Figure of the Day: Day 357: C-3PO

C-3PO Tatooine Escape
Saga Collection Ultra Figures
Item No.: Asst. 84716 No. 84714
Number: n/a
Includes: Escape pod
Action Feature: Removable limbs
Retail: $9.99
Availability: Winter 2004
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: When Princess Leia's consular vessel was attacked by an Imperial Star Destroyer, the fussy and worry-prone C-3PO was plunged into the center of a Rebel battle. The princess stored vital Rebel information in R2-D2's memory systems, unbeknownst to C-3PO. Then R2-D2 took it upon himself to complete Leia's failed mission, though C-3PO knew nothing of the details. Fleeing the crippled vessel in an escape pod, the two droids landed on the desert planet Tatooine, where they fell into the hands of the Jawas and were hunted by Imperial Stormtroopers. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: I like this version of C-3PO because it reminds me of an obscure vintage variant-- you see, in the late 1980s, the vintage line was released in Brazil but they changed some figures and recolored others. C-3PO got this weird gold color treatment and I always thought it was really cool. (Never did buy it, because at the time it cost a whopping $35, which was about $33 more than I was used to spending on a figure.) But I digress. This unique C-3PO figure was based on the Episode II deluxe version where you could pop off his limbs and swap them with those of a Battle Droid, except a few molding changes were made and, obviously, it was given this unusual Trilogy-based paint job. I believe this is the only modern C-3PO action figure from the Trilogy to not use shiny vac-metal gold paint, which makes this figure superbly unique in a sea of what must be close to a dozen versions of the fussy robot.

The figure has five points of articulation, and every moving limb including the head can be easily popped off. This is cool, but the really cool thing is that it includes an Escape Pod from the Blockade Runner. It's like getting a small bonus vehicle, and at the original $10 price tag, this is an extra awesome item-- I mean, it's the freaking Escape Pod. That's just cool. Plus you can still get it for about $10 before shipping-- that's not bad, I gotta say.

Collector's Notes: Because it technically includes a vehicle, this is a must-buy figure for all collectors wanting a diverse selection of accessories. It's a pity that Hasbro has shied away from $10 figures with mondo accessories, but hey, at least we got a few awesome releases like this figure. Here's hoping for a reissue-- it's one of Hasbro's more fun toy figures from the past few years. This is a pretty good can't-miss figure for the money which, as of now, seems to be in no danger of being reissued any time soon.

Day 357: April 28, 2007