See-Threepio (C-3PO) - OTC - Vintage

Celebrate the legendary Star Wars trilogy that changed the universe forever, with The Original Trilogy Collection. This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. The finest recreations of the iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are back with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Original Trilogy: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. And, as a tribute to the dedication of Star Wars fans everywhere, we are re-releasing elements of the original packaging that harken back to the creation of Star Wars action figures, which began over 25 years ago with the Original Trilogy. May the Force be with you!

Sometimes we have to sacrifice articulation for aesthetics. The problem is that so many of us are unwilling to accept this sentiment because articulation is the number one issue when it comes to a super-articulated basic figure line. If you carefully inspect the all-new sculpt of 2004’s VOTC See-Threepio (C-3PO) action figure, you’ll discover that the designers at Hasbro did an excellent job with it, and it comes simply articulated. But we wonder if the collector will find this figure an acceptable addition to the collector-focused line. One thing that prevented Hasbro from adding a great deal of articulation to this protocol droid action figure is the requirement to vac-metalize it. This deco method is essential to bring out the most natural aesthetics of these types of characters into action figure form. To accomplish this, Hasbro needs to include only the basic articulation points to prevent the action figure from chipping its shiny coat of metallic finish. In the case of See-Threepio (C-3PO), Hasbro treated collectors to a brilliantly decorated action figure. It doesn’t have a perfect sculpt, but it’s easily one of the most beautiful paint jobs we have seen on any See-Threepio (C-3PO) action figure. Some may be frustrated to know that the action figure only comes with five points of articulation, the same number of points prevalent in the classic Kenner line, not the modern Hasbro line.

2004’s “Vintage” The Original Trilogy Collection See-Threepio (C-3PO) action figure creates more issues for collectors than the standard action figures of years past. Firstly, the figure shipped in only one revision assortment of the second wave in the VOTC line. Ultimately, this figure’s production numbers were about half of the rest of the line. Why would Hasbro do something like this? If you were fortunate enough to find one hanging from the pegs, there was another issue for which you needed to be cognizant. It’s a good bet that your sample came with photoreceptors that weren’t even and ultimately googly-eyed. Find samples with nicely painted “eyes” were next to impossible, and many wondered if any existed. Typically, the “pupils” of the photoreceptors are “all over the place.” They're not equidistant from the circumferences of the round sockets. See-Threepio (C-3PO) appears to be “looking” everywhere but straight ahead. The aesthetics resulting from this “error” were bothersome at best. We rummaged through multiple samples and found only a few that had decently painted eyes. Your sample of See-Threepio (C-3PO) will likely have similar issues. Despite the problems with the photoreceptors, See-Threepio (C-3PO) overall has a genuinely beautiful paint job. The finish on this figure looks inspired from the scene when the droids got lost in the desert. There is plenty of dirt, grease, and grime covering the figure from head to toe. And it indeed looks realistic. Collectors should count themselves fortunate with how well the paint operations look on See-Threepio (C-3PO). It’s not often we get an action figure with this much deco.

While we love how See-Threepio (C-3PO)’s body turned out, we’re not thrilled with the shape of the head Hasbro periodically has difficulty with the contours of the heads on some of their action figures. It sometimes looks as if they got stuck in vices or something similar. But if you overlook this issue, you’re probably going to see this figure as possessing merit. It’s wonderfully in scale with the rest of the figures in the VOTC lineup. We’re happy about that. Aside from the lack of articulation, there is one final detail we feel Hasbro should address. See-Threepio (C-3PO) tends to have a slightly awkward posture. The stance is a bit bizarre, and one leg needs to be ahead of the other to maintain a flat balance on any given surface. Because of the limited articulation of the action figure, this “issue” if you see it as that becomes more amplified. Overall, See-Threepio (C-3PO) ranks slightly above average for us. There is absolutely room for improvement, but that doesn’t mean we are unappreciative of Hasbro’s efforts. The only other thing that makes us wish for something different is the packaging. We love the “vintage styled” line look, but it is a shame that Hasbro didn’t place the droid on a Star Wars card back. Hasbro based See-Threepio (C-3PO) on the character’s appearance from Episode IV, but they put the figure on The Empire Strikes Back card back. We understand why they did this. Hasbro wanted four characters each for every card back style, but See-Threepio (C-3PO) feels a bit out of place. It’s a small gripe, so don’t take it too seriously. Oh, and lastly, we’d love to see a definitive See-Threepio (C-3PO) action figure on a STAR WARS card back before all is said and done, like 1978’s SW See-Threepio (C-3PO) figure.