Not the most exciting figure ever made, but it’s another addition to the slowly expanding group of podracer pilots offered by Hasbro.  We have 11 of the 18 racers, but it seems like the odds of us completing this subset are slim to none.  Overall, though, it’s been a pretty good effort by Hasbro.  Along with the podracers, we’ve gotten several versions of pit droids, two podracer vehicles, and a decent number of main characters and backgrounders that were spectators.  And yet, there’s so much more to do.  Fans of the scene (or at least the variety of characters) are likely at the end of the line, so to speak.  Personally, I’d love to see more.  I can tell you that Chris doesn’t stop talking about Kitster and Wald figures.  It’s kind of annoying already, so if Hasbro would just make those, it would shut Chris up for a while.  At least until he goes on another EV-9D9 rant.  Sigh.

Clegg Holdfast is a diminutive figure, but Hasbro manages to pack a lot of articulation and character into it.  The sculpt is pretty accurate to what we see on screen.  The articulation, while nothing special, is generally enough for this guy, but as usual, the lack of ankles essentially nullifies almost any effectiveness of the hips and knees.  That said, the hip articulation allows the figure to sit, so Clegg could easily interact with a theoretical podracer vehicle.  The paint applications are…interesting.  While the face is done fairly well, giving the figure some character, there is an odd “wash” of mud or oil splatter over almost the entire figure.  I guess the thought is that this is literally a dirty job, but none of the other pilots seem to get anywhere near this filthy.  If you can get over this odd decision, the figure looks pretty good.

Clegg comes with a blaster.  Why not?  Apparently, in Star Wars, the gun laws are mighty loose.  As usual, I would ask for a holster of sorts, even though I know it’s not accurate to the figure.  Better yet, drop the blaster altogether.  Podracers let their piloting skills do the talking, so there is no need for such weaponry.  Maybe include some kind of mechanic’s tool, or an oil can, or somesuch.  He also comes with removable goggles.  I say “removeable”, but man, you probably want to avoid this frustration.  It’s not so easy to get them off his head, and it’s even harder to get them back on.  But they do look good and fit over his eyes very nicely.  You can see his eyes clearly through the lenses, so it was a nice job by Hasbro.

It seems this figure was thrown into the wave as a cost-saver.  You might not feel that it’s much of a value in plastic.  Of course, at $7.99, almost anything looks like a good value compared to $12.99 for collector grade figures these days.  Even if you don’t particularly care for TPM or the podrace scene, this particular character can probably fit in well as background fodder in various displays.  If you shop around ebay, you can find this figure in the package for less than $20 shipped, and about half that for a loose sample.  It’s decent, but the not-so-good value, the various nitpicks mentioned, and lack of ankle articulation make this figure a 6/10.  It’s still way better than almost any 5POA figure.

Credits

Carded sample on loan from the collection of Randy S

Build-A-Droid 

Clegg Holdfast contains the right leg of L8-L9.  This prototype combat droid participated in a multi-gladiator fight-to-the-death in the arena pits of the planet Rattatak.  L8-L9 was destroyed by another gladiator named Asajj Ventress.  Source:  Clone Wars (non canon).

Verdict: No Action

It’s definitive, so no need to update.  It’s cheap on Ebay, so no need to re-release.  Personally, I’d love for Hasbro to keep making the occasional podracer, but gone are the days of 60 figures per year.  Ol’ Clegg will likely never be part of the full compliment of 18 participants in the Boonta Eve Classic of 32 BBY.

Verdict Guide:
Re-sculpt = The figure is not definitive, and a new version should be developed.
Re-issue = This version is definitive (or close enough), and shows sufficient secondary market demand to warrant a straight repack.
No Action = This release does not require new attention.