Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,333: QT-KT (Droid Factory, Carded)

QT-KT Think Pink (Again)
Star Wars Droid Depot
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: Collector card, TC-332 Arm
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $19.99
Availability: March 2026
Appearances: The Clone Wars

Bio: All different types of droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. This droid can be found on missions aboard Separatist Dreadnaughts. Join QT-KT on their adventures throughout the galaxy. 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: As time goes on, some of Disney's droid figures aren't terribly exciting only because other (sometimes better) versions exist. This is the second QT-KT figure. While the first built off the build-a-droid chassis, a QT-KT droid based on the Vintage R2-D2 mold was one of my babies [FOTD #2,312] at work. I would have much rather seen other members of D-Squad, preferably with the black and yellow caution markings. This particular retake on QT-KT is different from the original, but not necessarily better.

Deco is very similar, so whichever one you get should be satisfactory. This 2025 Disney version adds a little extra silver paint around the ankles that Hasbro's (and the animation model) didn't havee, but also cleans up the silver paint around the vents in the middle of her body. Hasbro's deco of the nozzle near the bottom of her body seems more accurate, but Hasbro left off the silver paint on the vents near her left foot. Neither has the weathering seen on the cartoon, nor the flying drone from the top of her dome.

Another notable difference are her black and yellow dome markings. Hasbro's seemed a little thicker and just felt more accurate when compared to real caution tape. Disney's 2026 figure feels a little more haphazard, a little thin, and just not quite right when looking at the cartoon. But, maybe you'll like it better.

In terms of features, I would say Hasbro's is better. The retractable third leg is a plus, as is the sensorscope, and I can't knock the opening body panel with a pop-out arm. All of that is great. Disney's droid has a spare build-a-droid arm - which is good - but droid herself can only pop apart. Disney's dome is also one of the loosest I've ever had, and is incredibly easy to accidentally pop off. Maybe that's a plus! Some are very difficult to remove.

I'm sure my age is showing, but there are a lot of figures where I would say I was pretty happy with what I had. Disney's silver panels look perfectly nice when compared to Hasbro's flat gray ones, but neither feels particularly superior. It is currently slightly cheaper to get the Hasbro model (out of packaging) thanks to the insta sell-out of Disney's figure, but that could change. In 2026, these figures now cost a painful $19.99, plus about $10 shipping, plus tax. In most jurisdictions, one droid will cost you $33 delivered. That's a lot of money. I don't feel she's worth that asking price, and I would say that this particular build-a-droid program is something of a drag for completists that may have many of these figures at home. But if you just want a pink droid, and you can get this one for a decent price? She's not bad. She'll get the job done. She's just not a complete improvement over the original.  

 

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Shop Disney. It sold very quickly.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,333: April 2, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,307: DJ R-3X (Droid Depot)

DJ R-3X DJ, You Dirty Guy!
Star Wars Droid Depot
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: Comes apart, jointed visor, jointed headphones, can wear hats
Retail: $14.99
Availability: October 2025
Appearances: Galaxy's Edge

Bio: All different types of droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. Rex, a former Starspeeder 3000 pilot for Star Tours, was recently reprogrammed to be a DJ at Oga's Cantina.. Join DJ R-3X on their adventures throughout the galaxy. 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: DJ R-3X is impressive. It didn't get a price bump, it's sizable, and it's a new mold. It seems to be quite different from Captain Rex (sadly I missed the $300+ Starspeeder with him), so I have to judge this one on its ample merits. It compares favorably to new Hasbro The Vintage Collection releases. The weathering is a little harsh, but visible. You can see painted Aurebesh RX on his neck, plus several decorated white and blue buttons. And bolts. Also speakers. Armed plating. Faux lights in the eyes and ears. It just keeps going. At every angle, you'll see something like a jointed thumb or a telescoping neck that makes you go "Oh yeah, they did a nice job here."

The deco could be a smidgen sharper, but after all the increasingly expensive R2-D2 repaints of the same mold for over 15 years this is quite refreshing. The base is one big foot, and it's got a foot peg hole. Hasbro has been engineering those out, giving us figures with a small indentation on the heel that is no longer compatible with most display stands. This figure has zero use for a display stand, but has a hole anyway. I can appreciate that.

Articulation is above expectations. The gray column (let's say "leg") connects to the neck and collar. The big orange base can rotate separately, and the body is made of two rings. The front two arms are connected to the top part, and the back arm is connected to the bottom part. The neck telescopes up and own, with a pivoting neck plus a visor and headphones that can move up and down. The arms have moving thumbs, rotating wrists, plus several places where they can bend and swivel. Compared to an R2-D2 or C-3PO mold, this thing is pretty incredible.

