Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,658: R7-D4

R7-D4 Plo Koon's Astromech Droid
The Clone Wars Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 94736 No. 32846
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #CW64
Includes: Removable limbs, dice, card
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $8.99
Availability: August 2011
Appearances: The Clone Wars

Bio: R7-D4 is Plo Koon's astromech droid that provides navigational and repair assistance on the Jedi's starfighter. The Jedi flies many challenging missions during the war, and his resourceful astromech works quickly to keep the Jedi's vessel in flight despite numerous encouters with Separatist vessels and droids. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's old kitchen.

Commentary: Since Hasbro effectively designed Plo Koon's last droid, this R7-D4 actually appeared on the TV show-- sort of. I mean, you can actually see the body on the show, there's prior art to use as reference material. Most surprising about this figure is a new body type, similar to the animated R2-D2 from 2008 with a few notable changes. First of all, the legs and dome are all removable. The third leg even rotates, with a round peg joint. These are not the same size as the 2008 and 2009 build-a-droid figures so you can't easily put a movie dome on an animated body. The construction feels quite solid, and while the opening doors on his body still reveal tools, the sculpting is sharper and the silver looks even better this time around. The legs/arms no longer sport holes for the booster rocket accessories, and the back of the body no longer has the compartment with the tow cable. The head no longer features a periscope.

The deco is great, the look is good, the sculpt is an improvement (as a collector) but the lack of so many of the play features that made the original animated astromech body such a great toy are gone. So... it's a toss-up. I'd still like an R2-D2 with this construction (with a more silver dome this time), but I don't have a strong preference as to which body other new astromechs use. Each one is good for different reasons. Since I do own Plo Koon's starfighter, and the color scheme loosely matches my other site (16bit.com) I'm a fan of this one. If you have the means and like figures you can pull apart, get one.

Collector's Notes: Reasonably new, and possibly out at a store near you. Maybe. You'll need to go check.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,658: October 21, 2011