Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,668: R2-SHP (Droid Factory Line Look)

R2-SHP Fairly Spectacular
Droid Factory The Rise of Skywalker Boxed Set
Item No.:   No. 41342
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: 3 more droid figures, D-O clear base
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $29.99
Availability: October 2019
Appearances: The Rise of Skywalker

Bio: All different types of Astromech droids populate the Star Wars galaxy.  Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors.   These four new Astromech droids are featured in The Rise of Skywalker.   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 Amazon now!

Commentary:  If you like new colorways or see droids as the indie designer segment of Star Wars you'll probably like R2-SHP and R6-LE5.  They'reboth pretty similar - but we don't have any other droids quite like them.  "Shep," as we're told he should be called, matches the reference illustrations quite nicely.  The figure is cast in metallic blue and metallic silver, covered in paint to simulate weathering and a rich deep blue metallic finish.  Yes, it's the same basic simplified build-a-droid mold you've been buying for ages - but it's blue now!

This looks like something Team Glyos might have done - the mostly metallic blue robot has spritzes of grey, silver, and black to bring it to life.  Little greeblies are painted on as is a grey sensor and a big black eye.   The subtle weathering may not be visible under all lighting conditions, and of course the cables on the feet are absent as most latter-day Disney droids dropped them.  You still get rolling wheels and can completely dismantle the figure, removing all three limbs and the dome if you're in to such things.

Even from the back, it's a striking design with grey underarms and a bright red stripe on the back of the dome.  The grey highlights are a bit more visible on the rear too, showing a decent attention to detail when the manufacturers could have saved some money just leaving them off the back.  Kudos.

Since there are hundreds of these buggers, I can't honestly tell you that this is an amazing revelation that will change your collection forever.  It's just R2-D2 in new colors again, and the colors are different enough that I would say Shep and D-O make the set worth buying - the other are also good.  

Collector's Notes: I got mine from my pal Shannon.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,668: February 27, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,667: D-O (Droid Factory Line Look)

D-O Teeny Tiny
Droid Factory The Rise of Skywalker Boxed Set
Item No.:   No. 41342
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: 3 more droid figures, D-O clear base
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $29.99
Availability: October 2019
Appearances: The Rise of Skywalker

Bio: All different types of Astromech droids populate the Star Wars galaxy.  Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors.   These four new Astromech droids are featured in The Rise of Skywalker.   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 Amazon now!

Commentary:  The Rise of Skywalker feels like a dull thud after years of hard work, the culmination of wonderful designs and masterful storytelling in the form of a thing that just sort of exists.  At the center of the not-a-merch-juggernaut was D-O, the Cousin Oliver of droids.   Smaller, needier, and developed as a puppy to follow around BB-8, the character was sort of a non-thing.  I would be very interested in knowing how the droid developed in terms of what the movie intended it to be, what Disney Consumer Products wanted it to be, and if either party influenced one another in the process.  I'm guessing it was always kind of nothing and they made a ton of merchandise for it anyway.

Hasbro didn't make a 3 3/4-inch scale D-O, but Disney did - and this is it, and it's really good.   It seems to have some of the best sculpting and deco, with extra greeblies under the black eyes,* more paint on the "hair," and added decoration on the wheel and body.  It lacks the silver on the rod joining the neck to the wheel body, but aside from that they did a nice job making sure it looks excellent.  If you just need a droid to stand around, this is it.

What really surprised me was that the stand wasn't necessary - a clear base can plug in a hole in the rolling wheel, but that same hole is just big enough to serve as a flat base so D-O can stay put on your shelf.  That's impressive.  Less impressive is its articulation, a swivel neck can rotate and the wheel can rotate as well. That's it, that's all this does.  You can pull the head off if you like too.

I look forward to seeing what Hasbro does for D-O in this scale down the road, but until then this one is really good.   Disney's BB-8 and Chopper were also arguably superior, so this is a worthwhile set.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from my pal Shannon.  And * - mine seems to have been painted incorrectly, with the black eyes off the marks.   If you have a chance, look at the eyes before you buy yours.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,667: February 25, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,666: BB Unit (Color-Changing Droids, Droid Factory Line Look)

BB UNIT Color-Changing Droids
Star Wars Disney Droid Depot
Item No.: No. ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 droids - CZ, 3PO, R4, BB
Action Feature: Pops apart, changes from white to blue
Retail: $39.99
Availability: ca. July 2019
Appearances: n/a

Bio: All different types of Astromech droids populate the galaxy.  Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors.  These droids have the special ability to change color!  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  These sets are pretty fun.  The BB Unit doesn't take any cool narrative possibilities with its design, but you do get a basic BB-8 white droid that turns blue when chilled.  If you want basic BB-8, it's good - the blue color change is an added bonus.

