Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,055: R7 Unit (Blue, 2023 Pride Collection)

R7 UNIT Disney Exclusive
Star Wars Droid Factory
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: Red R2 unit, orange R4 unit, yellow R5 unit, green R6 unit, blue R7 unit, violet R8 unit
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $74.99
Availability: May 2023
Appearances: n/a

Bio: Meet the colorful collection of droids from the Star Wars Pride Collection. Each one of the six detailed R Unit figurines has just rolled off the Droid Factory production line and boasts a different design, creating a special set featuring every color of the rainbow. (Stolen from the marketing copy.) In celebration of Pride and the company's Pride collection, The Walt Disney Company is giving funds as part of our ongoing commitment to organizations around the world that support LGBTQ+ communities. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now! 

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: If you're feeling blue, this R7 Unit is just the thing. Granted, you may have blue ones already as there have been quite a few R7 units over the years, very, very few have been sold pre-assembled outside those parts bins at the theme park. Thanks for it being a "newer" droid design, it doesn't have the same body as the R2, R4, R5, and $6. It does, however, seem to borrow the same basic feel in terms of being a color with lighter and darker painted highlights.

Since I assume most of you don't have any R7 droids - to date, they've been available as "bin parts" at Disney theme parks or as build-a-droids in Hasbro figures back in 2008 - this is probably worth your while. The droid model dates way back to the early 1990s, but they weren't exactly massive influence on what we would come to call the "Expanded Universe" by the end of the 1990s. (A term coined by Kenner! Toys shape the franchise, folks.) The three legs are effectively the same parts as Disney's other droids, while the body and dome are distinctive - and also Hasbro creations. There are some light blue highlights on the dome and body, plus some dark blue shadows painted on that almost blend in to the plastic. I really love the light blue panel lines in the dome's grooves, the red light on the face, and the silver highlights. I wish the contrast was a little more intense, but it's still good. It's a droid that doesn't look like any of the other R7 units, and as far as I know, I have them all.

 With subtle light blue on the side of the legs, Disney designers did a nice job making a set that - collectively - read as "PRIDE" while individually fitting in as part of the Star Wars toy universe. These look like they belong in your collection if you're a fan, regardless of who you are as a person. Do you like droids? You'll like these droids. I'd love to see R2-RNBW reissued (so I can get one) or other multi-color robots based on the various flags because let me tell you, they're pretty great. Assuming no groups take offense to it, I hope they keep making more droids colored to match the many flags out there because frankly, they're pretty brilliant designs (and you gotta take inspiration from somewhere.) It's still available as I write this in August. It was even on sale at one point, I assume due to the fact that a $75 figure set is a tough sell when it's not based on a specific on-screen character. But let me assure you, it's a nice set.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Shop Disney.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,055: August 15, 2023