If you’re a fan of hunting for action figures like I am, then you know it’s been slim pickings lately. One of the main lines I collect is Star Wars The Black Series and unfortunately my area has been sitting on old product for ages. You want The Empire Strikes Back retro carded figures? I got you covered. Greef Karga and Kuiil from The Mandalorian? You’re in luck! Finding new Black Series figures on shelf is reason to celebrate! That’s why I was pleasantly surprised this week to find my local Target had stocked Wrecker from The Bad Batch. I did what has become standard practice in 2021. I cancelled my preorder while standing in the toy aisle before he even had a chance to ship and brought him home.
Wrecker is larger than his brothers checking in at 6.5 inches tall. That slightly larger frame will set you back between $30-$35 depending on where you buy him at retail. The good thing is that this figure appears to be an all new sculpt from head to toe. Hasbro really worked in some great detail as well. Looking at each piece of Wrecker’s armor reveals wear and tear from the countless missions he’s survived. The detail is not only sculpted into the armor, but it’s complimented by an exceptional paint app. Weathering this good is enough to make me weak in the knees.
The head sculpt is really on point with this offering. With a dead left eye, some detailed scarring on his shaved head and a Temuera Morrison inspired smirk, Wrecker sets himself apart from your average Clone. That shaved head with a heavily armored collar is reminiscent of Lex Luthor in his mechanized suit or Yul Brynner. Take your pick. Wrecker also comes packed with his custom painted Clone helmet, however, once you place the helmet on his head the range of motion is seriously impacted.
Posing Wrecker reveals that he has pinless elbows and knees, but they’re both only single joints. This shouldn’t be much of an issue as Wrecker is a brute. Most of your poses are going to be showing off his size, not his agility. He’s got shoulder pads that rotate and fold to afford some extra mobility and a really good upper torso joint. His legs are sturdy and they’ve done a nice job of designing the armor to allow for some good pose ability. Additionally, the back of his foot doesn’t butt up against his leg armor. This is a problem that nearly all Clone and Stormtrooper figures have suffered from over the years. It’s nice to see some minor gripes getting addressed.
Speaking of minor gripes, I wish they would have packed in an extra set of fisted hands. It’s a bit frustrating when you can’t get your figure in the pose that’s featured on the box art. Even more frustrating when this character’s more known for cracking heads and, well… wrecking things. It’s almost sacrilegious to not give the muscle guy some fists to do his dirty work with.
Accessory wise, you get the previously mentioned helmet, a blaster pistol and a machete sized combat knife. Wrecker’s armor does have storage for the knife, but there’s nowhere to store the blaster. I almost feel that they could have kept the blaster, given me some fisted hands and I’d not have been disappointed in the least.
Overall, the gripes are minor with this guy. The sculpt work on this figure can be easy to overlook, but if you take the time to appreciate the details, this figure is truly next level. Wrecker poses really well for a big figure. The balance on this guy exceeds expectation. Get him posed on your shelf and it will take more than Order 66 to take him off his feet. If you have an opportunity to pick this guy up, you won’t be disappointed. Now if only my preorder for Tech would ship…
