Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,385: C1-10P "Chopper" (Droid Factory)

C1-10P "CHOPPER" Theme Park Edition
Droid Factory   Carded Figure
Item No.: No. 67792
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: Swappable legs, center leg with wheel, center leg with rocket, head-arms, removable dome
Action Feature: Removable limbs, articulated head hands, fold-out arm in the chest, removable radar dish
Retail: $12.99
Availability: April 2017
Appearances: Star Wars Rebels

Bio: All different types of Astromech droids populate the Star Wars galaxy.  Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors.  This cranky old C1-10P Astromech is a loyal friend and member of the Ghost Rebel Crew and is often squabbling around the Phantom.   (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  Well, I'm impressed.  Hasbro's take on this droid was simple, cheap, and impossible to find for long.  Disney decided to make their own deluxe version of C1-10P "Chopper" for their theme parks and it's streets ahead of Hasbro's model.  They both seem to have come from a similar data file for reference, but the colors, articulation, and features are significantly different.   This one does stuff.

Hasbro's model was good for the price - it was about $4.99 when you could find it, and had 3 joints with no accessories or gimmicks.  If Hasbro could keep to that price point, that kind of figure is a perfectly good product for the masses.  Disney decided to do a much more expensive version, but packed so much into it that you're going to want it.  The orange is deeper, and there are many more paint operations on the body - front and back.  Panels are painted which Hasbro ignored. Rivets and vents have color and dimension, wires are decorated, and that little crater at the bottom of his canister body has been painted.

Nearly every moving piece pops off.  If you want to do matched legs, you can.  If you want a mismatched leg like on the first three seasons of the show, you can.  The body has a detailed array of mechanical bits under his dome, and you can remove the arms or radar dish if you like.  You've got options.  The arms not only rotate, but bend at the elbows and wrists.  If you want to remove them, you can store them inside his droid dome.  These things are the very definition of small parts/choke hazard, so I'd very strongly recommend buying an extra one in case you or your kid decide to eat a part.  (Don't do this.)

Each leg of the four included have rolling wheels, save for the rocket leg.  That's the only part that feels as if it comes up short, simply because it doesn't have a flame piece to plug in or some other gadget or color to really send it to the next level.  This is just me whining, because this is a gorgeous droid with more panels, parts, and pieces than anything Hasbro has given us in the 3 3/4-inch size in a few years.  You can even flip out the claw arm in its chest.  I'm amazed they included the spare "matching" leg from "The Forgotten Droid."  Or so I assume - for all I know it's a spoiler and he gets a replacement in a future episode.  Either way, I appreciate the foresight to include it in case I or some kid wanted it for whatever reason.

With things like articulated ankles and rolling wheels, this is a figure that is going to make anyone who waited to see if Hasbro did a better Chopper just cave in and buy this one.   It's not merely kinda better, this would be a top-notch release had Hasbro thrown it on a The Black Series or The Vintage Collection cardback.  It's well worth the $13, and I'd even go as far as to say a reasonable premium isn't so bad as to avoid the Theme Park Tax.   Look, I hate scalpers as much as the next guy, but plane tickets, parking, admission, and time off work are expensive.  If you can scare this one up at a reasonable price and you love either droid toys or Star Wars Rebels you won't be sorry.  You'll also wonder what else Disney can do if left to their own devices to do 3 3/4-inch toys without Hasbro.   This take on Chopper is expressive and packed with about as many features as I would consider to be reasonable, and then some.   I'm impressed, I'm genuinely impressed.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney Hollywood Studios.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,385: July 10, 2017