Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,728: Battle Droid

BATTLE DROID B'Omarr Monastery Assault
The Clone Wars Battle Packs
Item No.: Asst. 87752 No. 87780
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Energy bolts, 2 STAPs, Battle Droid
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $24.99
Availability: July 2008
Appearances: The Clone Wars

Bio: Jabba the Hutt's kidnapped son is being held in a B'omarr monastery built on top of a sheer cliff. Anakin begins the difficult ascent up the cliff with battle droids firing down on him, and droid-piloted STAPs racing into combat, laser cannons blasting. Casualties are mounting, so Anakin makes a daring move. He leaps into the air to take command of a STAP and dispatches battle droids with his lightsaber, clearing a path to the summit. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' desk.

Commentary: This Battle Droid figure was one of many cranked out in 2008 with the launch of the movie and TV show. It's a little off-model-- the head in particular-- but it was resculpted a little bit to better fit the STAP. (I appreciate this, as there's little I hate more than a pilot that can't fit in its ship.) This figure has redesigned arms, the forearms are rotated slightly so he can grip the controls of his vehicle. The legs are spread to fit on the pedals, plus he has a backpack like all Battle Droids tend to. His legs have a lot of blast marks, and he seems dirtier than most Battle Droids out there too. It's a different-- although perhaps not significantly so-- take on the trooper. If I could buy one or two more easily, without the STAPs, I probably would.

While he doesn't include a blaster, he does have some bright blue energy bolts which look like he just got shot. Personally I think painted versions of this kind of damage looks better, but it's still cool and a welcome addition to your unnecessarily large armies.

The STAP itself is also quite cool, with Separatist logos, blue markings, some gold coloring, and tons of filth. If you get in close, you can see some amazing scrapes and grime on this thing. It's almost a shame that Hasbro hasn't applied this level of detail to all of its ships. They do a good job, but this one seems exceptionally nice. Perhaps they put the toy money into the deco? The set includes 2 STAPs (old mold from 1998), plus retooled versions of Anakin and the Battle Droid-- so it couldn't have been much to develop this one.

Collector's Notes: As with most recent toys, this set remains somewhat cheap. You should be able to get one for $15-$20.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,728: January 27, 2012

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,727: Vulture Droid

VULTURE DROID Brown Variant
Revenge of the Sith Deluxe Figure
Item No.: Asst. 85182 No. 85774
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Rocket, buzz droid
Action Feature: Firing rocket action
Retail: $9.99
Availability: Late 2005
Appearances: The Phantom Menace

Bio: Vulture droid starfighters are highly maneuverable and effective in battle. When not in flight, they can change into a walking mode allowing them to be used in surface patrols. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' desk.

Commentary: This Vulture Droid figure was one of few figures I was unable to find at retail during the first go-round. It started showing up, but why? Why would Hasbro take a mold from one movie and paint it up as the version from six years prior out of the blue? I have no idea, and until a couple of weeks ago it, too, sat unopened in a box. Now that we're on the verge of a Phantom Menace reboot, it's neat to look at this older mold and say that, yes, it still looks pretty good. The detail inside the wings is quite striking, and there are numerous sculpted panels and cannons. It's smaller than the "super" mold we'll see returning any day now, but at 7-inches from tip to tip of his wings, it ain't bad.

This is a repaint, the previous version had blue stripes and bright green eyes. This one is mostly a greenish brown, with some metallic bits and bright red eyes. The size is small enough to fit in kid hands without feeling puny, although the only moving parts are its firing rocket and the two articulated wings. A pop-up "head" would have made this a slam-dunk. Still, as deco goes this as (at this time, anyway) my favorite toy Vulture Droid in terms of overall realism. The Revenge of the Sith blue one is cool because of its freaky colors, but this one just seems right to menace the Naboo on behalf of the Trade Federation.

