It's time once again to review another wave of Hasbro's The Clone Wars action figures!

The sixth wave for 2011 includes a Jedi, a Sith, a wookiee, and a droid...all brought to life in the animated style!

A Word About Wave Numbers
It is somewhat confusing, keeping track of this line, especially when Hasbro continues to restart the numbering each year. We have been getting a new packaging look each year, but that did not happen in 2011. Some folks think of each year's packaging design as representative of each season of the show...but really this is just a coincidence.

While this is the 6th wave of figures for 2011, it's the 13th wave for the "Blue Skies" packaging, and to make it even more confusing, it's the 29th wave in the TCW line overall, if you count the repack waves that continue to ship. Yes, it's all very confusing...especially if you're trying to maintain an ongoing archive where the rules keep changing!

It's also worth noting that the figure numbers are not in numerical order, as we are catching up with some delayed figures and other figures are split off into other case assortments. In addition, Jar Jar Binks (CW65) is repackaged and included in this wave, but is not part of this review. This was one of the harder-to-find figures from 2008, so it's good to see him made available again for those that missed him.

Galactic Battle Game
The GBG accessories (Battle Card, Battle Stands, and Battle Dice) are still included, although the emphasis on the packaging has been downplayed a bit.

Clone Wars Adventures
As seen in previous waves, there is a huge sticker that wraps around the front and side of the bubble, offering a free 30 day membership & 450 station cash for the online game. There is a special coupon included with a code that grants access to this.

What's also of interest is a new sticker (the stickers and inserts take up at least half the front of the bubble!) that tells you to "See this gear online" at clonewarsadventures.com, but only until 3/1/12. It's still not entirely clear what this means, but the thinking is that the extra accessories make an appearance in the game somehow, which is a great cross-promotion because the "bonus gear" for the most part does not appear in the TV show. Kids will enjoy this, no doubt. Not sure about the "only until 3/1/12" part though...


Anyway, onto the figures themselves!

CW58: Even Piell:

One of the original members of the Jedi High Council from The Phantom Menace, the diminutive Jedi Master made a memorable (and continuity-smashing) appearance in season three of the series. Not only is this the first time the character has been given a figure in the animated style, but it's also the first super-articulated figure he's gotten. The articulation is surprisingly good, despite having such a small character to work with. The only point missing is ankles, which is consistent with other figure of late. Again, for a figure this size...it would most likely be a problem getting ankles added here, but it's not really needed here. Taking a long-standing cue from various Batman toy lines, Even Piell comes with "climbing gear", which is a backpack with a string that runs through it, allowing the figure to be raised or lowered. There's a "harpoon" on one end, and a handle on the other. The string can be wrapped around the backpack when not being used, and it is a fun feature for kids. If you don't care for it, it's removable and you can simply pose the Jedi master with his lightsbaer.

CW59: Savage Opress (Armored Apprentice):

The latest "Big Bad" from this series, here is the second version of the Sith Apprentice. Savage Opress made a huge splash last year with a massively-hyped appearance, but he hasn't been seen since then. No doubt Lucasfilm is saving him to appear with his brother early next year, closer to a certain 3D movie's release... ;) This "Armored Apprentice" figure is stunning. Easily the best figure in the wave, if not the entire year. Much like the shirtless version which was released a few months ago, this version is MASSIVE! The sculpting details really capture the onscreen appearance of the character. The legs are at least similar to the previous version, although I can see some subtle differences in the sculpts. The biggest bonus is the use of the soft goods skirt, as opposed to plastic. You can get a much wider range of movement in the hips. As far as accessories go, it appears to be the same rocket-firing battle axe as before, plus Savage is now armed with his double-bladed lightsaber. One additional accessory (or pair of accessories) is the shoulder armor. They are removable, but the plugs that hold it in place are VERY secure. Which means you can pick up this figure without having them fall off.

CW63: Chewbacca:

Everyone's favorite wookiee warrior (c'mon, what wookiee is better than Chewie?) is added to the animated line. Personally, I love seeing characters from the Classic Trilogy (or Original Trilogy, if you prefer) presented in this animated style, and Chewbacca is just the latest character to make the crossover. His memorable appearance in the season three finale was a real crowd-pleaser, and this much-beloved character is a welcome addition to the line. Since this figure is based on the animated style, he's skinny. REALLY skinny. Granted, he's supposed to be that way, and recent realistic figures have captured that nicely, but it's definitely worth noting here. The articulation points are typical (no ankles), and the added height in the torso is a nice addition. The bandolier is removable, which is somewhat annoying because it falls off whenever you pick up the figure, but if you position the head just so....you can keep it in place. Chewie comes with 3 accessories...his signature bowcaster (which has never looked so good!), plus the missile-firing version which might be the same accessory from the 2003 Mynock Hunt figure (I have not dug it out to compare, but it appears to be the same), plus a "borrowed" shotgun no doubt stolen from a Trandoshan slaver.

CW64: R7-D4 (Plo Koon's Astromech Droid):

At first glance, you might think this figure is nothing more than a repaint of previous astromech droids. But you'd be wrong. R7-D4 is actually a brand-new sculpt, that not only incorporates the opening panels from the 2008 TCW R2-D2 figure, but it also brings the "Build-A-Droid" element from The Legacy Collection into the animated line. The front panels open to reveal mechanical arms extending from the body, although the back panel (with grappling rope) has been removed. In its place, the head and legs can be removed/reattached/rearranged in various play patterns. Or at least, they will be when combined with other droids. Assuming there are more to come in the animated line, but the realistic parts do work here as well. There are no other accessories included here, which might explain why R7-D4 uses the old packaging design, and does not include the "Clone Wars Adventures" features.

Stay tuned for more updates as each figure is added to The Clone Wars Photo Archive!