I was going to review Echo last week, but halfway through I realized I was missing his backpack! That took the wind out of my sails a bit but fortunately I was able to get a replacement fairly quickly, so we are going to wrap up the Bad Batch with my favorite under-used Bad Batcher, Echo!
The Bad Batch got one of the best colors for these side murals and the red on the box makes the red details on Echo pop.
Echo comes with a pistol, removeable helmet, pack, and a cyber-attachment for his arm. The pistol is the standard clone trooper pistol we’ve had a bunch of times cast in a solid black plastic. It doesn’t fit well in Echo’s hand because Hasbro never made a trigger finger left hand for the oft-reused Clone Trooper body. It’s annoying, but if you have a sharp exacto, you can easily cut the trigger finger free if you heat up the hand a bit first.
The helmet is pretty cool and fits tightly to his head, so I feel like it is the least out of proportion of his brothers. Echo’s Lobot-like head gear is visible when he wears the helmet, so there is a gap in the helmet for it, and the helmet opens in the back and closes with a peg. I feel like the closing part should be a little higher up on his head, but I can’t get the peg to work unless I place it lower, almost underneath the head gear.
The pack is very similar to Tech’s, but has some different details. It has a recess inside so that it fits solidly on Echo’s back without spinning.
Finally, the cyber attachment is some type of mechanical claw that can attach to Echo’s cybernetic arm. I don’t recall this from the show, but I only watched each episode once, so I may be forgetting it. I suppose it could be based on concept art or perhaps the toy designers just decided to make something fun. I like that inside the claw there is a small socket that can fit blast effects from Legends and the metallic paint has a nice shine to it. It does make me think about other potential attachments like a heavy blaster cannon.
Sculpting on Echo is very good. The proportions are well done and his portrait has the most Temuera Morrison of any of the Bad Batch, though it’s an appropriately gaunt and sickly version of Tem. I wonder what he must think of these variations of his face in toy form.
Articulation is good for a Black Series Clone Trooper. The hips and knees are always going to bug me on these clones since they can’t kick forward without twisting to the side, but twisting the thigh to the side makes the knee pads look super wonky and Echo’s knee pads are already huge. I do really like the tilt from the barbell ball and socket neck and head and I’m surprised that the plastic skirt piece doesn’t get in the way of leg movement too much (though he can’t really sit with it). Echo has:
- Swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows, wrist, thighs, knees, and ankles
- Ball and socket head, neck, and mid-torso
- Swivel thighs
Paint is very solid for a mass market toy, but the Bad Batch guys have a lot of battle damage on their armor, so the little they do add isn’t quite enough for my taste. I like the face print on Echo quite a bit, with the bright eyes and subtle gray tones. His skin tone is a bit lighter than I’d like. Echo is pale, but not quite 100% white. Customizer psyfoolrulez_customz on Instagram did a great rust and black wash that I think nailed the right look. His Bad Batch repaints are amazing.
Echo is right up there with Wrecker as my favorite Black Series Bad Batchers. He’s one of my favorite characters too, though I wish they gave him a little more to do on the show. He does tend to be the voice of reason and steady calm amongst his more volatile brothers, but his specialty overlaps a bit with Tech. He needs his own focus episode next season.
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Source: Fwoosh