This is the same mold Disney has been using for a few years. The neck is articulated, and there's a weighted ball inside two sphere halves for the body.  You can take him apart and get four pieces which can be mixed and matched with your other Disney-made BB units.   I can't say it's overwhelmingly thrilling - but it's understandable.   The blue BB unit looks like something you could put in the background of a diorama, or throw in an X-Wing.  

If you don't have any toy BB-8 droids, this is one of the better ones because you get a basic version that can change color. It does something - most figures don't do a whole heck of a lot.  It has the hole on the head for hats or claws, and it can wobble around.  It's a good set if you're interested in such things, and I think you should be.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from my pal Shannon. Thanks Shannon!  There are 2 droid 4-packs and 1 droid playset with a Gonk Droid at this time.  "Warm" colors on the droids are their movie-like state.  "Cold" colors tend to be a lot stranger.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,666: February 20, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,665: First Order Elite Snowtrooper (The Black Series 6-Inch)

FIRST ORDER ELITE SNOWTROOPER with or without mystery box
The Black Series 6-Inch Target Exclusive Action Figure
Item No.: No. E7205
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, Backpack, Cloak, "Collector Mystery Box" includes the same boxed figure plus enamel pin, knit Final Order beanie, and a Star Wars Allegiance #1 comic book
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $24.99, Collector Mystery Box Edition $39.99
Availability: October 2019
Appearances: The Rise of Skywalker

Bio: The  latest generation of cold weather assault Stormtroopers, Snowtroopers wear advanced insulated armor and helmets that reduce the glare of icy terrain.  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I've been writing about toys on the internet for almost 25 years and The Rise of Skywalker is the first line that's delivered more ambivalence than excitement.   The third figure to use this mold is this 2019 First Order Elite Stormtrooper, another "just different enough to make you mad" exclusive.  I never got around to reviewing - or opening - the basic 2015 version, but I did look at the First Order Snowtrooper Officer [FOTD #2,238].  As I write this I opened the two new-to-me versions... and they're all the same, but different.  The core action figure is virtually identical except for deco.

If you don't have any versions of this figure in this scale, get the 2019 First Order Elite Snowtrooper version - it has more interesting paint applications and cloth parts.  It also costs a lot more, which is unfortunate as the previous basic version was clearance fodder/worthless/use your nasty words here.   What makes the core Elite Snowtrooper stand out in terms of deco are some red markings - you'll note a little more color on the chest greeblies as well as on the left side of the backpack.   Everything else is pretty much the same - the waistcoat is a little wrinkled for some reason, but I see no obvious sculpt changes.  It just costs a lot more, which was the case on most of the 2019 exclusives, which is bizarre and unfortunate.  If the clearance price sticks and future fans can get it at or under $20, it's pretty sharp.

What really makes this figure nice is the bonus set of cloth parts.   The figure has a surprisingly great white cloak with black lining - there are strings to secure it to the arms, and a nice hood.  It may be the new very-best-cloth-parts Hasbro has ever added to an action figure.  There's also a blanket wrapped around the backpack for reasons I don't entirely understand, but hey, it makes the figure look different.  That matters when you're using and re-using the same mold for multiple exclusives, hoping completists will deem them worthy of a second, third, or further look.

The Black Series came a long way from 2015 to 2019, so these figures - which were still figuring out the best way to articulate all of the joints - aren't the best molds.  Giving it an added top-notch cloak was a nice bonus, but the $5 upcharge is silly given Walmart got an exclusive Luke with a new head, new deco, a new plastic vest, and a new blaster to go with the new cloak.   It's no wonder this figure hit the clearance skids quickly, but the designers did a fair job coming up with a way to dress up "more of the same" as something interesting.  If the price is right, I'd advise you to pick it up.  At a premium, I wouldn't get it unless you don't have any other First Order Snowtrooper figures.  I drove out of my way to get one on clearance, but found the prospect of paying $25 for an accessorized $20 figure that is currently worth $5-$10 seemed like a poor use of my hard-earned and unwisely-spent cash.

