I admit I’m all over the place with this sculpt, but I think this figure is the one that sets me straight.  When VC45 was released, I had a strong dislike for the silly proportions which made it look like a stick figure was inside the armor.  It seems Hasbro was trying to create either (1) a “screen accurate” clone trooper based on the CGI model in AOTC and ROTS, (2) a trooper based on the animated stylings of The Clone Wars, or (3) some amalgam of both.  The CGI version from the prequels wasn’t quite right, as the armor would have essentially needed to be skin tight to have an actual actor inside it.  A cartoon version just…just shouldn’t be made at all.  And merging both designs together are further proof that two wrongs don’t make a right.

Aside from the controversial asthetics, the figure’s articulation and sculpting are most definitely dated.  The ball jointed wrists are designed in such a way as to create a bulbous palm that makes it hard for either hand to properly grip the weapons.  These joints are also sculpted so that they “flex” in the wrong direction for a character that is a “righty” to properly pose with a weapon in a shooting pose, and don’t allow for the trooper to look down the sights.  The hips are of the practically ancient version of ball joints, and without the swivel thighs, give a very awkward range of motion that can sometimes make standing upright a bit of a challenge.  Throw in the lack of rocker ankles, and you have a figure that has been left in the dust by today’s standards.  Oh, and let’s not forget the oversized bucket of a helmet, at least for the Phase II clones, that makes this trooper look like he has trouble hauling his gargantuan cranium about.

Over time, I started to warm up to the sculpt, but I think that was mostly because of figures like VC54 which had additional accessories that distracted from the skinny legs and had better scaled helmets.  Sometimes I would like the figures, and sometimes not.

With this release, a headsculpt/Photoreal update to VC60 501st Clone Trooper, I have firmly settled on my decision (for now):  I hate the sculpt.

Most of you who regularly read Banthaskull probably know that I am an avid collector of 501st items.  So when this figure was announced, I promptly went a little overboard and ordered 2 solid cases from EntertainmentEarth, on top of the one that came in the whole wave case I ordered, as well as a random pair from Pulse.  During the long pre-order window, I became less and less interested in spending the money to own an instant army of a figure that I’ve wanted multiples of ever since VC60 was available.  Eventually, I cancelled one of the cases.  Then more time went by, and I cancelled the other case.  Finally, a short time before they started shipping, I even cancelled the pair I had on tap from Pulse.  I decided that the time for this sculpt to be retired had long since come and gone, and I wasn’t interested in paying the $250 or so for 18 figures that I didn’t like.  I finally put my foot down, and did so for a figure that should have been right in my wheelhouse.

When I finally got my wave case delivered and opened up this trooper, it immediately confirmed that I had made the correct call.  I don’t regret my decision for an instant.  I think that this sculpt had it’s merits in 2011, but the shortcomings are so egregious in 2022, that Hasbro should either immediately invest in a new clone trooper sculpt that is on part with the upcoming Stormtrooper, or they should just hold off on releasing any more clones for a long while.  It’s a shame that the upcoming troop builder pack uses this sculpt (and that it rehashes the blue lieutenant that we already have) rather than an all new one.

So there’s not much to say about the 501st update that hasn’t already been covered in numerous other reviews of the VC45 buck.  The only change (which to be fair, isn’t insignificant) is the new headsculpt and Photoreal.  Otherwise, it’s essentially identical.  Interestingly, Hasbro opted to give this a new number, instead of repacking it on the VC60 card, and sourced it to The Clone Wars (instead of ROTS), which makes sense given the push of recent figures from TCW.

Anyway, if you like the sculpt, than there’s no reason to dislike this release.  But if you’re over VC45 like me, than this might be a pass.  I passed on 18 of the 19 that I had ordered.  And yeah, I took some of that savings and put it toward a full case of the upcoming Ahsoka’s 332nd Clone Trooper.  Sure it’s the same mold, but at least it’s a debut character.  This is just more of the same.  As such, I’ll leave it at the original grade of 7/10.