The retail version of this figure is set to release soon, as
etailers have begun soliciting preorders, and enough time has passed since the
institution of the The Last Jedi Star
Wars gag order, so let’s have a look at the HASCON exclusive Captain Rex.
Surely most everyone is aware, but Rex is the Clone
Commander of Anakin Skywalkers’ 501st Division, first introduced in The Clone Wars television series. As has
been noted on this blog thousands of times, Clone Commanders seem like they’d
be a pretty easy offering in the Black Series line, since a couple of Clone
bodies exist already, and Cody and more recently Gree have already been
released. Being a fan favorite, it probably would have made more sense to
release Rex before a commander like Gree, who got as much screen time as Cody,
but always felt like second fiddle to the orange commander. It also makes sense
that Rex would be an exclusive, and a convention exclusive at that, given his
status as fan favorite. HASCON was (or apparently is) the new, (potentially)
on-going official Hasbro property fan convention, debuting in September of 2017
to pretty mixed reviews. Much like Hasbro’s SDCC presence, the HASCON
exclusives were made briefly available online following the convention, and Rex
sold out pretty quickly. If you missed out, it is alright, as Rex is coming in
one of the next waves of retail Black Series figures, and it doesn’t look like
too much will be changed from this version to the retail one.
The exclusive Rex comes in a really nice slide out box that
holds the figure and his plethora of weapons. The internal tray is open, so
there is no plastic window covering the figure, and everything is held in with
those little plastic straps. It is a very nice package, befitting an exclusive
figure, not simply a standard issue Black Series window box. The helmet is
removable, the antenna on the side is moveable, and the weapon loadout is
generous: Rex comes with the long Clone blaster, the standard Clone blaster,
and his dual pistols, which can be stored in holsters on his waist. The skirt
piece is cloth, always a Coffin favorite, and the shoulder pad appears to be
removable . . . if you pop off the figure’s head. The retail version looks like
it will be the same base figure but will only come with the twin pistols,
dropping the other weapons.
Rex is really well detailed, showing some weathering as well
as a lot of hash marks denoting kills in battle. He’s also pretty glossy, and
the paint on the armor that makes him Captain Rex is nicely applied. The blue
horns and trim around the visor show some wear, like this is a Rex that has
seen some combat, which he certainly has. The head underneath the helmet is a
nice, softer take on the Jango Fett head, and it gives Rex a more cartoonish
appearance. Not in any bad way, but in line with the Black Series figures of Asoka and Sabine Wren and Kaanan and the
other animated characters that have put in appearances in this line. The softer
face also helps to make this Clone face different from the Jango face while
still retaining enough of the Jango face to make it completely obvious that Rex
is a Clone.
Captain Rex has the standard Black Series range of motion, and the cloth skirt and plastic
shoulder pad do not inhibit movement at all. The array of weapons is nice, but
since the twin pistols are kind of the Rex trademark, those are the ones that
suit the figure the best.
And that brings us to the part that everyone knew was
coming, because it happens every time there is some new, slightly different
Clone figure released in the line. With a different helmet, Rex becomes an ARC
Trooper, and that opens the door for several more repaints. Rex also, more by
virtue of his pending retail release than due to this exclusive version, hints
at or suggests more Clone Commanders, even if they are totally made up ones
that have no presence in the on-screen fiction. There are other Commanders who
have gotten names, and there is always a market for people buying Star Wars
figures, so let’s go already.
The exclusive version of Rex sold out really fast in the
post-HASCON window it had online, and it was only priced a few dollars higher
than the retail version. So, a pretty big question becomes whether or not this
was worth the exclusive premium. The answer really should be contextualized
with the cost, as again, this figure was priced at $29.99 after the convention,
and the retail version will be the standard $19.99. The only differences
between the two releases appears to be the extra weapons that come with the
exclusive version, and if all else remains the same, then the answer to whether
or not the extra cost is acceptable is no. If you are adding an exclusive
figure to your Black Series collection,
and a Clone Commander at that, the odds are pretty good that you’ve got the
extra weapons Rex comes with lying around, and would pretty easily outfit him
for heavier combat with the extras. The blaster pistols are new pieces, but the
other two have been used repeatedly by this point. So, aside from the cool package
and some repeat weapons, this Captain Rex isn’t doing anything different or
truly exclusive. 
That’s not to say that this was a bad deal, or a regretted
purchase. The added $9 is hardly anything worth being surely over, and one
knows what one is getting with a Black
Series figure, so if anyone purchased this figure and was truly upset about
it afterwards, there’s really no one to blame but themselves. It would not be
recommended to try and hunt this down on the secondary market, unless you are a
real completist or want the special box or something specific, as the exclusive
nature of this figure has most likely driven the price up, and while an extra
nine bucks may not be a big deal, anything more than that would be, especially
when you can preorder the retail version online for about $24. Ultimately Rex
falls into that category of “Glad I Have It, But Wouldn’t Pay A Lot For It”that seems to be a feeling more and more common with Black Series exclusives these days. The large multipack exclusives
always feel worth their money if for no other reason than the number of figures,
but the single exclusives like this seem to be generating a lot of excitement
for what ends up being another Black
Series figure. How much of the passable nature of this exclusive is due to
the fact that an identical version is about to be widely available can’t be
determined, and personally, doesn’t make any difference in terms of
appreciation or decision to purchase the exclusive. This is a worthwhile add to
your collection, but not at anything more than the original cost of the
exclusive, or probably better, the retail price and some reassigned
accessories.
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