Welcome to our review of Captain Rex fro Wave 15 of the Star Wars Black Series. It doesn't seem so long ago that we reviewed the Hascon Exclusive Captain Rex, but we knew at the time that this figure would follow in due course as a standard release. Rex is number 59 in the series (phase 3).
Packaging 3/5
After the blue themed box of the Hascon exclusive, it is nice to now see Rex in the contrasting Red scheme of the main Black Series line. Rex stands out well against the red card back, and under here he is named as Clone Captain Rex. There is no mention of his appearance being Star Wars Rebels and that may confuse the casual buyer? The Gregory Titus artwork is that of an helmeted Rex and is quite bland. I would have potentially preferred an unmasked or more dynamic pose?
"Clone Captain Rex served the Republic during the Clone Wars, often taking orders from Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. He viewed military service as an honor, and he always completed his mission."
Sculpt & Paint 5/5
Rex, and indeed Wave 15, were pioneers for the face print technology on the Star Wars Black Series. This is the key difference between this standard release and the earlier Hascon exclusive - and boy does it make a difference, really putting the Hascon likeness to shame. The clever part is that this is an animated figure - but who has a likeness in the movies thanks to the role of Temuera Morrison. The face print brings that likeness to life, while also leaving you in no doubt this is Captain Rex with his shaved blonde hair.
The body remains that of the standard Clone Trooper albeit with added Pauldron section and Kama skirt piece. The Kama is soft goods, so doesn't mess up the articulation. While the body sculpt may be a few years old, it is still well executed and on Rex the detailing is exceptional with the welding marks where Rex has made his own armour from Phase 1 and Phase 2 Clone Armour to the various tally marks to show how many "clankers" he has killed in his various campaigns. The armour is also very well weathered so Rex does look like a "shiny" and you can see he has had some action.
Like the Hascon version, Rex comes with a wearable Clone Trooper helmet. This is an individual piece for Rex as it is also Phase 1 and 2 parts "welded together". Like the armour there are some neat pieces of decor ranging from the blue paint to the tally marks and the welding lines. The helmet also comes complete with a poseable range finder.
It fits the head of Rex snugly and unlike the Hascon version there does not seem to be as much of an issue of the chin being visible when the helmet is in place. I would urge caution on how often the helmet is used considering it will do some rub damage over time to that lovely face printed head.
Accessories 2/5
We were told from the off that standard Rex would not get the same accessorie s as Hascon Rex. While the standard release does get his dual pistols it does miss out on the larger blaster and rifle seen with the Hascon release - although those pieces are not hard to find if you really wanted them.
The two pistols are cast in black plastic, but have no other paint applications making them a little bland vs the amount of detailing on the armour. The pistols fit well into the right hand with its trigger finger. Sadly there has been no update for the left hand to do the same, it is simply the standard clone left hand. This means when holding the gun in the left hand, it looks kind of awkward. If you don't want your guns in hand, then they can also be stowed away in Rex's holsters. The fit here is good and once in place they stay put.
Articulation 4/5
The Clone Body that Rex uses was well articulated on its first release back in the Orange phase, and it holds its own today with some joints like the elbows having been reigned back on the newer figures. Rex has 18 points of articulation, a couple more than the norm. The head is ball jointed with a pivot and beneath this there is a similar joint in the chest.
The arms are where the figure stays head of the others with a ball jointed shoulder under that armour followed by bicep swivel and all important double jointed elbows that really help with weapon and action poses - most notably being able to tuck his helmet neatly under his arm. The arms then end with a pivot wrist. The legs are a little more restricted thanks to the leg armour with the ball jointed hips not having a good range of motion. Under these is a thigh swivel, double jointed knees and finally the ankle rocker.
Summary
The basic release of Captain Rex takes what was already an impressive figure from Hascon and takes it up a whole other level with the likeness on that face printed head - it is simply stunning. The figure also benefits from a good set of articulation points, more than the other figures in its wave thanks to that body dating from a time where elbows were double jointed. The paint work is also exquisite and every tally mark and weathering point is carried on from the exclusive.
The only downsides of the figure are the very plain weapons and the fact a new left shooting hand wasn't developed so Rex could be posed shooting both pistols.
I score the Wave 15 Captain Rex an impressive 5/5
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