501st Legion Clone Trooper (Archive) — Star Wars The Black Series

Overview

The 501st Legion Clone Trooper at the Archive Collection captures the canonical Republic clone-trooper unit configuration from Revenge of the Sith — the elite military legion that participated in Anakin Skywalker’s assault on the Jedi Temple during Order 66. Released Fall 2021 single-carded as part of the Wave 5 Archive Collection. Mainline non-exclusive at $22.99 — Phase 4 standard mainline pricing reflecting the broader Hasbro price-point shift. 22 joints with dual-axis arm articulation. One accessory: a basic blaster rifle. The figure is a re-release of the 2016 Entertainment Earth exclusive Black Series 501st Clone Trooper (figure id=4845) — structurally distinctive Archive Collection cataloguing as the re-release restored a previously retailer-exclusive figure to mainline retail availability.

The Retailer-Channel Diversification Function

This is structurally one of the clearest examples of the Archive Collection’s retailer-channel-diversification function in action. The 2016 source release shipped as an Entertainment Earth-only exclusive — collectors who didn’t acquire it through that retailer channel had no other route to the figure at original retail. The 2021 Archive re-release brought the same figure to mainline retail distribution at standard Archive Collection pricing.

For collectors who missed the EE-exclusive 2016 source release, the Archive variant is the only retail-priced acquisition path for this 501st Legion configuration. For collectors building canonical Republic military army-builder displays specifically, the Archive release’s mainline-retail availability supports cost-effective multi-copy acquisitions that the EE-exclusive 2016 distribution made structurally challenging.

This is consistent with broader Archive Collection function philosophy — the sub-line restores availability for figures that became inaccessible at retail, regardless of whether the original distribution was retailer-exclusive or general retail.

The Source Body Re-Release with Minor Paint Differences

There are some minor paint differences in the wash which was applied to the armor — but this appears to be because of the five-year gap in production run instead of intentional paint changes by Hasbro. Specific paint commitment note worth flagging — the variation between the 2016 EE-exclusive source body and the 2021 Archive variant is structurally accidental rather than designed. Production-run-to-production-run paint variation is inherent to mass-produced toy manufacturing — different paint batches, different application equipment, and different environmental conditions produce minor variation across releases of identical body sculpts.

For collectors who care about strict source-body-comparison authenticity, the wash-application variation is a meaningful difference even though Hasbro didn’t intend the variation as deliberate paint upgrade.

The Single Accessory and Combat-Deployment Configuration

The 501st Clone Trooper came with a basic blaster rifle which fits well into the trooper’s hands. Specific weapon-grip engineering note — standard ambidextrous clone-trooper-class weapon-grip engineering supports canonical combat-deployment configurations correctly. The single-accessory loadout sits at the lean end of Wave 5 Archive Collection distribution but is appropriate for the canonical standard-issue Republic clone-trooper character class — most 501st Legion soldiers are equipped only with the standard-issue DC-15 blaster.

There is no head underneath the helmet. There are no removable parts on the armor. Standard clone-trooper character-class design — single helmeted configuration with permanent integrated equipment.

The Paint Detail and 501st Markings

The paint application is nicely done with lots of scratches and dirt on the front and the back of the clone trooper. Specific paint commitment commendation worth flagging — unlike the Clone Commander Cody (Archive) which ships with clean-finish paint, the 501st Clone Trooper Archive delivers appropriate canonical screen-accurate combat-deployment wear-and-tear. The scratches and dirt paint detail captures the canonical post-Order-66 Jedi Temple assault visual configuration where 501st Legion troopers deployed through extensive combat operations.

The 501st-specific blue markings distinguish the Legion-specific variant from generic Republic clone-trooper character classes. The blue-trim paint commitment captures the canonical 501st Legion identity that Anakin Skywalker commanded directly during the late Clone Wars and the Order 66 narrative.

Articulation

22 joints. Ball-jointed neck, ball-jointed shoulders, swivel-jointed biceps, swivel-joints above elbows, swivel-joints below elbows, ball-jointed wrists, ball-jointed waist, ball-jointed hips, swivel-jointed thighs, swivel-joints above knees, swivel joints below knees, ball-jointed ankles. Substantially above the 17-joint Phase 4 baseline thanks to the dual-axis arm articulation (swivel biceps + dual-axis swivel-joint elbow configuration above-and-below). Structurally the same articulation tier as the contemporary Wave 3 Clone Commander Cody (Archive) — the clone-trooper source-body engineering uses consistent articulation tooling across the broader character class.

