New JD Review: Scorch (Republic Commando)

[Jeff]

Jesse is not around to start a thread due to a busy schedule this week, but I posted his newest review tonight... 



I'm sure Jesse will be by later tonight or tomorrow to fill us in on his thoughts on doing this review (especially his thoughts on Scorch's "awesome" legs  ).

[Jesse James]

Oh mama, Scorch...  Scorchy Scorch Scorch, where did you go wrong...

Well, my review's pretty thorough on this one...  The figure was one I was actually looking forward to because I do enjoy EU a bit, the game was ok (not great, just ok), and the books are supposedly quite good (I've yet to pick up any but I do want to soon).

The character's believable, the gear is too...  Great start to a potentially GREAT new style of Clone to get a figure of right?  Well, Hasbro took us to the limits on this one, then totally dropped the ball at the end...

The arms, while not super poseable, are quite nice, and the figure's torso even has a ball/socket joint.  The sculpt, fantastic...  The paintjob?  Great for a factory paintjob no doubt.  The figure is great......  until the legs.

Hasbro decided to make one of the weakest articulated Clones since Bacara and the 3-pack Clones...  Sadly, a Clone Commando, supposedly the most badass Clone ever, has leg articulation that rivals vintage figures...  Not unlike many figures in 2006, so am I surprised?  Not really...  Just annoyed.

The lacking leg articulation completely tanks such an action packed figure I'm afraid.  For every bit I griped about leg articulation on Derlin, Veers, or Carkoon Han, the lacking poseability on the Commando Clone's legs is that much worse.    Sad to say this one got low marks based on the leg articulation exclusively with me.

You articulate Scorch's knees though, and the review's a 180...

I went from a plan of buying a couple dozen Scorch's to getting at most 3, and one of them is a gift...  It's not a horrible figure, but with lacking poseability, it's one of the weakest clones on the market if you ask me...  A bitch to find, but a weak figure nonetheless.

[Darth_Anton]

Yeah, if the legs weren't so preposed, that would take some of the bite away. As it stands, they kind of ruin an otherwise well done figure.

[ruiner]

You hit the nail on the head with Scorch.

I thought my Scorch was just assembled poorly in regards to the loose torso - I guess it's more widespread.

A lot of my SA clones from EE are the same way.

[Jesse James]

The torso doesn't even bug me really...  If the figure had knee joints (and by rights it should have articulation at the ankles too, but for argument's sake I'm willing to go with knees only), the figure would be 100x better...  Loose torso and all.  It's so close to being a good figure but Hasbro really left a steamer with this one I'm afraid.

Stuff like this just irks me...  On a Cantina alien, I maybe wouldn't be complaining as much...  Though let's face it, if they can do a whole wave of nicely articulated Cantina aliens in 2004/2005, why can't they do that now?  But still it wouldn't have bugged me QUITE as much...  I'm really looking forward to the Tatooine Wave because of that.

But with figures like Derlin and Veers, they're boring so articulation is all they have, and they got shorted...  Then comes Clone Commando "Scorch" and holy **** they just said "forget it, we're not articulating highly anticipated Clones anymore either". 

Bacara pissed me off some at the time...  It was tough to accept given all the other Clones available.  Now "Scorch" is right up there with Bacara...  It's excuseless for Hasbro to be this cheap this year.  They just came off, arguably, the best year they have ever had for Star Wars which was coming off ANOTHER great year for Star Wars (2004).  Admittedly they screwed the pooch in 2002 and most of 2003 (they got better at the end), but it's 2006 and figures are regressing in quality...  I'd hoped it was a fluke, that some of this was leftovers from past lines, but I'm seeing now that they just don't wanna spring for poseable figures like they should be.  It's really just BS, and I hope it changes soon.

[TheBlackDog65]

Jesse, I TOTALLY agree with you on this. Yet I don't think that Hasbro is going to change. Look at demand. I bet their first quarter report does quite well, which will only reinforce from a business stand point that their plan for this year is working.  What is a shame is that it is just evident that they don't care. But what do we do, we keep buying and many buy in large amounts.

[commander apoc]

I hope they do a better job in the future, when they make a new model of Scorch, complete with a new rifle + options, knee-joint and a battle scorched paintjob....

And ofcourse the rest of Delta-squad

This model just sucks a little bit.

[Reid]

Picked this stud up today. I agree, Scorch could've been waaayy better had he had legs, after all he is a "trooper" figure. Still, he has fantastic upper body articulation (ball-jointed torso, ball-jointed elbows), and I can always welcome EU figures into my collection. Still haven't played the game yet, though I thought the books were good.

[Artoo]

I may Scorch up for a couple custom if I see him, now that the set is online.