R4-SERIES ASTROMECH DROID White Dome with Purple PanelsStar Tours Droid Factory Customizable Figure
Item No.: No. ???
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Head, 2 legs, torso, central third leg, optional hat
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $10-$12
Availability: 2012
Appearances: n/a
Bio: These figures do not have specific packaging or configurations. As such, we will be treating each dome as a unique "figure" as that part is the most plentiful. At this time there are 25 domes and while Hasbro sometimes seems to indicate they are not Hasbro product, they do have Hasbro copyright markings and as such we are classifying them under the Hasbro banner.
Image: Adam's photo hole.
Commentary: For whatever reason, the R4-series Astromech Droid domes were in short supply when I was in Orlando for my Disney overpriced shopping adventure last August, and my pal Shannon was goodly enough to drop in after the convention ended to paw through their restock and get me the ones I missed. Good man, Shannon, I owe you still.
The dome is similar to the one used for the Droid Factory figures in 2008, except now it's got a hole in the head for any hat you may wish him to wear. Well, not any hat, but there are optional Mickey Mouse ears or a fedora or a pirate hate, to name a few. The Goofy ears look best. Anyway. The purple R4 looks a lot like the blue R4, except for the color. The big eye looks curious and inviting, silver panels on the dome break up this otherwise way-too-pale little guy nicely. There's not a whole heck of a lot to say here other than I appreciate them augmenting the ranks of the R4 cone-head droids, which has always felt a little on the lacking side to me. If memory serves (I'm on a plane writing this) there were 5 R4s based on the original body design, and another 5 based on the build-a-droid chassis. They're all pretty neat, the purple one is a little too clean but still nifty.
Collector's Notes: This item was a customizable release at Disney Hollywood Studios in Orlando, and you can configure them any way you wish. Again, with one purple body, this is the one to get. Unless someone cranked out an all-purple plastic body with white panels by now.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 1,948: November 30, 2012
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