When this figure was first released in 2011, it was immediately a collector favorite.  Never mind the fact that it was sourced to the Clone Wars microseries (which Hasbro had said would no longer be supported with figures and toys), it was simply a great figure.  Besides building on just released VC45 Clone Trooper sculpt that was far superior to previous versions (at least with articulation, if not the aesthetics of the proportions), it included enough accessories to qualify it as a rare and vaunted “two-fer” figure.  You could have the Phase I loadout that we saw during the Battle of Hypori, and then switch it with the Phase II gear that we saw during the Battle of Coruscant.  The accessories, especially the soft goods kama, helped mask the aforementioned proportions issue (i.e., toothpick legs).  The only other thing that collectors complained about was the generic “commander” name pill, and Hasbro/Lucasfilm’s choice to avoid granting the figure the name “Captain Fordo.”

The figure was super popular, a hot seller, and hard to find.  It has been one of the most requested repacks among collectors, including here at Banthaskull.  Hasbro has been shrewd about releasing this figure, but with the recent announcement, and subsequent release, of the entire Clone Wars series on Disney+, they jumped into action and gave us a series of 6 exclusive repacks/repaints under the Clone Wars banner.

So it’s still a solid figure, but time - and circumstances - have contributed to it losing a bit of luster.  First and foremost, this release lacks the Phase 2 accessories.  So right off the bat, it’s missing a huge element that put it into the “greatest ever” discussion.  Secondly, Hasbro recently sculpted new bodies for ARC troopers, which were first seen in the 501st 3-pack, and have since been repainted in the 3 imminently shipping “Gaming Greats” ARC’s sourced to Battlefront II.  Whether or not this was intended so that VC213 was nearly identical to the original VC54 (minus the accessories), or if it was intended to keep these figures cheap to manufacture, it seems like a bit of a missed opportunity to modernize Fordo.  And speaking of “Fordo”, this guy is still not officially “Fordo”.  The name pill has been corrected to reflect the rank of Captain, rather than Commander, but still…

If the new 501st ARC sculpt was passed over to keep the figure more aesthetically in line with the Clone Wars cartoon, the paint job was definitely altered for this reason.  Like it or not, the stripe on the helmet and visor was “expanded” to be like the animated representation, rather than that of the realistic clones seen in AOTC.  Again, this was the point, but I will rarely, if ever, prefer to see animated styling or coloring over realistic interpretations in my 3.75” action figures.  This was no exception.  Along with the other figures in the Walmart exclusive wave, I would have preferred Hasbro stay closer to live action when it came to their paint applications.  One other point about the paint - this was originally colored to be a better fit for the Phase II color scheme.  As such, the knee pads are red.  In his Phase I armor, Fordo had white knee pads.  Oh well.

The one upgrade here is that PhotoReal was applied to the existing head sculpt. Honestly, the difference is minute.  Yes, a side by side comparison shows a slight improvement to more modern standards, but the original was pretty good, and the change isn’t exactly mind-blowing. 

Overall, it’s still a terrific figure.  The card art is really nifty, the PhotoReal is good, and the figure generally holds up well.  However, 10+ years later, it’s clear this Clone sculpt is starting to wear thin - especially in the hands (which are hampered by bulbous wrist joints), the hips, which lack the modern thigh swivel, and again, the thin legs.  All this, combined with the general feeling that that Fordo should have been named and should have gotten the 501st ARC treatment, force me to drop the score from the it’s original lofty heights back down to an Earthly 8/10.