The dome has a hat hole in it, so depending on the hat, Rex can wear it. The rabbit ear hat only works with the visor closed, but smaller hats should work just fine. Disney put together an impressive figure that has me wondering what factory costs are, because this seems triple or quadruple the complexity of a typical Astromech droid figure at the same price. Hasbro also made this figure with slightly less weathering and a similar-but-different tampo on the arm. Disney's has more painted buttons on the chest. Which is better? Well, pick a scale, and I'm sure you'll be happy.

As with many of the droid figures from Disney, I have no practical use for them. It's basically a hoard at this point. If you can store it, you should give it a whirl.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Shop Disney. It was not a fast sell-out.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,307: January 1, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,298: R2-H25 (Droid Factory)

R2-H25 Holiday Edition
Star Wars Droid Factory
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: Candy Cane hat
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $14.99 $17.99
Availability: October 2025
Appearances: n/a 

Bio: All different types of droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. This droid aided the resistance along with BB-H20 on the salty world of Crait... Join R2-H25 on their adventures throughout the galaxy. 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 Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!  

Commentary: Despite not loving the premise, I jumped on R2-H25 back in October and I'm glad I did. A number of companies had a round of tariff price increases in October and apparently Disney was one of them - the droid went from $14.99 when I ordered it to $17.99 at some point before November 2, when I started filling out this review. If you like candy canes or The White Stripes, this white plastic figure with red panels (and a few metallic red panels) is likely just the thing for you. It's sort of silly, but it still looks like something you might see in the background in a movie or on the cartoons. There's nothing un-Star Wars-y about red panels on a white droid, we've actually had quite a few over the years like R4-E1 and R5-D4.

The mold is not anything new - heck, you can tell, because it's showing signs of wear. On my sample, the dome is a little bit looser and spins more freely than other droids. The third leg, still removable, is bent to the side a bit. Maybe it's a fluke, but this sometimes happens after a tool has years and years (and years) of use and reuse, with probably over 100 droids based on these parts. The right and left legs share a mold, and are the wire-free versions we've seen on most of Disney's figures. The paint is generally good, with each piece generously slathered in red - largely very evenly and cleanly. What surprised me was the box surrounding the eye, the stuff under the dome, and the holo projector have a slight metallic tint to it. It's not obvious, it probably cost more, but it's a nice bonus detail they put in there. I miss the silver on the vents because it gives it more of a realistic hardware vibe, but this still looks good perfectly fine for the nature of the festivities.

Unique to this figure is a hat. It looks like a snow drift with a striped candy cane on it. The sculpt is nice, the detail is fine, and it fits over the various painted (and one unpainted) dome panels. It has a lot going for it and it's just a heck of a lot of painted boxes that the factory had to do, I hope automation is handling most of it because this looks challenging even with a paint mask. All the panels are not perfectly filled on my sample, but I would say it's good enough that I'm not complaining for a mass-market $15 toy. At $18 I'd be cranky.

A commonly asked question is when will fans say "that's too expensive" and we might be getting there. For a theme park souvenir, $20 is no big deal - but do I need another droid repaint when it's also $10 shipping? Not really. I'd be more open to things if they could all ship in one transaction, but the reality of these things costing $30 a pop - or more with tax - makes them seem like something I might skip a few more of. I missed a couple due to non-availability and I might just let them go at this point. If you can get this guy at a fair price, it's a perfectly nice figure. Mine was $27.21 to get it to my door. That's cheaper than a trip to California, or parking at Downtown Disney, but it's also half the price of most new video games for the 100-and-whateverth droid repaint. I might suggest Disney start dropping 2 at a time, or doing 2-packs, to offset delivery sticker shock.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,298: December 2, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,289: R5-Z0MB (Droid Factory)

R5-Z0MB Halloween Edition
Star Wars Droid Factory
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $14.99
Availability: August 2024
Appearances: n/a 

Bio: All different types of droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. This droid can be found wandering the bleak swamps of Corvax Fen on Mustafar. Join R5-Z0MB on their adventures throughout the galaxy. 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 Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!  

