Friday, November 18, 2011

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,678: R2-MK

R2-MK & Jedi Mickey
Star Tours Gift Set
Item No.:
No. 16990900
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Display base, Jedi Mickey, removable hat
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $18.95
Availability: Summer 2010
Appearances: n/a

Bio: Whether he is fighting the Separatist forces in the Clone Wars, or helping the galaxy with their struggles against the Galactic Empire, Jedi Master Mickey Mouse is ready to use the Force at anytime. Aided by his new friend astromech droid R2-MK, these allies can complete any mission in the galaxy. Join Jedi Mickey and R2-MK on their many adventures across the stars! May the Force be with You. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: The box' insert.

Commentary: Let's start this one off with some controversy-- specifically, is this really a Hasbro product? When I mentioned it to a few Hasbro employees, they seemed to think it was developed by Disney theme parks, but that seems unlikely given that R2-MK is based on Hasbro's own R4-G9 mold. The figure has removable mouse ears, plus the legs were retooled-- the most obvious change being a pair of massive holes in his feet so he can fit on the display stand packaged with this set.

Aside form the holes, it's just another R4-G9 repaint. The hat fits right on the dome, sitting nicely until it's removed. A vac-metalized red dome looks good now, although I'm nervous about it staying that way down the road-- certain kinds of deco, specifically vac metal that isn't silver or gold, tends to crack or flake if not cared for. R2 has a purple eye which lights up, and a whole mess of red, black, and yellow markings to make him look more like Mickey Mouse than, in many respects, Jedi Mickey does. Since I'm a sucker for cool astromech droid repaints I'd suggest buying it, but you're basically going to be shelling out $19 for just the droid since Mickey is very similar to the 2-pack with Yoda from a few years ago. It's an overpriced set-- especially compared to the other gift sets-- but this is how collecting seems to work.

Collector's Notes: You can get this on eBay for (or less than) retail price, so keep that in mind if you decide to pick this set up in your travels.

--Adam Pawlus


Day 1,678: November 18, 2011

4 comments:

Zorro2500 said...

Weird. I read this colum almost every day. I just laned in Orlando and this is FOTD. Maybe I'll pick one up while I'm here.

Zorro2500 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Zorro2500 said...

I went with the star tours good guy pack instead. The new ride is awesome.

Luis said...

Had I known the mickey ears came off, I might've picked one up. Maybe next trip...