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Review |
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| Sculpt: |
| The Bespin Cloud Car Pilots that fly the Twin-Pod Cars in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK inspired this figure. To give you an idea of how OBSCURE these characters were, Hasbro couldn't even come up with a photo of one outside of the Twin-Pod Cars for the figure's insert or cardback! In fact, the Cloud Car Pilots seen through the windows of the vehicles are tiny models (or CGI-characters in certain shots for the "Special Edition"). The only clear photos of the Pilots I've found can be seen in THE ART OF THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (page 137 of the original edition), and even then you only see them from the neck up. Still, this figure has loads of detail, from his removable helmet and sidearm holster to his handheld communicator and sculpted chest emblem. Considering that this is the first version of the Cloud Car Pilot in the modern lines, it's quite a decent effort: 8.5 out of 10. |
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| Paint: |
| Since the figure wears an off-white uniform, that's the primary color plastic he's molded in. His gloves and boots are molded in a creamy lemon color, with dark gray on the soles of the boots and a silver bar on each glove. The figure has a medium-gray belt and holster molded in that color, then accented with silver at the buckle. His shoulders have orange panels that match his helmet, and there is a circular gray emblem on his chest. The helmet is molded in the clear yellow of the eye lenses, then painted in orange, a lemon-yellow stripe down the centerfrom front to back, and a gray circle on each side of the stripe. The head is molded in flesh colored plastic, although most of his head is encased in a medium-gray flight hood. His blaster is molded in black, with no paint apps. With a total of only six paint apps, the figure still looks very authentic: 8/10. |
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| Articulation: |
| An exceptional amount of articulation for a character never shown outside of his vehicle. Besides the standard hips, shoulders, neck and waist joints, the figure has jointed knees and cut-joints where his gloves and boots meet his uniform, for a total of ten points of articulation. A well-deserved 9/10. |
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| Accessories: |
| The Cloud Car Pilot comes with his helmet, blaster, comlink, and the standard OTC gunmetal gray base/figure stand. The comlink pegs onto the figure's belt, and the blaster fits into the sideholster. The helmet fits snuggly on the head, and the right index finger fits into the triggerguard of the blaster. A very nice accessory assortment that compliments the figure well: 9/10. |
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| Packaging: |
| The same OTC card as the rest of the series, with a character-specific background image--in this case, Twin-Pod Cars parked on a Cloud City landing platform. The insert shows an in-flight Cloud Car with Pilot, and has the logo for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK on the far right flange, then the figure's name and OTC collection number (Cloud Car Pilot is OTC #19) on the right flange. The cardback shows the same image from the insert, and explains who the Cloud Car Pilots are: 8.5/10. |
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| Availability: |
| As of this writing, the figure has been appearing at retail for about a month, and is also available from most online sources: 8/10. |
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| Conclusion: |
| As one of the few all-new sculpts in the OTC, the Cloud Car Pilot really showcases the exceptional level of work Hasbro is capable of, when they actually try their hardest: 8.5/10. |
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