Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,197: BB-8 (Holiday Droid Factory)

BB-8 Snowman
Star Wars Droid Factory 2024 Advent Calendar
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: R2 Gingerbread Droid, BB-8 Snowman, Chopper Penguin, Gonk Present, D-O Holiday, B2EMO present, R1 Holiday Bell, wreath, Santa hat, drink tray, scarf, tiny top hat
Action Feature: Balances, dome and ball halves are removable
Retail: $79.99
Availability: August 2024
Appearances: n/a

Bio: All different types of astromech droid populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. Open up the Sandcrawler to reveal and build 7 new droids to celebrate along with them for 25 days this season. May the Force be with you... and your droids! (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Great concept, bad QC (on mine, at least.) The BB-8 (snowman) is a great design, but my sample can't keep it together. The bottom half of the droid slides right off - if you pick it up, it doesn't stay connected. If I swap out the core inner ball with another droid, the parts fit, there's just something about this one where it won't stay together. Your mileage may vary, of course.

This version of BB-8 - not a generic BB droid according to Disney's page - is left mostly white with subtle gray highlights you may not even notice. He has a tiny scarf and a new tiny top hat, which I think is going to be very fun for anyone who likes these kinds of props. One of his sensors has an orange carrot-like ring around it, his central black eye is super glossy, and there are three dots to represent some sort of coat buttons on the torso. It's incredibly simple, but it gets the job done and the BB ball body is perfect for a snowman. I'm kind of annoyed Disney didn't just sell this one carded because it would do well. Having said that, I still need to crack open R6-SN0, Disney's previous snowman robot.

In terms of escaping the trappings of the holiday, just turning around the head and leaving off the gear gives you a mostly plain white droid. It would look fine on any sequel-era display, or serve as great custom fodder. It's useful, it's cute, it more or less fits in - so it's a good design. I just hope yours holds together than mine.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney as they were offering both a discount code as well as free shipping. At under $70 delivered, it's pretty worthwhile. Try SHIPMAGIC or DISNEY25 codes to see if they still work.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,197: December 12, 2024