Star Wars Clone Trooper Commander Bly Kotobukiya ARTFX 1/7 Scale Pre painted Soft Vinyl Model Kit
I do not own this image.
Source:
http://www.mwctoys.com/REVIEW_102908a.htmManufacturer: CRAFTSMANSHIP KOTOBUKIYA
Series: ARTTFX
License: Star Wars
Item: Clone Trooper Commander Bly
Material: Soft Vinyl
Origin: Designed in Japan, Made in China
Scale: 1/7
Size: 10.28 inches / 25,71 cm (according to scale)
Actual Height: 12.52 inches / 31,8 cm (~12" / 30 cm without Base)
Number of Pieces: 8
Year of Release: 2006
Series: Revenge of the Sith
Original Retail Price: $69.99 (based on the information I found)
About the character: "General Secura, we have a problem."
- CC-5052 aka "Bly" informing Aayla Secura of a problem.
CC-5052, nicknamed "Bly," was a Clone Commander who served in the Grand Army of the Republic's 327th Star Corps during the Clone Wars. A genetic clone of the bounty hunter Jango Fett, Bly was grown on the planet Kamino. During the course of the War, he served under Jedi General Aayla Secura, a female Twi'lek Jedi Master who was once apprenticed to the infamous Jedi Quinlan Vos. Bly developed a close working relationship with Secura and accompanied the Jedi Master on a variety of missions to different planets throughout the war.
Source: WookiepediaRead the full article by following this link:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/CC-5052With this set you get a 1/7 scale pre-painted model kit as the packaging already tells you. You can just put all parts together or even glue them, but I don't recommend this to you because the parts hold together tightly just by pinning them. There is no articulation in this vinyl figurine like in all other statues of Kotobukiya's 1/7 sclale series.
It comes with one extra Clone Trooper helmet which gives you a nice option how to display this statue. You can either display your statue as Commander Bly with or without his visor or just as regular 327th Star Corps Clone Trooper:
Details of the Statue:As almost always pictures say more than words. Kotobukiya added some nice detail to this figurine. The details look nice, but when you look close enough you'll notice that you would be able to add the details even better than they did. Obviously the details are printed on there not painted. That wouldn't be possible for a collectible that is produced in such quantities.
Base:Like the statue itself the base is well done, too! Kotobukiya added some nice details to it like the torso of a Super Batle Droid. This "defeated oponent" detail is similar to the Infantry Battle Droid of Commander Cody's base.
The theme is obviously Felucia. The detail on here is rather spare here though. They could've done a better job to make it look more like Felucia for example by applying a darker paint for the ground and adding some fungus as seen in Revenge of the Sith. But it still looks very nice.
Commander Bly is attached to the base by the previous owner who fixed the statue with two screws. It seems to be a weak spot. These model kits from Kotobukiya seem to have some of them. I also got a ROTS Darth Vader and a General Grievous with some spots that easily break. But more on that in upcoming reviews...
About the 327th Star Corps:The 327th Star Corps was a military division of the Grand Army of the Republic, composed of clone soldiers bred to fight for the Galactic Republic. Led by Jedi General Aayla Secura and her trusted clone Commander, CC-5052, the 327th fought against the Separatist droid armies on multiple planets across the galaxy. On the eve of the Clone Wars' conclusion, a group of 327th troopers executed Secura in reaction to Order 66.
Source: WookiepediaRead the full article by following this link:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/327th_Star_Corps327th Star Corps Clone Trooper
Helmets in comparison:
In 2017 I got very lucky by finding 8 1/7 scale statues from Kotobukiya and one 1/6 scale figure from MEDICOM Toys. I'll post reviews on all of them. Today I started with Commander Bly, which I got used without packaging for 50€ / ~$60.
And this is how Bly adds some colour to my new cabinet:
Conclusion:Kotobukiya gave us a very decent display piece with this model kit. If you're a fan of Clone Troopers it's definitely a must have. Clone Commander Bly is a unique character with a one-of-a-kind helmet, cape and armour colour. Be aware of the fact that these figurines are not posable! They're sold as pre-painted model kits to be klicked together and displayed. They're not toys and not made to be played with. So they're just meant to be a display piece.
If you can get this for about 50-80 bucks I think it's worth the money, but there's no way I would pay more for this. The aftermarket prices have - as always - gone crazy! People claim up to $250 for this one in new condition...crazy! I am very happy to have gotten it used and I'll keep it displayed in my cabinet along with my other model kits from Kotobukiya.
So for what it is, Commander Bly is a really nice add to your collection. It's not a con that there's no articulation because it's a model kit/statue. Some details could've been nicer though like the cape or the detail on the base. But these are just minor flaws. Compared to the original retail price you get a high quality product for your money.
I always like to look at models in bigger scales in order to get a better impression of how to improve my 3 3/4" customs. My focus is definitely on 1/18 scale and it always will be. But over the last couple years I also added some "high end collectibles" to my collection...
My rating: 9/10So thanks for taking a look at my review! I hope you enjoy it and get a sufficient look at all the details.I'm thankful for your feedback!Best regards from Germany!
- Philipp
Darth More (legion078)
