Release Date: May 2021
RRP: $24.99/£24.99
2021 marks the 50th anniversary of Lucasfilm and Hasbro are celebrating in it the only way they know how - an onslaught of new Star Wars action figure releases! In addition to the various figures based on the novels and comics that make up the "Legends" canon, a selection of Black Series figures based on the ever-popular Star Wars: The Clone Wars was revealed - exclusive to Target in the US (and via the fan channel elsewhere) and packaged in retro Clone Wars blister packaging. Among this special wave of figures is the Black Series Clone Pilot Hawk - the clone trooper pilot that often worked alongside the 501st Legion and was seen a number of Clone Wars episodes.
Although the Black Series recently revitalised itself with a whole new style of packaging, in the last year it's been all about special packaging variants for particular releases – from retro throwbacks to older Star Wars figures to more lavish offerings like the book-style Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary "Legends" figures. Clone Pilot Hawk's packaging falls squarely into the former category, blister style packaging done in the style of the original 2008 Star Wars: The Clone Wars 3.75" figure toy line. This packaging features a backing card in the shape of a Phase 1 clone trooper helmet, with a rounded blister and inner card sporting the character name/artwork and Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary logo. While I'm not particularly of blister packaging that effectively has to be destroyed to be opened, I do like a good throwback and it's hard to deny that the Clone Wars figures had a very striking packaging design. It's a shame there isn't much to say about the back of the card though, which feature the same Lucasfilm 50th anniversary and Star Wars timeline graphics as the Legends figures and completely lacks any sort of specific character artwork or biography.
Right of the bat Clone Pilot Hawk is a really interesting figure, as though it is predominantly made from the clone trooper mould (rather than the new one introduced at the end of last year), it has had a few little sculpt alterations that make it stand out from the crowd. The main ones of course being the brand new helmet sculpt and additional chest panel. The mouthpiece of the helmet is attached to the chest piece via flexible pipes on either side. With the body armour entirely cast in bright white plastic, Hawk has quite a clean look which makes sense for a pilot that isn't seeing direct combat as much. That said, the blue sections on the shoulder pauldrons, chest and knees have all been applied in a way to imitate wear and tear. Though the body itself is pretty light on moulded detailing those little bits it has (particularly the belt) remain pretty sharp, with that new head sculpt as the main focal point. While the pilot helmet design may not be quite as striking or iconic as a standard clone trooper, it's always nice to see clone variants that are visually different and in that regard Hawk definitely fits the bill. While the figure sadly doesn't feature a human head underneath that helmet, since Hawk was never seen without his helmet it arguably wasn't an essential factor on this release.
Due to these little changes Hasbro seem to have made to the old clone trooper sculpt, Hawk has some rather interesting articulation. Altogether he features;
- Ball jointed head, neck, upper torso and hips
- Swivel hinge shoulders, wrists and ankles
- Double hinge elbows and knees
- Bicep swivels
For the most part that matches up to the old mould, but the ball jointed head and neck section is definitely something more commonly associated with the newer version. Not to mention whatever they've done with the shoulder pauldrons, which actually retract into the torso as they should when the armour is raised. These are strictly the same as the newer mould though, as on that the pauldrons will bend - here they're solid plastic and just simply seem to have more room to move. Other elements though, such as the double hinged elbows and knees, are unmistakably from the older mould. While it's nice to see those double jointed parts out in full force again, the lack of butterfly shoulders on this older mould is definitely a hindrance. As is that thigh armour, which can get in the way of forward leg movement quite a bit. It also goes without saying that due to the flexible pipe pieces connecting the helmet to the chest panel, the head articulation is somewhat limited. The pipes are thick and flexible to get about 90 degrees, but anything more than that and you might risk breaking them.
Clone Pilot Hawk only comes with a single accessory – the standard issue DC-15S blaster rifle which has been packaged with the majority of clone troopers released in the line so far. The blaster is moulded in black and is very nicely detailed, even if a lot of that detail tends to get lost on such a dark coloured plastic. It can be held comfortably in the figure's right hand thanks to the moulded trigger figure, however the left hand has also been moulded so that it can hold onto the barrel for a proper two-handed grip. Sadly however there isn't anywhere to store the rifle on the figure's person whilst not in use. As far as accessories go it’s about as generic as you can get but ultimately not all that surprising – as a pilot Hawk doesn't exactly need much in the way of accessories to begin with, so the standard issue clone armament is about the best it was ever going to get.
Unless you're a diehard clone trooper collector Black Series Clone Pilot Hawk is easily the most unremarkable figure in this special Clone Wars wave, but it's still a pretty nice figure with plenty to like about it. The new head sculpt looks fantastic, and it's great to see a clone variant with new tooling for once rather than a simple repaint. The use of the older clone body is a little curious when they've got the new one lying around, even more so with some of the changes they made to it with this release. If you're a Clone Wars or clone trooper fan, then Clone Pilot Hawk is a worthy addition to your 501st legion.
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