As a bonus it comes with a small, non-articulated Buzz Droid. It's slightly different than the mold with the Tri-Fighter, and has a little bit of paint bringing it to life. There's some yellow on the shell of the robot, plus red "eyes. You'll also notice a grey plastic body and a painted dark gunmetal grey on the arms and shell, too. For ten bucks it's a nice item, and I'm happy that after having hunted it down for five years-- and waited for the price to be right-- I now finally have one.

Collector's Notes: I bought this figure off eBay for about ten bucks roughly a year ago, which helped to cap my modern movie collection off nicely. I saw a few at toy shows over the years but they were always $20-$25, or as I like to say, on the "kindly choke on it" price range. It's not common on eBay, but it's also not really worth anything.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,727: January 26, 2012

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,726: Obi-Wan Kenobi

OBI-WAN KENOBI vs. Grievous Bodyguard
Revenge of the Sith Battle Arenas
Item No.: Asst. 85241 No. 85456
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Display stand base, Magnaguard figure
Action Feature: Dueling action, sort of
Retail: $19.99
Availability: April 2005
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: Battle as Obi-Wan or one of General Grievous' bodyguards, as they face each other on the sinkhole planet Utapau! One remains - the other falls! (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' desk.

Commentary: This Obi-Wan Kenobi figure has sat unopened in my toy stash for over seven years. Seven years. For some reason, this Battle Arena just never got opened up, most likely due to my having several other fine and/or dandy Obi-Wan and Grievous Bodyguard figures from other parts of the line. I never felt I was missing anything, and this is as someone who feels a need to get his mitts on damned near every action figure Hasbro makes. While it's an interesting figure in terms of construction and its purpose, it does prove one of the things I keep saying in the Q&A column-- collecting is best done when a line is older. The perspective you gain from being a few years removed from a product line often helps you make better decisions and, in this item's case, results in cheaper pricing. It also can show the benefits of being obsessive about this-- Obi-Wan Kenobi just might be Hasbro's best take on the character as an actual plaything for kids.

The figure itself is not a good stand-alone action figure. It's acceptable-- but given its price at the time, it wasn't much of a deal. Obi-Wan has a bizarre swivel thigh joint, a waist joint, a right wrist joint, jointed shoulders, and a moving neck. This is actually enough to get the figure to be able to stand up without the support of the included display stand which effectively turns action figures into a low-rent copy of the Mattel Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots game. As a figure to hand a kid to play and fight with, though, this is actually a good example of Hasbro correcting its mistakes from Attack of the Clones figures. This time around, the lightsaber is designed to hold up to more abuse rather than just snap if it falls over. It is, unfortunately, embedded in his hand but that means you'll never lose it. The lightsaber, I mean-- if you lose his hand you're out of luck. The limited articulation prevents use in vehicles, but he's actually damn near perfect for holding up and slashing other action figures. It's somewhat remarkable really-- as collectors we rarely examine this sort of thing, but few if any Jedi figures can actually fight your other toys. If you take your average Vader figure, put a lightsaber in his hand, and have him start mowing down Rebels, the lightsaber will fall right out of his gloved hands. (There are exceptions, but most of them weren't designed for battle.) Obi-Wan here will never drop his lightsaber, I had him "fight" a bunch of figures on my desk a I write this and you know what? It works. It works very well.

The sculpt is good, as is the paint job. You can see a darker shirt inside Obi-Wan's sleeve, his lightsaber is painted in three colors, and his outfit is, on the whole, devoid of dirt. The face sculpt is vintage 2005 and could use a little more personality, paint could probably beef up his eyes and add some excitement to an otherwise bored-looking toy. Since his right hand has a dedicated lightsaber, it's no surprise his left hand was posed with looks in mind and won't be able to hold many (or any) accessories. His fingers are sculpted separately, and that's a nice touch. His outfit is nicely textured, but again, this is a figure from 2005-- it looks pretty great, but things have evolved since then and I doubt many (or any) of you will find this satisfactory after having bought so many Kenobi figures with over 12 points of articulation.