Commentary: I dragged my feet on R5-Z0MB last year for some reason, and my invoice says I got it for $6.83 ($8.99 less a discount), which is a steal. At $15 it's not bad - it's a retool of a retool of a droid mold that's been in circulation since about 2008, probably. (There's still some debate on the Hasbro origins of Disney's droid molds, although I remember being told they weren't Hasbro molds even when it seemed they very much were in that first year. So teach the debate, I guess.) This one is pretty distinctive, and shows Disney's continued strength in coming up with something holiday-themed that's subtle enough to actually fit in with your other stuff. Hasbro's holiday items are great, but few "belong" with the movie toys. If this little guy was tossed in the back of Jabba's dungeon's boiler room, you'd say "yeah, that tracks." If it was dismembered in a big Sandcrawler, you'd go "oh was that in there in the movie?" It's a good design.

Oh, and don't forget to play your double-CD last show of Oingo Boingo this week. Happy Halloween.

The minty green "flesh" head and legs may not be exactly a match for typical droids, but it's close to my skin tone after spending all summer indoors here in Arizona. Bronze can get a green tint over time, so maybe that's what Disney was aiming for - the droid's panels are penny-colored. It looks great! There are specks and sparkle, shine and grime, disrepair and surprisingly clean panel lines. The body seems like a clean body just got filthy, same as the limbs. The head is where it gets good, with a massive gash in the side plus loads of dirty detail along the green base of the dome. One of the three eyes seems dead, and the trio shows signs of distress - like he was crying lubricant. The interior shows a pylon and some of the electronics inside, which is kinda creepy and cool. It's as close as we're going to get to seeing droid brains. There are silver marks where the head was seemingly chomped out, showing metal under the green paint. It's really a good design that makes you think of a story, because this guy has clearly seen some stuff that would turn your poo green. Maybe he gave Vader the stink-optic. It's hard to know.

I'd recommend this one. It didn't sell great at the time and it can be had for slightly over SRP now. It's worth the $20ish asking price, and I hope Disney considers reusing the mold for an x-ray droid, or something showcasing the interior. "The visible astromech" could be a pretty cool variant, or a "blueprint" deco like we saw from Funko this year and I've been asking various companies to make for the last 20 years. Not that I'm bitter or anything. Anyway, get this Shiromo in droid form, Disney really nailed every possible aspect of this design and deserve your praise/loose change for it.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Shop Disney. I got the August release in October 2024 at a substantial discount. Tellin' ya all the zomby truth - I'm OK with this.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,289: October 30, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,227: R2-BNE (Bunny, Holiday Droid Factory)

R2-BNE Hoppy Easter
Star Wars Droid Factory 2025 Spring Droid
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: Bunny ear hat
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $14.99
Availability: February 2025
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. This droid can be found in the idyllic plains of Naboo. Join R2-BNE on their adventures throughout the galaxy. 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: Disney's special droids now greatly outnumber Hasbro's output, so if you want a seasonal souvenir you're probably going to be buying a bunch from the house of mouse. The latest offering is R2-BNE, which sold out online in under a week. Clearly, people like rabbit hats. The droid itself is the same mold we've been getting, with a new hat. The web bio says "Artoo's signature colors take on pastel hues and he wears an adorable pair of bunny ears, making him a stellar find in every Easter basket and the cutest way to celebrate the start of spring." The cardback bio indicates they are a separate character. Which will you choose? Probably neither, as it sold out, and you may not have another crack at this one.

This is a pretty good one. Rather than going with green, Disney opted to take a white droid and add both blue and pink to the figure. And it really works. Not necessarily evoking Easter specifically, these colors look a lot like some of the Easter Bunny characters I've seen some other manufacturers over the years. Specifically, the Hallmark/Crayola bunnies from about thirty years ago. (Retro ornament enthusiasts may remember Hallmark's various Easter Ornaments and other collectibles from that era, but I digress.) I don't anticipate a big edition size for this one as seasonal stuff tends to have a pretty short shelf life. Go to the parks if you missed it online, it sold out quickly. Heck, buy two. There will be someone who wants one.

Since it's the first Easter droid, the good news is there's nothing else like it in the toy line. Hasbro hasn't done a lot of pastels, Disney has largely stayed away from pinks and baby blues. The coloring is a little paler than the renders on the cardback, but I assume to most fans it'll look like baby color R2-D2. The figure is mostly a case of what you see being what you get, with one exception - under the dome is a really striking metallic blue color. I was expecting the "guts" underneath to be unpainted or gray, so this was a real surprise. There are also a lot of little details I would have not expected, like pink highlights around the eye and "ankles." I see no indication that anybody pocketed pennies out of the paint budget to make this one.