Collector's Mystery Box: The figure showed up in October in a "Collector's Mystery Box" for $39.99.  This included a Final Order knit beanie from Bioworld, a The First Order Dark Side 10-04 2019 pin with a Stormtrooper helmet showing no manufacturer markings, and a Marvel Star Wars Allegiance comic book.  If you want all of this stuff, it's a pretty good value - I wish they did it with The Mandalorian too/instead.   Given the "crate of loot" is less desirable these days it's kind of amazing that something like this got made.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target.  It went on clearance the day after Christmas.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,665: February 18, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,664: Babu Frik (The Black Series 6-Inch)

BABU FRIK & C-3PO
The Black Series 6-Inch Target Exclusive Action Figure
Item No.: No. E7203
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Bowcaster, bandolier, 2 figures
Action Feature: Back of head pops off
Retail: $19.99
Availability: December 2019
Appearances: The Rise of Skywalker

Bio: A tiny, well-regarded droidsmith, Babu Frik can modify virtually any droid, regardless of the security measures protecting its systems.   (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: So it's come to this - C-3PO has to go to an unauthorized Apple repair alien.  The tiny 1-inch Babu Frik is a pretty great accessory with a perfectly nice C-3PO action figure.  It's also worth noting that for $20 you get a big droid and a tiny alien, while "The Child" is 1 1/2-inches, with a couple of accessories, and no big figure, and it's $10.  That's unfortunate.

An another year Hasbro probably could've sold a life-size replica of this alien, but not so much in 2019 or 2020.   The figure itself is pretty close to what you se on the screen, but because it's one of the tiniest releases ever it's missing a few details.  Whiskers and greeblies on the head are gone, but the fingers and costume are pretty accurate.  The figure's visor can pivot up and down, with ball-jointed shoulders and a swivel waist.  The neck can also move, but not very much.

As one of Hasbro's very smallest figures for a large-scale line, it's impressive to see what they can do as a "set" when they put their mind to it.  (Did I mention I'm disappointed with how Baby Yoda was handled?)  Anyway, they did a great job here - a tweaked C-3PO, some gear, and a new alien for $20 is a decent value.  Assuming you can still find it for that, of course.  There's room to improve Babu Frik down the road, but I can't expect they'll ever release another version of this character.  A 3 3/4-inch one would probably be slightly bigger than a grain of rice.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,664: February 13, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,663: Rey (& D-O, The Black Series 6-Inch)

REY & D-O
The Black Series 6-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E4071 No. E4077
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #91
Includes: Pistol, staff, lightsaber, droid, figure, backpack
Action Feature: Store pistol in holster, robot faceplants
Retail: $19.99
Availability: October 2019
Appearances: The Rise of Skywalker

Bio: Rey continues to study the Jedi ways, but she grows concerned about what the future - and the force - may hold in store for her.   (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: We got very few completely new figures for the launch of The Rise of Skywalker, so another Rey was initially disappointing.  It kind of still is - but dagnabbit, it's good.   Hasbro did a good job on previous versions but clearly, someone set out to impress with this one.  As a complete package, she's loaded with gear and a bonus droid sidekick along with one of Hasbro's very best human actor likenesses to date.  That's no small feat - the "hyper real" face printing technology has gradually improved since early 2018, and now it's at the point where it's almost eerie.  How do they squirt out Daisy Ridley's face on a plastic head the size of a modest, slightly shriveled grape?  I have no idea - but Hasbro nailed it here.

While team Lucasfilm has been intent on making all Rey costumes (minus the island adventurer one) "the same but different," I can't gripe about this one too much.  Sure, it looks a lot like The Last Jedi costume got merged with The Force Awakens costume and hair, but now it's in Luke Skywalker's 1977 farmboy colors.  It also retains that loop, the vesty thing, and pretty much the same gear as before.   I'm kind of flummoxed they wouldn't at least give her a flight suit for her time in the various vehicles, but no.   No changing pants for Rey.  It's not allowed.

The figure has exceptionally good deco, with sharp face paint and great belts, straps, and wraps to keep everything in place.  The holster holds her blaster perfectly, and her lightsaber sadly was not designed to hang anywhere.  At least they upgraded the hilt with the repair band, and they also engineered the staff to pop apart in multiple places.  I can't help but wonder if, at some point, there were plans to integrate her new yellow lightsaber blade.   This version of Rey's staff splits in four pieces if you like - which undoubtedly ran up the cost a bit.

Rey's articulation is still good, with better-than-average elbow articulation being a big reason why I'm impressed.  Any figure that can bend more than 90 degrees at the arm has been given some decent engineering time, so kudos to Hasbro for doing a good job here.    I'm able to get some decent poses out of the figure, and the range of motion combined with the great likeness makes this one of Hasbro's best figures at this scale.  That's saying a lot - and it also unfortunately raises the bar for all future releases.  Could any classic figure ever be made with an actor's likeness this perfect?  Could it even get better down the road? I can't wait to find out.

