Figure of the Day: Day 837: K-3PX

K-3PX Wal-Mart Exclusive
30th Anniversary Collection Droid Factory
Item No.: Asst. 12980 No. 87665
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: 2 of 6
Includes: Darth Vader, piece of C-3PX
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: May 2008
Appearances: Star Wars comics

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Bio: The protocol droid K-3PX is in the service of the evil Darth Vader who is determined to crush the Rebel Alliance. (Taken from the set's box.)

Commentary: When fans started demanding Marvel characters for the Star Wars line, I don't think anyone seriously expected to get K-3PX. Based on the 2007 4-LOM mold with a new body and head, this new droid has a wonderful range of motion and fills that all-important need for more black figures. This servant of the Empire appeared briefly in the old comic series, but apparently he struck a chord with the right people. The tooling doesn't really do anything to wow you (any more than 4-LOM anyway) and the deco is pretty great. In the comics, K-3PX had a bit of a blue tint, but then again, so did Darth Vader and a number of other characters. If you like the idea of owning what amounts to a super-articulated protocol droid-- meaning this little guy has more joints than the best C-3PO on the market today-- this is totally up your alley. His head is a little weird, but he'll fit in nicely with your shelf of other black repaints, or on your "Darth Vader's fill-in-the-blank" display. As Vader has a lot of toys.

Collector's Notes: For ten bucks, this set was basically a steal, even if you aren't too keen on getting yet another Darth Vader figure which has been released multiple times with no deco or tooling changes. The figure may still be available at a Wal-Mart near you, so I suggest you go looking and get one. And if you don't find one, check their web site-- and if they're out of it, well, keep hunting. You should get one, it's just that neat.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 837: August 28, 2008