This figure-- indeed, this entire Battle Arena segment-- does show that you can make figures designed for play but certain kinds of play will cost you niceties like articulation. Having said that, his lack of joints is oddly refreshing and I think he will make a good display piece. While this likely will never be your go-to Obi-Wan from Revenge of the Sith, I can't deny that it was fun to pick up a figure and have him row down a couple of small Transformers and M.U.S.C.L.E. men without feat of snapping the blade off at the hilt. Oh-- the figure also comes with a big, bloated arena accessory. I can't say I'm particularly fond of it, but I'm old and it wasn't meant for me anyway.

Collector's Notes: A loose sample of this figure-- sans arena-- sold for $1.25 on eBay. Complete samples with the companion figure go for closer to $10. I'd say it's worth at least half that. Off the top of my head the figure was not reissued, although if it appeared in one of the many forgettable Wal-Mart exclusive DVD packs, my apologies. I might suggest tracking this down if you have children who are more likely to make their figures fight than to pilot vehicles. While I dislike figures that can't sit in vehicles as a rule, I will say that this one was extremely well designed when it comes to its function-- this shows a kind of thinking we rarely see from Hasbro since the end of the prequels, and depending on how the new "Movie Action" figures go, this could be a lost art. Which is a shame, I would totally buy a Darth Vader made like this. In the world of action figure collecting, a "toy" is a novel thing.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,726: January 25, 2012

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,725: Battle Droid

BATTLE DROID Naboo Invasion
The Vintage Collection Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 37499 No. 30787
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #VC78
Includes: Blaster, antenna, backpack
Action Feature: Folds up nicely
Retail: $9.99
Availability: January 2012
Appearances: The Phantom Menace

Bio: Celebrate the legendary Star Wars saga that changed the universe forever! This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. Iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are captured with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Star Wars saga. May the Force be with you! (Taken from the figure's packaging. No specific character information.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' new (temporary?) photo setup.

Commentary: I mistakenly thought this Battle Droid was the same mold from a previous release-- it isn't. Brand new! New gun, new backpack (sits higher on the back than I expected), and yes, sculpted eyes. You might remember the last new version-- the Geonosis Arena sculpt from 2009-- had painted eyes, and they were painted really badly. This one? Pretty much perfect. The shoulders and hips don't have the same lateral range as the last one, but everything else is fantastic. I haven't had it long enough to know what gravity-related problems he'll have standing up over time, but it's an otherwise fantastic figure. Functionally, it's the same as the previous release except it folds up a little bit nicer.

He can collapse in a little ball. He has jointed ankles. He has a nicely detailed paint job. The head sculpt has never been better. And why don't I think it's fantastic? Well, the backpack seems to sit too high on the back, and it's way too clean. There is no way to hold a gun with both hands. The backpack no longer has a hole to carry his gun, which has been on nearly every Battle Droid since 1999. I don't get why they left it out, it was one of my favorite features. It's a big improvement as the sculpt goes, and the antenna makes me thing we'll see OOM-9 as a repaint some day. We'll see, I guess. It's worth picking up, but I wouldn't suggest army-building it at the price. Hasbro has said army builders have been less popular lately, I say it's because $10 a pop is too high to build a squad. $10 is a one-of-each price. When you get right down to it, the functionality of this figure is not greatly improved from the 1999 versions, although its look and feel will make you wish Hasbro had a cheaper way to build an army of these guys in a hurry.

Collector's Notes: This one just came out. There's a street date on it, but I saw them in a bunch of Wal-Marts a couple of weeks ago, and a few Targets over the weekend I believe. Toys R Us put them up on the web early, and after that I stopped keeping track. Long story short: it might be at a store near you. I like the packaging and cardback-- the new back of the card, unlike every Vintage figure since 2004, doesn't look boring. It also has a Phantom Menace logo, which-- if you're like me-- is exciting so you can have one "vintage" carded figure from every movie on display and then move on.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,725: January 24, 2012

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,724: PROXY

PROXY Communications Droid
The Legacy Collection Toys "R" Us Exclusive Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Figure Packs
Item No.: Asst. 97910 No. 97912
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #2 of 2
Includes: none
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $29.99
Availability: April 2010
Appearances: The Force Unleashed

Bio: This prototype holodroid has been Galen Marek's companion for many years. PROXY is a one-of-a-kind droid that uses advanced hologram technology and built-in servos to alter his appearance, becoming virtually anyone. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's old kitchen.