The figure stands nicely on display without any major balancing issues even in more dynamic battle-oriented poses. Standard clone-trooper character-class standing-stability engineering supports multiple combat-deployment display configurations.

Distribution and the Wave 5 Cluster

Standard mainline Archive Collection release at $22.99 through wide retail channels — released Fall 2021 as part of Wave 5 alongside Darth Revan (Archive), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Archive), and Princess Leia Organa (Archive). The Wave 5 cluster combines Republic clone military (501st Clone Trooper), Sith antagonism (Darth Revan), Jedi Master (Obi-Wan Kenobi), and Rebel Alliance Princess (Princess Leia Organa) — covering broad character-class diversity.

For collectors building Republic military army-builder displays, the 501st Clone Trooper Archive supports canonical multi-copy Legion-specific assembly displays. For collectors building canonical Jedi Temple assault diorama configurations specifically, multiple 501st Clone Trooper copies pair with Anakin Skywalker (Archive) for the canonical Order 66 / Jedi Temple march narrative beat.

Other Clone Trooper Figures

The Clone Trooper character class has been one of the most-released subjects in the entire Hasbro Star Wars catalogue across multiple eras and Legion variants. Other notable releases include the 30th Anniversary Training Fatigue release (figure id=10), the original Clone Wars Clone Trooper (figure id=11), the Clone Wars 501st Legion variant (figure id=27), the Clone Wars Speeder Bike Recon configuration (figure id=30), the Clone Wars Senate Security variant (figure id=31), the Clone Wars Quad Cannon variant (figure id=35), and the 2016 Entertainment Earth exclusive 501st source body (figure id=4845). The Archive release joins this character-class catalogue as the dedicated 2021 Wave 5 mainline-retail re-release of the previously EE-exclusive 501st configuration.

Secondary Market

Single-carded Archive Collection release with dedicated Archive cardback packaging, Fall 2021. Available through wide retail channels at MSRP and the secondary market with moderate aftermarket pricing. Verify the included blaster rifle is present.

Verdict

501st Legion Clone Trooper (Archive) at the 2021 Wave 5 Archive Collection is structurally one of the clearest examples of the Archive Collection’s retailer-channel-diversification function — the 2016 EE-exclusive source body restored to mainline retail availability supports cost-effective army-builder multi-copy acquisitions that the original EE-exclusive distribution made structurally challenging, the 22-joint articulation count delivers above-baseline pose flexibility through dual-axis arm engineering, the canonical 501st Legion blue-marking paint application distinguishes the Legion-specific variant from generic Republic clone-trooper character classes, the appropriate scratches-and-dirt combat-deployment paint commitment captures canonical screen-accurate wear-and-tear, and the figure stands reliably in dynamic combat poses.

The single-accessory loadout sits at the lean end of Wave 5 Archive distribution but is appropriate for the canonical standard-issue Republic clone-trooper character class. The minor wash-application variation vs the 2016 source body is structurally accidental production-run variation rather than designed paint refinement.

Buy this figure if you build canonical Republic military army-builder displays (the mainline-retail availability supports cost-effective multi-copy acquisitions for canonical Legion-strength assembly), if you build canonical Order 66 / Jedi Temple assault diorama configurations (essential alongside Anakin Skywalker Archive for the canonical Anakin-leading-501st narrative), if you missed the 2016 EE-exclusive source release at original retail, if you appreciate the dual-axis arm articulation engineering as collecting priority, or if you collect the Archive Collection as a complete set. Skip if you don’t build army-builder display configurations where multiple 501st copies become structurally meaningful, or if you specifically want the EE-exclusive 2016 source body for retailer-exclusive collecting interest.

The Republic Legion soldier who participated in canonical Order 66. The figure with the EE-exclusive-to-mainline restoration distribution function, the 22-joint dual-axis arm articulation, the appropriate combat-deployment paint commitment, and the canonical 501st Legion blue-marking identification. The Clone Trooper that supports cost-effective Legion-strength army-builder displays through mainline-retail availability. Mainline distribution, Fall 2021, Wave 5.

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Part of Star Wars The Black Series | Phase 4 Archive Collection. Related: Clone Commander Cody (Archive) P3-ARC-CC | Anakin Skywalker (Archive) P3-ARC-AN | Darth Revan (Archive) P4-ARC-RV | Obi-Wan Kenobi (Archive) P4-ARC-OBA.