If you're a droid fanatic, or if this particular color suits you, you're going to want this one. I don't anticipate a ton of Easter figures in the coming years, but who knows? I would've expected a few Valentine's droids by now, and haven't yet seen one. The generous helping of pink mixed with blue really looks great, and I've got a lot of friends who I think will be excited to see this one - or they would be, had it not sold out so quickly.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney as they were offering free shipping. Shipping is presently around $10. Parking at Downtown Disney is also about $10, so short of a clearance find or dumping on eBay I don't expect it to get much better than this. I ordered it February 17, received it February 20, and it was sold out on February 20. If it restocks, better hop on it.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,227: March 27, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,178: C4-R4C (Droid Factory)

C4-R4C Better Red than Repack-ed
Star Tours Droid Factory Ahsoka Set
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: 3 more droids
Action Feature: n/a
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: This one isn't bad. I'm not sure why one droid in this set has the toe cables and C4-R4C does not, but the dark reddish droid is pretty good overall even though it seems to be a generational holdover from 2008. While it would be nice to have a new mold with slightly more accurate proportions, that's not happening. As such, your goal here is to determine if this Disney figure is good enough to warrant buying, mostly because it's a nothing droid. Since we're in a world without any decent Ahsoka playsets and virtually no background characters and few bad guys, there's not much for this droid to do if you buy it. Sure, you can find the dome in the background of an episode, but when you get right down to it this release is for completists. If you simply must have all the droids, or like the color, this is a figure for you.

If you've been buying build-a-droid figures, you know what this is - a removable dome, removable legs, and that's about it. It looks fine, and is molded in a dark red with some silver and white panels. What makes it stand out from other Disney droids is a very healthy slathering of dirty weathering printed on the shell. The rust and subtle weathering looks pretty good, but it's not as amazing as some other releases - it's still very obviously a new factory-fresh figure with some extra paint, but at least we're getting a little more than we used to. Given how much money Disney is saving on the molds for these sets - which frequently have 1 new figure or 0 new figures - surely they can and sometimes do give us more paint than would be necessary for this figure to be considered "good enough." Sure, you've got rolling wheels and removable limbs, but anyone who has been in this for the long haul will likely put it on a shelf and never look at it again. And that's assuming they ever open the box. It would be great to live in a world with more figures, playsets, and vehicles so this guy serves a greater purpose than "collectible," "keepsake," "souvenir," but it seems the toy world is increasingly content to not ask what purpose the toy serves beyond a thing you buy. It's a very decent thing, surely, with really nice dark silver panels on the back absolutely slathered in damage that arguably makes this figure more interesting from behind. If you get it, be sure to see that baby has back.

I would not recommend this gift set on the strength of this figure alone, but he probably has the best deco in the box. If you're a droid fanatic, you already bought it and were likely impressed by the colors. If you don't need another dozen droid repaints, you probably see this as a massive waste of development dollars. I think I would be more enthusiastic if Ahsoka had greater toy support, as "main characters, some retool troopers, and token droid repaints" make it hard to get jazzed up over a show that was a little slower and if asked to give real plot points, this figure had nothing to do with the story and the story was pretty limited in the first place. Since two of the four figures in this set are genuinely unique, its ability to capture your dollars will probably come from the strength of this droid and RD-3 [FOTD #3,168], neither of which I found to be incredible. It's different enough to be distinctive, but even I can't keep names straight for toys with no meaningful presence on-screen or in the guide books that don't yet exist, but should!

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,178: October 8, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,174: Professor Huyang (Droid Factory)

PROFESSOR HUYANG and Mary-Ann
Star Tours Droid Factory Ahsoka Set
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: 3 more droids
Action Feature: n/a
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: Both Disney and Hasbro put out Professor Huyang figures at the same time for roughly the same price. Which is better? Probably Hasbro's. Hasbro's is taller and has more accessories - but there are elements that the Disney version has decorated that Hasbro left blank, and vice-versa. Hasbro's figure is almost a head taller than Disney's. It is bizarre, and sensible, that both have similar articulation - Hasbro has the edge with the thigh swivels - but hey, I'm getting ahead of myself. We're talking about the shorter Disney parks release.

Given both cost about the same, Disney's comes up short in more than just the literal way. It's curious to see where each design team put its priorities, as Disney's has a bolted-on backpack without any articulated back arms. Disney did paint the arm joints, though, while Hasbro didn't - and Hasbro gave hte backpack unit itself a little more paint. Hasbro added weathered paint to the legs, but Disney did not - although Disney has panted torso cables, while Hasbro does not. But Disney painted the chest bolt on his right, and the bicep wires, but Hasbro did not. It's extremely difficult to describe one without looking at the other, because neither provides a more authentic, more complete, or more accurate collecting experience. When placed side-by-side it just shows each company elected to cut different corners.