Considering the figure, the bag, the lightsaber, the staff, the blaster, and the droid, $20 is a bargain for this one.  You ought to get it if you can find one at a good price, or at least take a look at the head in the store.  You'll be impressed.  Hopefully we'll see more figures just like her in the future, but having said that I would be very happy if I never see another new Rey action figure ever again.  (Unless she gets an entirely new costume, or maybe that orange lightsaber, that is.)

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. 

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,663: February 11, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,662: D-O (& Rey, The Black Series 6-Inch)

D-O & Rey
The Black Series 6-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E4071 No. E4077
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #91
Includes: Pistol, staff, lightsaber, droid, figure, backpack
Action Feature: Store pistol in holster, robot faceplants
Retail: $19.99
Availability: October 2019
Appearances: The Rise of Skywalker

Bio: Cobbled from odds and ends in the workshop of a droidsmith, little D-O is an impressionable little roller that becomes fixated upon BB-8.   (Taken from the figure's packaging.  Which is not how I remember the movie.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Things change!  When D-O was first brought up, it sounded like the Cousin Oliver of droids - the next young, cute merchandisable robot to out-cute BB-8.  The marketing said he was made by a droidsmith, but we saw him in Ochi's ship.  Things change - and this droid may as well have not been in the overstuffed 2019 movie.  I don't love this figure - the droid in the movie is just fine, but balance to the force does not bring balance to the droids.

Also, it's worth noting that this figure was treated like a freebie accessory in a $20 figure, while the Baby Yoda/The Child will be sold by himself for $10 - despite being the same size.  If you're likely to buy the Rey figure anyway, D-O is a spectacular accessory and Rey is a worthwhile collection of figures and accessories for the price.   You'll get your money's worth here - but D-O is probably not worth your $20 alone, nor does he feel like a well-thought-out figure for the collector's line.  How anyone would release this without considering how he'll stand on a flat surface is beyond my comprehension, but at least the sculpting is good and some dusty deco on the wheel gives the cone/hockey puck hybrid some added personality.

Unlike the Galaxy of Adventures figure, The Black Series release has no flat base on the wheel nor does he have any weighted elements to get him to stand.  I was just futzing with him until I found some "sweet spot," which I am terrified will last until I bump the table.  The neck swivels, the wheel spins, and the three hairs can be posed if you like - and that's it.  It's a great bonus accessory to what is undoubtedly Hasbro's best Rey figure, but it's hard to get him to stay upright.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.  

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,662: February 6, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,661: C-3PO (& Babu Frik, The Black Series 6-Inch)

C-3PO & Babu Frik
The Black Series 6-Inch Target Exclusive Action Figure
Item No.: No. E7203
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Bowcaster, bandolier, 2 figures
Action Feature: Back of head pops off
Retail: $19.99
Availability: December 2019
Appearances: The Rise of Skywalker

Bio: C-3PO longs for more peaceful times, but his continued sacrifice to the Resistance keeps him on the frontline of galactic conflict.   (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I am writing this review in December, hours after seeing The Rise of Skywalker.  I kept C-3PO & Babu Frik - and several other figures - sealed until I saw the movie.  I've generally been more interested in some of the major redo figures after seeing the film, because in all honesty I could've given a bandolier and bowcaster to the droid for years and haven't.  Chewie and Threepio were, as I've written, my first two figures as a kid so this mashup was intriguing.  And then I saw the movie.  Which amounted to "here, hold this."

This figure is competent but not exciting.  "C-3PO with guns" is not really anything new to fans of the 1990s comics, and it's not even new as a figure - C-3PX exists.   The figure is pretty much the same as the Galaxy's Edge C-3PO [FOTD #2,604] - which is the previous C-3PO with 4-LOM's arms.   He has silver rings on his shoulders, the wiring from The Force Awakens C-3PO, and the gripping hands - and bending elbows - of 4-LOM.  It's a pretty good figure with enough range to double-grip the bowcaster, which is something even Chewbacca can't do well.  Score one for C-3PO! Also his head opens on the back, so you can see the wires.  I like that.

Other than that, it's an all-gold, clean, standard-issue C-3PO.  I've got so many 6-inch C-3POs now that I can definitely say that short of Droids cartoon deco, I never want to see another one.   The fact that this figure comes with Babu Frik will do wonders to make people want it - it's a cute alien - but C-3PO doesn't offer much new for completists.  Incompletists, on the other hand, will probably appreciate that you actually get some accessories with C-3PO, and more articulation, for the same price as previous mass retail and exclusive releases.  This is probably as good as a mass-release C-3PO will get, so buy one and enjoy.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Amazon. 

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,661: February 4, 2020