Commentary: Oh PROXY, you were one of the more memorable characters in The Force Unleashed. As a plot device, this character seemed to have more personality than a lot of his human counterparts, given a hard-working personality and the kind of can-do attitude about attacking your employer rarely seen outside a Pink Panther movie. An entirely new mold, the figure is super-articulated, super-thin, and a really nice recreation of the digital character. Leg articulation isn't perfect, but when it comes to exclusives like this, or weird Expanded Universe designs, they rarely are.

The skeletal robot basically sweats mist and projects holographic images on it, giving him the illusion of being other people. I don't think the concept-as-technology holds a lot of water, as it were, but it was fun to see him take on random character skins as "training programs" for Starkiller. If you get in real close, you can see wires, pistons, and other cables holding him together making him look like a part of the typical "used" Star Wars universe while technically being one of the highest-tech pieces of military equipment available to the Empire. Heck, even Darth Vader's suit looked like an Apple product despite being cobbled together after an accident. I mean, I assume that sort of attire isn't off-the-rack, but since I shop mostly out of dumpsters I am not up on galactic couture.

The deco here is good, there's a lot of grey but silver, purple, and yellow break it up nicely. A little more purple around the elbows and slightly darker "metal" parts would really sell the look, as the colors are a little muted compared to the rich blacks and vibrant purple seen on the in-game character model. Should Hasbro ever decide to rerelease and repaint, this figure could go from great-- and it is great-- to superb just by selecting slightly different materials. If you stumble on this set in your journeys, I do suggest buying it-- the Mandalorian Starkiller, PROXY, and redesigned Jumptrooper alone made this a worthwhile purchase. (The clear Stormtrooper less so... I'm terrified about keeping it from discoloring.)

Collector's Notes: The set came out during a real lull after the end of red-and-white Legacy and before Vintage launched, and also sat around for a bit. But because this is a good figure, the secondary market picked up on him and just this one robot will cost you about $15-$25. And the whole set was $30 when you skipped it-- see what you get for passing up a good deal? You get screwed. The boxed set is also a little more expensive than its issue price, but it appears to be cheaper than buying the figures separately. While I personally dislike seeing figures shoot up on the secondary market, it's nice to see that things fans asked for sometimes command a premium-- I'd rather see something good gain value than something "rare." And now that Hasbro is aware how much this guy costs, I'd say it's high time to rerelease it wouldn't you?

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,724: January 23, 2012

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,723: Battle Droid

BATTLE DROID Separatist Droid Speeder
The Clone Wars Class I Vehicle (Mini-Rigs)
Item No.: Asst. 29960 No. 29958
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: I
Includes: Blaster, backpack, stand, Speeder vehicle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $18.99
Availability: July 2011
Appearances: n/a

Bio: Battle droids operate Separatist droid speeders to attack the clone trooper army. The speeders may be lean in size, but they have plenty of built-in laser cannons to unleash on the troopers. The wings move to enhance its maneuverability during combat. (Taken from the figure's product info page on Hasbro.com.)

Image: Adam's toy room.

Commentary: You've no doubt got too many Battle Droid figures, but this one is different-- Hasbro revisited the sculpt and added some stuff to it. For example, it has knee joints, even though it doesn't need them for this vehicle. His forearms are longer, the torso no longer has a waist joint, and the head is redesigned to look more like the show. It's Battle Droid 2.0, which seems to be about as different and refined as the new Clone Trooper body (first used with Stone) was to the original 2008 form. It's an upgrade, mostly, and the unique blue markings are pretty slick if not necessarily something you need to add to your collection. While not a match, the look reminds me of R2-D2's Battle Droid squad from the Citadel episodes.

