Star Wars Clone Commander Cody

Robot Mode: Possibly the best robot mode I've yet seen among the Star Wars Transformers. Clone Commander Cody might have something of a goofy name, but he certainly doesn't look goofy. He combines the intimidating look of the clone troopers with the 'Autobot'-elements of having wheels on his arms and legs into a powerful- and cool-looking package. His posability is good, if slightly hampered by the big wheels on his arms and legs, and though he is mostly white, he still sports quite a bit of detailing.

As befits a robot built for war, Cody features a virtual arsenal of weapons on his body. His missile launcher / rifle is just the first of many. Additionally he has small missile launchers in the two wheels on his shoulders, which pop out when you pull the hubcabs out. Two additional weapons are hidden in the wheels on his hips. The left one features another small missile launcher, while the right serves as a holster for a small silver handgun. That last one is very reminiscent of Robocop and gets bonus points for that alone.

What more can I write about this excellent robot mode? The cool look is made even cooler by the big 'wings' on his back, the clone trooper helmet is almost as intimidating as the black mask of Darth Vader, he has plenty of sensible gimmicks without being overwhelmed by them, I could go on and on. If he has one flaw, it's the slight limitations imposed on his posability by the big wheels, but that's not a big thing at all. So bottom line, the best robot of the Star Wars line so far.

Alternate Mode: I'm pretty sure I've seen this vehicle at some point during the prequel movies, but the one Star Wars vehicle it has reminded me of the most is actually from the original trilogy: It looks like a smaller, more mobile version of the Java Sandcrawler from Episode IV. Don't know if that's intentional, but I always loved that vehicle (sadly never had it as a kid), so this already puts me in a good mood as far as Cody's vehicle mode is concerned.

The turbo tank is an armoured assault vehicle that travels on ten big wheels. It has a cockpit up front, big enough to comfortably seat the Cody mini figure included with this toy. The rear end is the gunner's seat, complete with big missile launcher. There is quite a bit of detailing along the entire length of the vehicle and the wheels, while not exactly featuring suspension, are flexible enough to carry this thing across rough terrain. If you look closely you can see the hands of the robot mode up front under the cockpit, but that's just a minor thing and doesn't take anything away from an otherwise excellent, solid vehicle mode.

Remarks: I dimly remember Cody being mentioned by name once in Episode III, I think, and we saw the turbo tank during some of the battles, but neither featured very prominently. Obviously Cody lacks the iconic power of being a fan favorite Star Wars character like Darth Vader (who the f*** is Cody?), but he doesn't really need it. Because once you come down to it, Cody is easily the best Star Wars figure I've seen yet, bottom line. A huge, cool-looking robot mode with plenty of gimmicks that don't overdo it, a solid vehicle mode, no flaws worth mentioning, and plenty of play value make for a winning package, people. So if you plan on buying just one Star Wars Transformer, my recommendation is to make it this one.

Rating: A

Additional Info: Many thanks to Kelindahr, who sent me a few infos regarding Cody. He was the Clone Commander who worked with Obi-Wan Kenobi and returned his light saber to him. He's become a favorite among Star Wars fans by way of several novels. More infos can be found at Jedipedia.