Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,651: 3PO (Color-Changing Droids, Droid Factory, Galaxy's Edge)

3PO PROTOCOL DROID Color-Changing Droids
Star Wars Disney Droid Depot
Item No.: No. ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 droids - CZ, 3PO, R4, BB
Action Feature: Pops apart, changes from white to orange
Retail: $39.99
Availability: ca. July 2019
Appearances: n/a

Bio: All different types of Astromech droids populate the galaxy.  Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors.  These droids have the special ability to change color!  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  This is a color-change thing that makes sense. This 3PO Protocol Droid is gold - not unlike the Disney-era version of C-3PO - but turns black in cold temperatures.  In your hands, it will swiftly turn gold.  In the freezer, it's a matte black color.  3PO was molded in a shiny gold plastic and coated with a plastic that seems to turn clear when warm or black when chilled.  The clear coat is a little fuzzy - it tones down the sharpness of the details of a build-a-droid figure mold we've had in circulation in some form or another since 2009.  

Articulation is nothing new for a Disney protocol droid.  The 20 points of articulation all  move fairly well, but that's not what makes this figure interesting.  You could buy a black or a gold protocol droid years ago.  What you couldn't buy is this sort of dynamic oil leak thing that a color-change figure is uniquely capable of pulling off.  If the figure is at room temperature but in "black" mode, a few moments from a normal hand will start making the black vanish, revealing gold underneath.  What's particularly nifty about it is that, like the R4 droid, it looks like something a pack of Jawas pulled out of an oil or tar bath.  You can "clean" it up or "paint" it just by touching it, which gives it a dynamic look display fans might find annoying and kids may hopefully find enticing, should they get one.

Detail is about as good as always, and while the droid mold is a little taller than the latest C-3PO and 0-0-0 3 3/4-inch scale figures it's still plenty good.  I am amazed that Disney found a way to make what was essentially a new action feature on C-3PO.  Hasbro did do a Stormtrooper with color-change battle damage about 20 years ago, but that's just a blast mark - this is the total recolor package.  I am impressed, and if you're the kind to refrigerate your toys you should score this set.

 

 

Collector's Notes: I got mine from my pal Shannon. Thanks Shannon!  There are 2 droid 4-packs and 1 droid playset with a Gonk Droid at this time.  "Warm" colors on the droids are their movie-like state.  "Cold" colors tend to be a lot stranger.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,651: December 31, 2019