My main beef with the new version is the backpack-- the peg is a little tough to push in, and it's extremely easy to knock loose. I'm not even sure how that's possible, but it is. The ball-jointed legs and shoulders had more range in the previous version of the mold, which actually might have been better for sitting on this vehicle-- he does fit just fine, though. The vehicle itself is a nifty little speeder inspired by the mini rigs of old, with moving wings and a dropping bomb. Its main flaw are two cannons right on top of the vehicle which pop off if you look at it funny. Don't touch them, they will shed. Hasbro could have (and should have) used another form of fastener, like the T-shaped peg used on the 1995 Boba Fett or the small pegs used on other vehicles like the Y-Wing Scout Bomber or Republic Scout Speeder. These have a longer slot with a weird fin-shaped peg, and it just doesn't work well. You may need to glue them in place.

Overall, I like the droid-- it looks better and with its knees, it's a better plaything in many respects if they just fix the backpack to stay on better. It isn't perfect, but it seems like very time a troop mold is revised you gain a few things and lose a few others. I'd say get it, but be prepared with some glue if you don't like how it behaves.

Collector's Notes: To date, I believe this is the only Battle Droid to use this specific mold-- correct me if I forgot one, Hasbro has been stingy with new Battle Droids of any kind and they all seem based on the 2008 sculpt. This set is somewhat common (or was late last year), so you might find it easily on your travels. Or you might not. Heck if I know what's sitting where you live.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,723: January 20, 2012

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,722: Endor Rebel Commando

REBEL COMMANDO White Variant
The Vintage Collection Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 97568 No. 21487
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: VC26
Includes: Coat, rifle, pistol, bandolier, backpack, helmet
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: October 2010
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: Celebrate the legendary Star Wars saga that changed the universe forever! This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. Iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are captured with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Star Wars saga. May the Fore be with you! (Taken from the figure's packaging. There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's toy room.

Commentary: Hasbro claims that bizarre bureaucratic issues regarding SKU counts and other nonsense from their internal bean counters prevented things like running changes on troop builders since late 2009, and while I'd love to believe that to be true it doesn't explain the Rebel Commando. This version was released in October 2010, but an unannounced new head sculpt was created and sold in 2011 on a limited basis-- so far, anyway. Could this mean we'll see more? Was this a fluke, a surprise that got past them? Were we being lied to? I honestly have no idea.

The figure itself is an interesting mix of new and old parts. The legs are from Major Panno, a 2009 alien figure. The backpack and helmet are quite similar to previous releases, as are the weapons. The head and torso are new, as is the bandolier-- which features a particularly clever design in which the rank badge is removable with the aforementioned torso accessory, leading to a modular design which will probably never be used since we rarely see these guys without a coat of some sort. Heck, even the long coat used on this figure and its variant is pretty weird, there was no analog for it in the original 1983 line yet here it is in the modern "Vintage Collection." I appreciate variety, but I can't say I entirely understand it.

The coat is made from a colorful camo fabric, and the helmet is re-re-recycled from a 2002 Endor Rebel and at least 7 action figures. To date, no Endor Rebel character (including Luke or Leia) has been given a removable helmet with a chinstrap. Heck, I don't even need it to be removable-- a chinstrap would be nice. The range of motion is pretty good on his arms and legs, however the coat does inhibit movement.

Collector's Notes: While not a pegwarmer per se, this figure did hang around a bit, and Hasbro has said there was some degree of troop builder fatigue in the line. (I disagree, other than the endless Sandtroopers and sub-par EP3 Clones, we aren't getting enough generic guys.) Anyway, you can probably find him right now and odds are he'll be even cheaper if you can wait 1-2 years.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,722: January 19, 2012