddening.  The figure would be nearly perfect, if not for this egregious design flaw.  So again, I’ll bring up “Not Fordo”.  That figure had the separate removable belt/holster combo, which was made of a very pliable plastic.  More importantly, it had the soft goods skirt.  Hasbro, for some unknown reason, has forsaken VC54.  Not only would it make an amazing base figure for all the ARC Troopers and Clone Commanders in TVC like Fives, Wolffe, Rex, etc., but it would make a perfect candidate for a straight “Fan Channel” re-issue.  That figure was a perfect 10 in 2011, and it’s a perfect 10 today.  If Hasbro had used that for the basis of Fives, it would have been a 12.  Sigh.  SIGH!

Anyway, Fives has his unique markings and color pattern across his uniform.  His removable helmet is outstanding, and fits perfectly on his head.  I’ve read some complaints that the helmet is too tight of a fit for some people around the community, but my sample doesn’t suffer that problem.  It’s perfect.  Fives comes with a pair of pistols, a blaster, and a rifle.  The pistols fit in the holsters, although they are bit loose for my taste as they kept falling out of the holster when I was trying to pose the figure.  Also, we generally expect TVC figures to add that bit of extra perceived value, so the weapons should have the silver detailing, but these are solid black.  Finally, the pauldron/backpack assembly can be easily removed, but the figure is awkward without it, so just do everyone a favor and leave it on.

That plastic kama, man.  It’s a killer.  Nevertheless, almost everything else about this figure is amazing, and a true achievement by Hasbro.  Despite the ongoing questionable decision to pass up the VC54 blueprint, we still get an amazing figure with a single devastating flaw.  Still, my affinity for all things 501st is probably skewing my verdict.  I’m going to give this figure a 9/10.  Everything but the kama is so awesome, I’m looking at the figure through Bev Goldberg’s mom goggles.  So take my 9/10 with a grain of salt.

Note:  Fives ranked number 4 in our TVC Clone Wars poll.

Credit:  Carded sample provided by John A., administrator of the TVC Facebook Group.