He's skinny, but nor tall, standing roughly 3 3/4-inches and not towering over the Hasbro figures. Scale is always tough to nail down, but I am reading Huyang is about 1.8 meters - so about 6 foot 2 inches. His shoulders swivel, but don't pivot out. The legs swing forward well enough, as his toolbelt seems to have just enough give to allow him to sit. The knees bend, the ankles bend and swivel, the wrists swivel... it's about as well-articulated as the Disney Protocol Droids. Depending on what you are looking for, this figure might have the edge on paint as he has painted hands, metallic deco on his helmet, the aforementioned waist, nipple, and backpack paint, and slightly better painted shoulders with the rings around each arm. By himself, not making size or detail comparisons, Disney did a good job. The sculpt matches the TV show, the expression is good, the yellow optics are bright, and it looks like the droid you're looking for. Depending on your collection needs - especially if all you buy are droids - this might be the best choice for you. The $16.99 Vintage figure offers more Huyang-ness, but this set has three plastic pals who are fun to be with, and I think most collectors will see that as a priority over a data pad or alternate arms.

Since Disney and Hasbro both have competing figures at the same time, with neither having the clear edge - each has unique painted elements the other lacks - I can't say either is better. Hasbro's is probably the right height, with more gear, but Disney's has a lot more front-facing painted details that look good. Neither seems to be quite the right color, though, and if you believe in magic there's a chance they could revisit the character for Ahsoka season 2. (I'll believe it when they announce a release date.) But I digress - Disney's Professor Huyang is good, but since there's another figure against which to compare him, I can't say either is perfect. Flip a coin, with a little more weight toward this one if you want the other Chopper, C4-R4C, and RD-3 figures exclusively in the set with the professor.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,174: September 24, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,946: Battle Droid (Droid Depot set, The Black Series)

BATTLE DROID Droid Depot Set
The Black Series Galaxy's Edge Exclusive Action Figure
Item No.: No. F3400
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Babu Frik, Pit Droid, Battle Droid with blaster and antenna backpacks, K-7R1, and CB-23
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $74.99
Availability: March 2022
Appearances: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace   

Bio: The soulless ranks of the Separatist armies are dominated by tall, thin B1 battle droids controlled by centralized command center. They often suffer programming glitches that manifest as personality quirks. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: This Battle Droid is the same as the Best Buy carded figure (which I haven't opened yet), and both are almost the same as the 2019 Battle Droid [FOTD #2,579] sold in the main line. For army builders, the slight deco variations are just what you want. For everybody else, this means there are three "just different enough to make you mad" Battle Droids in this line - and counting.

It's worth noting that the 6-inch Battle Droid is one of Hasbro's stronger efforts. I don't care if you hate the prequels, it's a good figure - there are lots of joints, good option parts, and he can crouch down like in the movies. The design is very good and not nearly as spindly as some of the 3 3/4-inch Battle Droids we got after the 1999-2000 Episode I line ended.

What I don't like is that the deco is seemingly the same paint masks, but slightly differing colors. The silver scuffing all seems the same, with added dirt markings in slightly lighter dirt. In a display you could probably see these as slightly different - they're good markings, and the change in brown is at least a change even if it isn't a significant one. Changing up the scuffs and markings make army builders worth re-buying, although in this case all three tan Battle Droids are probably close enough to identical that it may not be worth buying all the flavors.

I would have preferred Hasbro spend a couple of pennies and add red, yellow, or blue shoulders to give us another squad variation. But they didn't. If you bought this set anyway, it's one more to add to your ranks. Or more junk for the drawer if you're trying to keep your displays tight. Or you can display one with the antenna, and one with the backpack. I was hoping they would have updated the damage, but they didn't.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,946: July 28, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,924: CB-23 (Droid Depot set, The Black Series)

CB-23 Droid Depot Set
The Black Series Galaxy's Edge Exclusive Action Figure
Item No.: No. F3400
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Babu Frik, Pit Droid, Battle Droid with blaster and antenna backpacks, K-7R1, and CB-23
Action Feature: Weighted Base
Retail: $74.99
Availability: March 2022
Appearances: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and Star Wars: Resistance
Bio: A maroon and turquoise BB astromech unit, CB-23 is a member of the Resistance and serves as Poe Dameron's co-pilot for a short period of time while BB-8 was on another mission. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I don't have anything to complain about here. CB-23 is another - and one of few - figures from the Star Wars: Resistance cartoon to make the transition to the 6-inch line. Considering that the show came and went with the sort of enthusiasm you reserve for a sneeze, it's kind of amazing that Hasbro gave us a new droid dome to go with this BB-8 retool. The BB-8 mold hasn't been used very much at this scale, and it's kind of amazing to think after 7 years this is only the second BB droid in this particular size class. I assumed we'd have had a BB-9E by now, but no.

