Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,203: C1 (Penguin, Holiday Droid Factory)

C1 Penguin Droid
Star Wars Droid Factory 2024 Advent Calendar
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: R2 Gingerbread Droid, BB-8 Snowman, Chopper Penguin, Gonk Gift, D-O Holiday, B2EMO present, R1 Holiday Bell, wreath, Santa hat, drink tray, scarf, tiny top hat
Action Feature: Articulated arms, removable wreath, opening claw arm, removable third leg
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: This R1 (Penguin Droid riffs on the Chopper C1-10P body with the vibes of a rockhopper penguin wearing a scarf. It kind of works, it kind of doesn't, but what matters is that it's distinctive and not particularly holiday-ey. Nothing about it particularly reeks of Christmas, but there are penguin-inspired elements like the splashes of paint around the eyes, the central eye being painted kind of like a beak, and of course the yellow feet. It's not too overt, and the off-kilter scarf splash of red paint certainly evokes the idea of a winter garment without being overtly Earthy.

You've seen this mold many times before but there are some key changes, like the radar dish. Specifically, there is no radar dish on his dome. You do get a green wreath with red berries and a gold bow, and it has indentations to sit on his arms. You'll need to pry off the dome or the arms to get it seated, though. Aside from that, the plastic parts are pretty much the same as several other Disney C1 droids - and that's perfectly fine.

With removable limbs and the usual series of joints, there's a lot to like here and not too many surprises. The bright white and golden yellow colors really pop against the black chassis, and at first glance it seems like it might be out of place in the dark, dusty, and otherwise corroded galaxy from which our toys hail. I wouldn't recommend getting the set solely for this figure, but it's a good figure in a pretty great set. If you're all-in for droid figures, Disney put some good variety into this box and you'd be well-served to pick it up on sale. At full price, it's not bad - but if you've got hundreds of droids and few to no playsets, your need for them may be pretty insignificant by now. I like it enough to say I'd love to also see orca, quail, or other creature-inspired droid recolors. With the pop-out arm and distinctive look, I'm not going to get rid of it or anything.

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 3,203: January 2, 2025