Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,168: RD-3 (Droid Factory)

RD-3 White SK-Series Droid with Gray and Yellow Accents
Star Tours Droid Factory Ahsoka Set
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: Removable limbs
Retail: $49.99
Availability: January 2024
Appearances: Ahsoka   

Bio: All different types of droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. These four are featured in Star Wars: Ahsoka. May the Force be with you.... and your Droids! (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.
Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I initially passed on this set. When something else came up that I wanted, I got it since I was paying shipping anyway - it's not a bad set, but I don't remember seeing RD-3 on the show, I already have a few Chopper toys, I don't remember C4-R4C, and Hasbro also has a Professor Huyang figure. 20 years ago I would have been - and was - over the moon for any new droid we could get, but a couple hundred later (and some I'm unable to get due to poor distribution/weird production) and I'm actually starting to sour a bit on some of it. This particular figure makes sense - it's a dome we haven't seen too much yet, and they even brought back the cables on his feet. In other words - they did a good job.

The deco is bright and clean, matching the pictures on the interwebs. The figure dome is a little more matte, the actual prop is a little more glossy, but the gray and silver and yellow are all where they seemingly should be. Thanks the the fact that it's a newer droid and we're not all inundated with dozens of them, it's still quite refreshing to have the same body again with a new dome. The features are much smoother, and I'd love to know more about how they designed him at a behind-the-scenes level - why are the parts smoothed out? Is it to be some sort of missing link between R2-D2 and BB-8? Or is this just a budget-friendly way to make a droid? It's a pretty compelling figure either way, and there's a hole for a hat. (Not included.)

You can also tell that there are separately molded panel elements on the dome, but mine don't pop off. You can see where the parts could separate more easily from the inside of the head.

As part of a $50 set, this is effectively a $12.50 droid - not much of a discount over a standard Disney single-carded figure. I would recommend this figure and the set to people who want more droids, not because it's great, but because it's different enough to be interesting and the color choices were good. The sculpting is pretty nice - the dome looks a lot newer and larger than the aging body - but it's not like Hasbro has been cranking out any SK-series droids yet. Give it a look it might be something you'll enjoy. Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney Store. It's still in stock seven months later, so I assume others also skipped it. It's not a bad set, it's just not exciting after you have some of the molds dozens of times over.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,168: September 3, 2024