If you missed Star Wars: Resistance, that's OK, I suggest you keep missing it. The show was the most colorful Star Wars has been since Ewoks and/or Droids, and was loaded with neat vehicles, cool aliens, and some excellent costumes along with some of the most dreadfully dull stories aimed at young kids you'd expect to see. The tie-ins to the sequel trilogy were few, but given how they can't actually spoil anything or tell you anything in the show you were left without a lot to go on unles you really loved the characters. While I could hang out with Flix all day long, he has yet to get his own spin-off.

CB-23 was BB-8's replacement, and is a pretty nice figure. The red roly-poly body has the same weighted mechanism we saw with BB-8, and there's no dirty deco or battle damage. It's just a nice clean robot with a newly-tooled dome, complete with wonderful blue highlights, a silver cap, and other painted silver and black detailing. I'd make some comment or snide remark about it if I could, or even say it's amazing, but it's just kind of exactly what you would and should expect out of this kind of a retooled action figure. The colors are all nice and bright, the paint is mostly incredibly clean and the antenna are, for some reason, almost translucent. But everything looks good. As a glorified accessory, this robot is charming and more colorful than most figures we tend to get.

There aren't many landmarks I can point to and say "this is awesome!" Top-to-bottom, it's an incredibly decent little robot that serves as a reminder that the designers behind Resistance did a great job and there may be some gold to mine out of the show if we ever get to a point where anything goes in action figures again. (It won't, so don't get your hopes up.) I wouldn't recommend this figure for the price of the boxed set, but it's nice enough that if you were going to buy the set anyway, it's not going to tick you off. It's good! You'll like it.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,924: May 12, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,923: Pit Droid (Droid Depot set, The Black Series)

PIT DROID Droid Depot Set
The Black Series Galaxy's Edge Exclusive Action Figure
Item No.: No. F3400
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Babu Frik, Pit Droid, Battle Droid with blaster and antenna backpacks, K-7R1, and CB-23
Action Feature: Sort of wads up
Retail: $74.99
Availability: March 2022
Appearances: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and The Phantom Menace
Bio: The cheap and expendable often bolt out to repair still cycling superheated pod racer engines with no regard to their personal safety. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I like droids, especially new ones. With so many repaints - even this set is sort of burdened with a few of them - a fresh face (in the scale) like this Pit Droid is welcome. While he has no accessories of his own, the $75 set does seem expensive. Thanks to recent price increases, a $25 K-2SO-style droid, a $25 Battle Droid, and a mishmash of 3 mini droids for $25... it's not terrible. It's not ideal, as I wouldn't have bought another Battle Droid at this point, but that's how they get you.

I can only assume more repaints of this Pit Droid are coming, and it's a good enough mold to consider buying in more colors. While it can't fold up under a tiny little saucer, it's loaded with articulation like an ab crunch, two elbow joints, ball-jointed elbows, and swivel wrists. This gets it pretty close - it's not perfect, but it's still impressive for the size that you can fold him down quite a bit. At about 4-inches tall he competes with similarly sized The Vintage Collection figures in terms of complexity and size. Who ever thought we'd get rocker ankles on a Pit Droid? I sure didn't, but the DUM-series has them.

Sculpting is good, deco is light - but more or less true to the CG models - and the design hasn't been in this scale before, so he's pretty exciting. A reddish brown robot with a subtle grey ring around the dome is nice, as are the painted antenna. I like what Hasbro did here, and if it were sold separately for $15-$18 or a $25 2-pack I'd say it's arguably worth that. As the most impressive, robust new part of a $75 souvenir set it's a bit ridiculous, but given that most "new" figures lately are reruns of some sort you might be fine shelling out to get something that isn't a photoreal of a figure you've already purchased once or twice. Also there's so little from The Phantom Menace that this is actually kind of lovely. Hopefully Hasbro throws in a tool or two next time, because you will probably want one or two more of these in different colors. Get it if the price for the set doesn't make you wince.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,923: May 10, 2022