What the hell is happening?

First team in NBA history to come back from 20 point deficits in back to back playoff games.

Nomad 2, Chris 0.
(For the record, I would still bet on the Celtics winning this series.)

Another interruption in our ROTS20 coverage due to this TVC figure being delivered to my doorstep.  We shall resume (again) tomorrow…

One of the least inspired TVC releases in a while, and I would probably guess that statistically speaking, 0 people requested this figure.  Nevertheless, it’s not completely ridiculous from Hasbro’s point of view.  First, it was an opportunity to make use of some existing tooling.  Second, it is a live action version of a character that had only been seen in animation up to this point.  Third, it helps fill out Ahsoka’s Force-Flashback scenes from The World Between Worlds, since we’ve gotten several figures inspired by that source recently (Anakin, Phase I Not Lieutenant but actually 501st Clone Trooper, and Phase II 501st Clone Trooper.  We also have Rex, white clones, and 332nd Clones, as well as an animation-inspired Ahsoka Tano (as is this figure).  It stands to reason, it may make sense for Hasbro to offer a pair of Ahsoka Tanos that were seen in the show, represented by likenesses of the young actress Ariana Greenblatt. 

For the record, my take on all this is that live action trumps animation.  So while I absolutely insist that any animation-inspired figures are crafted in realistic form, I realize this would only be Hasbro’s approximation of what a character might look like.  And that’s good enough for me.  But once a character makes the jump to live action, then that appearance becomes “more canon” than the previous animated appearance.  In the case of Ahsoka, Hasbro made a realistic version of her appearance in early TCW seasons with VC102. That figure was kind of awesome at the time, but the sculpt and articulation aged very poorly, and it is now a terrible figure.  Also, we have VC202, another attempt at a realistic interpretation, this time of her appearance in Season 7 of TCW (this figure is one of my favorites).  But now that Ahsoka has appeared in live action flashbacks in both of those outfits (or close to them), these new looks are “more canon”, and I wouldn’t be angry if Hasbro took another stab at these 2.

As for this Commando, it’s the same thing.  The character was seen in TCW, and Hasbro gave him realistic interpretations in 2 versions, as VC243 Mandalorian Super Commando and VC246 Mandalorian Super Commando Captain.  The character is essentially the same, but the coloring was a bit different in the Ahsoka flashback, so that becomes the proper look as far as I’m concerned.

The figure isn’t quite a repaint.  It takes the shared body of VC243 and VC246, but uses the non-spike shoulder armor from VC243 along with the horned helmet from VC246.  In live action, it seems this trooper did not have the shoulder spikes, so that’s fine.  And the coloring was different, even though the flashback scenes were shrouded in fog with odd lighting.  I’m sure most collectors would have been fine if this figure was left alone, but in the interest of accuracy, I’ll allow it.

Included in the bubble is the removable jetpack, and a pair of unpainted blaster pistols.  But also included is the rifle that was first seen with the VC219 Death Watch Mandalorian (from The Mandalorian) which is not to be confused with VC247 Mandalorian Death Watch Airborne Trooper.  Not sure what’s going on there, because the live action figure was released well before the animation-inspired version, which according to my rules, should never have been released at that point.  Of course, it’s entirely possible that they’re not the same trooper type, since one is “airborne”, which means it might have different color flashes.  But whatever.

And that brings me to the most annoying aspect of this figure.  VC243 has the same name as this figure.  While VC246 adds “captain” to the name - assuming that the horns on the helmet were worn by higher ranked members of this faction.  Then this guy comes along and keeps the horns but drops the “captain” designator.  This is the type of stuff that drives me nuts.  In the Ahsoka flashback, you can clearly see that there are “horn-less” troopers in the battle, so both types made it into live action.  I have no idea why LFL/Hasbro dropped the rank in the name, but it goes along with the flashback Phase I 501st Clones that were misnamed as Clone Lieutenants.  I don’t get it.  I demand an explanation!

Anyway, you can check out the reviews of the VC243 and VC246 for the full rundown of this figure.  Despite the fact that it may not exactly light a fire for most collectors, it is nevertheless an outstanding figure, and I’m giving it a 9/10 to match that of the previous versions.