Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,812: R4-F5

R4-F5 Wal-Mart Exclusive Droid Factory Packs
30th Anniversary Collection Droid Factory
Item No.: Asst. 12980 No.  87759
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #1 of 6
Includes: Third leg, Plo Koon figure with lightsaber, C-3PX leg
Action Feature: Rotate dome to raise sensorscope
Retail: $9.96
Availability: May 2008
Appearances: n/a

Bio:   Jedi Master Plo Koon flies his Jedi starfighter into battle against Separatist forces, aided by is astromech droid R4-F5.   (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' boxes.

Commentary:  New figures in this line are increasingly uncommon since 2005, as new character introductions aren't quite as common in plastic.  Thankfully Hasbro gave us an R4-F5 during the second big droid boom-- the first being when some lovable genius got some Astromech droid packs released in early 2006, and the second lasted from 2008-2009 as Hasbro really went hog wild with its build-a-droid line.  As one of the many Walmart 2-packs released for the bargain price of $10, these sets transcended "just different enough to make you mad" even if you already had one of the figures in the set.  At $10, with a new build-a-droid piece and at least one new or significantly different robot, how could you go wrong?

R4-F5 builds on the vintage 2004 R2-D2 body with some glue and paint.  The removable panel is fused in place, but the sensorscope mechanism still works when you rotate his dome around.  All three legs have wheels, and the central one is removable.  His deco is unique, similar to R2-D2 on the body but with paler blue markings, blue legs, and a blue dome.  As his design wasn't really seen in full before the toy came out, it's possible Hasbro got to design some bits and pieces of him, and they did a great job.  I mean, it looks cool.  But I'm easy, I love R2-D2 repaints and this one, as a new robot, is particularly exciting to have.    I love the entire wave, and would suggest you all look into it.

Collector's Notes: On eBay, Star Wars fans are dumb.  I may even be referring to you.  Boxed samples of the figure are about $6-$10, which includes Plo-Koon and C-3PX' leg.  Loose samples are usually $12-$17, minus the second figure and leg.  So yeah, if you can't do simple math and realize more for less is better, you're kind of a dumbass.  But when I say "dumbass" rest assured, it's with love.  (And scorn.)  Plo Koon has another astromech named R7-D4, which came out with the three animated Clone Wars waves which hit around August of 2011.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,812: May 24, 2012