Thursday, May 20, 2010

Figure of the Day: Day 1,287: R2-D2 (Dagobah)

R2-D2 Jedi Training on Dagobah
30th Anniversary Collection Battle Packs
Item No.:
Asst. 87503 No. 87214
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 other figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99-$24.99
Availability: Spring 2007
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: Cheerfully trundling into even the most dangerous situations, R2-D2 often found himself in deeper than he'd intended. Such was the case when he toppled off Luke's mired X-Wing and into Dagobah's sludgy water. Thankfully, he proved to be less delicious than he looked to the local dragonsnake that called the swamp home. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's living room.

Commentary: Hasbro really likes this R2-D2 mold. It's been painted in normal, snow, and now swamp versions-- and it isn't even all that good. Starting life as R2-Q5, the head had a hole drilled in the top to allow for drink service accessories in 2004. This version came out in 2007 and kept the hole, but added a lot of mud to give it a Dagobah feel. As this wasn't the first version of this deco, you might be left wondering which is better-- the 2004 beeping one, or this one? I'd go with the beeping one, but this one does have more articulation and a retractable third leg. If you're going to get this gift set anyway, it's a nice figure, but the individually carded Dagobah R2-D2 is a heck of a lot more fun. Neither is "perfect," to date all of the Dagobah R2-D2s are made using pre-2005 molds which are all just a little bit off in different ways, specifically the panel sculpting and the proportions. Still, it's a nice figure given it's just a simple repaint.

Collector's Notes: R2-D2 is essentially the same in both releases of this battle pack. The first (30th Anniversary) and the second (Legacy Collection) aren't different, but the Darth Vader figures and Obi-Wan's lightsaber are changed just slightly. So if you're a big variant hunter, odds are you'll end up with two of these.

--Adam Pawlus


Day 1,287: May 20, 2010

May 21 is the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back! Since this is posted late on May 20... this is the anniversary post.

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