Review 1: Sideshow Collectibles Star Wars 1/6 scale Commander Bly 12-inch figure

Bred on Kamino, CC-5052 was among the first generation of clone marshal commanders to be trained by the Advanced Recon Commando Alpha-17, who gave him the designation "Bly." A clone of Jango Fett, Bly was trained as an Advanced Recon Commando himself, giving him a more independent mindset and allowing him to think "outside the manual" when it came to the shifting of tactical situations. [source: wookiepedia]

As a clone commander, it was Bly's job to act as an intermediary between the Jedi Generals and the regular clone troopers, although he was bred to be loyal to the Republic above all others. Bly was assigned to the 327th Star Corps, which fell under the 2nd Sector Army.

This is Sideshow Collectibles STAR WARS Military Series 1/6 scale Clone Commander Bly 12-inch Figure. It comes in the standard mostly black box that is very recognizable by now for all their Star Wars figures releases, utilizing magnetic tabs (hidden) to keep the side flaps closed until you want to open it. No fuss, no mess :)

The Sideshow Collectibles STAR WARS Military Series 1/6 scale Clone Commander Bly 12-inch Figure features: Commander Bly portrait (head sculpt), Phase I and Phase II helmets with flip-up polarized macro-binoculars, Fully articulated male body (armored body) with 30+ points of articulation, Fabric bodysuit with additional fabric collar, ARC pauldron, Detailed clone trooper armor, two DC-17 holsters, Kama command skirt...

DC-15S blaster carbine, DC-15A blaster rifle, two DC-17 blaster pistols, Generous assortment of switch-out hands (11 gloved hands excluding the two already on the figure) and Two pairs of switch-out feet (action and standing)

Bly was bred to be fiercely loyal to the Republic and his superior officers. As a clone commander, he was allowed much more initiative and independence than his fellow clone troopers. Despite this, he always valued the mission as the most important thing in any situation, even over the wellbeing of his comrades. Bly felt it was better that he didn't have to concern himself with the politics or minutiae of his missions and was happy just to execute his orders.

At first, Bly utilized the standard Phase I clone trooper armor, sporting several customizations, including a kama command skirt which significed his rank, an ARC pauldron and polarized macro-binoculars. He wielded a pair of krayt dragon pearl-handled DC-17 hand blasters, with which he was an expert shot, in addition to the standard DC-15A blaster rifle and the DC-15S blaster.

This is the Sideshow Collectibles STAR WARS Military Series 1/6 scale Clone Commander Bly 12-inch Figure wearing Phase I helmet with flip-up polarized macro-binoculars. We never get to see this particular version in the Star Wars films.

In "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" released in 2002, Obi-Wan Kenobi's investigation into a separatist assassination attempt on Padmé leads to the discovery of a secret Republican clone army being produced on Kamino.

By the end of "Star Wars: Episode II", Yoda has taken over control of the clone troopers and leads them into conflict on Geonosis where a large battle erupts and we see the clone troopers in action for the first time with their Phase 1 helmets. The only distinction between clone troopers and clone commanders were color markings on their armor and helmets.

By the time "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" opened in 2005, it has been three years since the onset of the Clone Wars and clone troopers were now wearing Phase II helmets and clone commanders were individually decked out in their own personal gear of their choosing, a far cry from the uniform and regimented look seen in Episode II.

We are told through the animated "Clone Wars" series which occurs between Episode II and III that clone commanders received flash-training to fulfill their advanced roles and were also bred with extra capacity for autonomy, tactical thinking and coordination.

After success with Advanced Recon Commandos, some ARCs, like Alpha-17, returned to Kamino to retrain clone commanders with ARC skills, making the commanders more independent than they once were. After the commanders were trained, they earned the title "ARC commander".

The retrained ARC commanders often added more items to their armor, like ARC trooper kamas and pauldrons. Commanders would also don other peripherals like macrobinoculars or Commander Bacara's cheek plating.

Scroll down for close-up shots of Sideshow Collectibles STAR WARS Military Series 1/6 scale CC-5052 "Bly" (Clone Marshal Commander, 327th Star Corps) 12-inch Figure wearing Phase I helmet with flip-up polarized macro-binoculars.

Personally, I never fancied the Phase I helmet which looked to me like a upturned bucket with a shark fin affixed on the top of the head. The helmet is too long for my liking and makes the clone troopers look like camels. That's why I'm glad Sideshow also included the Phase II helmet for switching.

In addition to macro-binoculars, Clone Commander Bly also has ARC trooper kamas (also known as command skirts) and pauldron. Spare blaster magazines are carried on his upper right arm armor and on the bandolier attached to his pauldron.

In the series, Commander Bly also has two quick release holsters for his pair of DC-17 repeater hand blasters. There's no quick release catches for this Sideshow 12-inch version though. So don't try to detach or remove the 1/6 scale holsters!

NEXT: Review II of Sideshow Collectibles STAR WARS Military Series 1/6 scale Clone Commander Bly 12-inch Figure with Phase II helmet and Commander Bly portrait (head sculpt)

Soon he'll be able to join his buddies (see more of Sideshow Collectibles 1/6 scale 12-inch clone troopers HERE)