Monday, May 17, 2021

Day 429, Quasi-Quarantine: Replicating The Fascinating "Bad Batch" Adoptee, "Echo"


CT-1409, or "Echo" (or even "The Hero of Anaxes"), has quickly become one of our favorite members of Clone Force 99, and his dramatic backstory is just one of the reasons why "The Bad Batch" has emerged as a must-watch.

A former ARC trooper, Echo was originally part of the Domino Squad before his heroics at Rishi Station led him to the 501st Legion. After further valor at Tipoca City, he was thought to be lost during an explosion on Lola Sayu.

Instead, the severely injured Echo was imprisoned by Separatist forces and turned into a cyborg. Taking advantage of Echo's lack of consciousness, Wat Tambor put him to nefarious uses as part of the Techno Union.
 




The Bad Batch, Captain Rex, and Jedi General Anakin Skywalker rescued Echo from Shako Minor, and after that mission, Echo accepted an invitation from Hunter to join the Bad Batch near the end of the Clone Wars.

His history in the field serves Clone Force 99 well, and his socket arm and implants allow him to easily interface with computers -- turning a disability into a strength.


As you can see, we've had varying success in building our own Echo (a bonafide Lego minifigure does not exist yet). His pale skin is hard to match outside of the standard Lego white, and we painted a 3-D clone helmet to try to match is colors.

On the first effort, the gray was not quite dark enough, so we went with a sterling silver on the next effort, and the result was good (see the comparison photos above). We have also painted a headset that he can wear when his helmet is off.

As we not-so-patiently await the arrival of the Havoc Marauder set in August, we are tiding ourselves over by trying to build out our own Bad Batch. 

Knowing that these troopers are outcasts and misfits makes slipping up on our designs that much easier to take.

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