Product Review - Arealight Clone Trooper Helmets

[Cygnet]

This review covers the new Sci-Fi Helmet release from custom house Arealight. Although not referenced directly, these eight new helmets are based off of various Star Wars clone trooper designs. We will cover each helmet in turn and discuss the material that inspired it.

Many of the items you will see have very similar features. All of the helmets are made of ABS plastic and were found to have a firm, tight connection to the head. All of the pieces have nice details that extend around the helmet, as shown in the pictures below. Each piece also has lots of space and surface to accommodate custom touches like paint or decals.

Not all of the helmets had eye holes or visor slits (we will indicate below when this is the case). In those instances where the helmet does have eye holes, we have a black minifigure head with no print underneath. These did not come with these pieces and there are no black visors.

The items are shown in various colors; however, all of these pieces are currently available in black, white, sand green, and silver. On November 25th, 2010 they will also be available in red, blue, and tan.

The first item is the Commander Helmet which is inspired by helmets worn by Clone Commanders and Troopers in Phase II armor. The Phase II armor became the norm in the Galactic Republic as the Kaminoans became more accustomed to human anatomy. This upgraded system was the next step in the evolution towards the Galactic Empire’s Stormtroopers. The item is shown here in white with nice details including a cut out for the eyes and extending down the bridge of the nose. As you can see, there are holes on the side of the helmet to accommodate visors (more on that later).

The next helmet is the Bacara Helmet modeled after the helmet worn by Clone Martial Commander ‘Bacara’. Bacara headed up the Galactic Marines under the leadership of Jedi General Ki-Adi-Mundi. The unique design of the helmet was originally intended for clone tank drivers. The item is shown here in white, again with nicely sculpted details and eye holes similar to the Commander Helmet.

The Neyo Helmet is based on the the helmet worn by ARC Commander ‘Neyo’. Neyo led the 91st Reconnaissance Corps who all wore specially designed and matching helmets in order to protect their commander. The item here is shown in white with eye holes but no extension on the bridge of the nose.

The AT-RT Helmet is often seen on the All-Terrain Recon Transport drivers. The helmets of these drivers featured boosted com-links for when they were away from their walkers in the field. Many of the clone troopers were used on Kashyyyk to hunt Wookies after the event known as ‘Order 66’. The item here is shown in white with two separate eye holes. The visor on this piece is molded into the helmet and cannot be moved or removed.

The Airbone Helmet is inspired by those worn by Clone Paratroopers. The indentation on the front of their helmets helped regulate airflow as they were dropped into battle. The item here is shown in white with eye holes extending across the front of the piece in a similar fashion as the Neyo helmet. The design is more angular in nature, however.

The Commando Helmet is based on the Katarn-class clone armor worm by the Clone Commando units. Clone Commandos were used for specialized missions and operated in pods of four. The Katarn-class armor is named after a predatory animal from the Wookie planet of Kashyyyk. The Commando helmet is the most general of all the Arealight clone helmet designs. There are no eye holes or visor slits, instead favoring a smooth region over the face. This also makes this piece the most customizable as it doesn’t have a look at that instantly places it in the Star Wars camp.

The ARF Helmet is modeled after those worn by the Advanced Recon Force. ARF Troopers would be used to gather information and carry out stealth attacks. The ARF are also known to pilot the AT-RT (All Terrain Recon Trasport) walkers. Although shown here in white, they resemble the helmets worn by the Imperial Scout troopers from the film ‘Return of the Jedi’. The visor/eye holes are bigger than those featured on some of the previous helmets. The visor is part of the mold and cannot be moved or removed.

The Assault Helmet is often seen on Cold Assault Troopers. These troopers were deployed in terrain which featured extreme cold. The helmet design is similar to the Imperial Stormtroopers on Hoth from the film ‘The Empire Strikes Back’. Shown here in black, there are no eye holes or visor slits. If you want this piece to better resemble its inspiration, then you will need to add paint or decals.

