Battle Droid - SW [Y/AOTC] - Movie Heroes (MH04)

Battle Droids swarm into the Geonosian arena to fight the Jedi who have come to rescue Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padme Amidala. Large factoris on the planet manufacture the Droids in enormous numbers to create a vast army. The Jedi fight bravelyas they cut down the Battle Droids with their lightsabers.

2013 was probably the year most collectors (ESPECIALLY American collectors) wanted to completely withdraw from their memories…. completely. It was the year that brought the devastating news that The Vintage Collection would come to an end (more imply put “canceled”) and ALL of the basic figures (from both the Mission Series and The Clone Wars flavors) under the Star Wars [Yoda/Attack of The Clones] banner would not be coming to the USA. If that didn’t take things from suck to blow, the long-awaited return of the Droid Factory focused Legacy Collection [2] line also got the axe. Much of this of course was out of Hasbro’s control. Lucasfilm Ltd. changed their minds about the 3D releases of the Star Wars films as much as some collectors change their underwear. As a result. Hasbro had to violently shift plans to catch up with the madness as Lucasfilm Ltd. and prepare the market for what was scheduled to come next. (Thankfully the very short lived Star Wars [Yoda/Attack Of The Clones] line look wasn’t long enough to wreak too much havoc on the Star Wars brand. Sadly, American collectors need to reach out to foreign sources to gather together all of the basic figures they wanted. Canada was a big help, but even toy stores from the UK were offering to help out those desperate to put their hands on the figures. It was quite a task to secure them all, but with enough endurance, most were able to capture the ones they wanted.

The Mission Series line was wrought with controversy since its inception, but the Star Wars [Yoda/Attack Of The Clones] line look Mission Series figures piqued the curiosity of many collectors. The hard to secure light-up Anakin Skywalker (MH19) and the shop-vac Sandtrooper (MH23) were getting second chances in the marketplace (their TPM 3D counterparts were next to impossible to find…. anywhere) thanks to this line. Sadly, both Boba Fett (MH24) and Battle Droid (MH22) were not in the picture to be re-released. But Hasbro released two other figures in their places which made collectors a little bit happier: Jango Fett and the Battle Droid from Attack Of The Clones. We’re happy about the Battle Droid getting cast in maroon colors and released as part of the Movie Heroes lineup for 2013. And you probably are aware with how we love the Episode I version, and this figure is no exception. It’s still unbelievably one of the best looking Battle Droids “released” by Hasbro to date and it’s a figure that should equally appeal to collectors as it will for kids. As you know, its torso is ever so slightly enlarged to fit in the action feature, but the rest of the figure’s sculpt and proportions are spot on and we couldn’t ask for better. This figure still has very limited articulation. But Hasbro has made it clear that kids toys will not have the articulation we’re used to seeing anymore. The Battle Droid (even in Attack Of The Clones style) remains one of our most favorite action figures from the entire 2013 Movie Heroes lineup.

The Battle Droid comes with swivel articulation in the shoulders and hips. There sadly isn’t ball-socket articulation in these points, and we find that to be a mild disappointment. But this figure is about action features, and the action feature here is very amusing. By pressing a [non-obtrusive] button on the droids back, a pin pops up in the waist area and throws the Battle Droid’s body up and off the figure. It’s a shame that the upper body just “sits’ on top of the figure loosely, but it’s necessary for the action feature to work. However, if you look at this feature in a different light, you may enjoy that the Battle Droid has a “faux” waist joint on a figure with such little articulation. You can actually pose the Battle Droid in some impressive ways because of this. When the upper body is removed you can see the mechanics inside and it’s so cool to see this, even if it’s a Hasbro concept and not something we witnessed in Episode II. The figure’s legs and lower waist can stand unassisted. We’re sure everyone will be able to recreate or create their own scenes from Episode II with this feature alone. It’s sad that the Movie Heroes line died on arrival. It really could have been successful in our opinion if Hasbro didn’t have those plan changes to set them off course. There were definitely some cool figures coming out of Movie Heroes. But now that it’s over, it’s likely any of us will ever see these sculpts again.