Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,156: R5-Series Astromech Droid Red and Black (not R5-K6)

R5-SERIES ASTROMECH DROID Red Dome with Black and Silver Markings, a.k.a. R5-K6
Star Tours   Droid Factory Customizable Figure
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Head, 2 legs, torso, central third leg, optional hat
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $12.99
Availability: April 2015
Appearances: Star Wars

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.   There were 25 domes in the first 2012 series and 11 domes in the 2015 batch.  While Hasbro had said they didn't design the first batch, they included Hasbro copyrights.  This batch does not - markings read "© DISNEY" and "© LFL" as well as "China" on each leg.

Image: Adam's photo dump.

Commentary:  This R5-Series Astromech Droid is, for all intents and purposes, a make-good on the hard-to-find R5-K6 from a few years ago.  The gift set was very expensive thanks to it getting short distribution at some odd venues, including electronics stores and gift shops.  (I actually stumbled on quite a few.)  Point is, he's hard to get - and now Disney has a new version of him you can cobble together using parts out of their bins.  The dome is different than the 2009 figure but it's certainly a close enough replacement given the asking price of the gift set these days.  The red dome has the same black "U" pattern on the face, with the various silver bits being in basically the same place.  The antennae are now missing, but the little white trapezoids are there in a slightly different form.   The mechanism is gone in favor of the hat hole, but overall this is pretty close to the original.

The body of this configuration was retooled from previous astromech torso pieces.  The lower holes on the R2 body were removed, so you can't make a four-armed droid anymore.  The body color is very similar (if not identical) to R5-K6, who is in a box somewhere.   The black and white boxes are pretty much the same, although a small detail on the back and bottom of the droid is now absent.  (No huge loss.)   There are a few minor changes given the time difference and the mold, but they did a fine job of trying to replicate that hard-to-find design in this format.

Like the other legs, the new "universal leg" returns here without the wires to make it obvious where the front or the back is.  Black "toe" panels on the front give it a little personality, but it still lacks the dots and rods on the upper part of the limb and features retooled copyright information to excise any indication of these being Hasbro products.  As such, I say it's debatable if these are Hasbro, Hasbro-compatible, or what.  The white "band" above the ankle is now silver, so it's a little more subtle than before and of course the wires are now absent.

The central red foot for this (and all the other) colors is now unpainted, while the R5-K6 figure had some black markings on the foot.  Unless you read or write columns like this one, I assume you wouldn't notice or care.

If you missed R5-K6, this is a much cheaper alternative.  Which is kind of disgusting, as the last version got you 2 Rebels and a small vehicle for $25.   If you love your droids, and I hope you do, here's another chance to get one of the scarcer robots in the line at a price that, while not great, is certainly better than fifty bucks.  There's really no other way to configure these parts into something pleasing (other than the R6 dome, which we'll examine shortly) so go ahead and get this one.

Collector's Notes: I got this from my pal Shannon who was cool enough to get me a set from Disneyland.  This is the only R5 droid in the first 2015 assortment.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,156: May 21, 2015