There are a few important notes regarding accessories, both official LEGO parts and those sold by Arealight. I had an antenna/rangefinder and visor that came with the 2010 Slave I set. I found that the LEGO parts did not interact well with the Commander Helmet (the only clone helmet design with holes on the side). The hole in the Commander Helmet was too small for the LEGO antenna and the visor. The visor is also a little small for the width of the helmet. This said, Arealight never claimed that the LEGO accessories would interact with their parts. You might be able to modify the holes to be bigger for the antenna.

Arealight does sell a Phase I and II visor and binocular visor, but I did not have either one available for this review. I believe the Phase II visors are the ones needed to fit the Commander Helmet.

These are phenomenal pieces and are highly recommended buys. ABS quality with good connections and fantastic details that are ready for custom paint and decal treatments. Although some may balk at the lack of print, this allows one to customize these pieces to their own specifications or to take them outside of the Star Wars universe entirely.

Additional Stats

Custom House: Arealight Customs

Website: www.arealightcustoms.com

Location: Taiwan

International Shipping?: Yes (see store for details)

Colors Available: Black, White, Sand Green, and Silver (Red, Blue, and Tan available Nov 25th, 2010)

Retail Prices: All items shown are $2.50 USD

The reference pictures and background information were taken from Wookieepedia

This review originally appeared on the minifigure blog The Ugly Duckling at BrickLink

[XimenaPaulina]

Hello there,

Very nice review of Arealight's New Clone Trooper Helmet Cygnet! I've also made a similar review in the SW forum, and it's good to see an another person's take on this review. I like the detailed description of each item. I've just got one small nitpick, the ref. pic for the ARF helmet is actually not an ARF trooper but a Kaskykk trooper. Other than that, very well-presented review.

- KDM

There are a few important notes regarding accessories, both official LEGO parts and those sold by Arealight. I had an antenna/rangefinder and visor that came with the 2010 Slave I set. I found that the LEGO parts did not interact well with the Commander Helmet (the only clone helmet design with holes on the side). The hole in the Commander Helmet was too small for the LEGO antenna and the visor. The visor is also a little small for the width of the helmet. This said, Arealight never claimed that the LEGO accessories would interact with their parts. You might be able to modify the holes to be bigger for the antenna.

I agree with this one, I also observed that official hemet accessories (antenna, rangefinder/visor, light accessory) cannot be fitted in the holes of the Clone Commander helmet. I think those holes are designed to fit the two types of Arealight helmet visor.

[Clone-Cat]

Thank you for this review Cygnet.

It's great to see a 360° of the new helmets. Like KielDaMan already said you should replace the reference pic of the ARF-Trooper.

[Cygnet]

Very nice review! No, I didn't see this one (likely because it was on the Star Wars forums), but I will have to say that the presentation of the pics are quite nice. I especially like the top-down shots and three quarter views.

Also, thanks for the info regarding the Advanced Recon Force/Kashyyyk troopers. My research did indicate that 'served' on Kashyyyk but I thought they were deployed to other fronts as well.

Hopefully there was no offense in the posting of this review, given I was unaware of yours. I'll have to search the entire forums next time.

This will be important, as I have a Mando armor review scheduled for next week!

[XimenaPaulina]

Very nice review! No, I didn't see this one (likely because it was on the Star Wars forums), but I will have to say that the presentation of the pics are quite nice. I especially like the top-down shots and three quarter views.

Also, thanks for the info regarding the Advanced Recon Force/Kashyyyk troopers. My research did indicate that 'served' on Kashyyyk but I thought they were deployed to other fronts as well.

Hopefully there was no offense in the posting of this review, given I was unaware of yours. I'll have to search the entire forums next time.

This will be important, as I have a Mando armor review scheduled for next week!

Thanks too. And of course, another review is very much welcome, especially one that is as good as yours. You provided a different approach on the review, which is always nice to see. I actually did mine to cater to my fellow SW fans there in the SW forum, while yours is more appropriate here in the MCW forum.

I'm looking forward to your Mandalorian Helmet review. I didn't buy those because I won't be able too do a comparative review since I don't own the new Boba Fett fig.