Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,158: 3PO Protocol Droid (Silver, Droid Factory)

PROTOCOL DROID Silver with Blue Optics
Star Tours Droid Factory Customizable Figure
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney?
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: Removable limbs
Retail: $12.95
Availability: April 2017
Appearances: n/a   

Bio: The 3PO-series protocol droid, also known as the 3PO-series protocol unit, was a model of protocol droid produced by Cybot Galactica sometime prior to the Invasion of Naboo. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.   

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: The Disney part bins have been gone for a while, but they aren't forgotten. Their Silver Protocol Droid struck me as a good way to do a "same but different" approach, with blue eyes in an unpainted silver plastic body distinct from U-3PO or TC-14. On a shelf, they look different - and coming up with different ways to do the same color is some sort of manufacturing gymnastics that deserves a pat on the back. Disney did a good job making this a distinct release that doesn't seem to match anything I remember in the movies or TV shows, which is both kind of awesome and also not. I like new figures and new characters, I prefer stuff from on-screen appearances, but I'd rather have a new robot than C-3PO with different dirt patterns.

The mold remains similar to Hasbro's 2008 build-a-droid parts, with an open hand and a decent amount of articulation given the nature of the product. Swivel shoulders and wrists, bend and swivel elbows, that sort of thing - a modern fan would balk at this being full price at $17 or higher, but the $13 at the time seemed fine for a theme park exclusive with the Disney tax on it. While some of you may disagree (and are wrong), not every figure needs mega-articulation. If a figure can function well per its design - Han or Greedo should sit, but Mon Mothma need only stand - I think we're in good shape. A generic droid like this benefits from having some mobility but by no means needs to be the ultimate robot action figure, in part because you're going to have a ton of them and they're not going to be doing a lot of line dancing. The ankles and knees are good enough, but the hips are still pretty awful. I would hope a new C-3PO-esque figure can sit better than the one from 1978, but this one can't. It stands well, it gets the job done, and indeed is Good Enough - butbetter hips for better sits would have been appreciated before we got dozens of figures based on the mold.

You have so many droid options, this one isn't necessarily any more enticing than the others - but I like it, the unpainted silver gives a different feel than the usually shiny silver droids. It feels more like some sort of weird steel thing, and I think it'll look good in a average collection if you need more droids. Given how few Hasbro makes, it's probably worth tracking down if it shows up for the right price. (And it rarely will.)

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,158: July 30, 2024