R2-D2 - OTC - Basic (OTC #12)

The spunky droid R2-D2 is always in the middle of adventure and has helped the Rebels save the galaxy from the hands of the evil Empire. He will not stop until he has completed the job he's been told to do. He has helped Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker during their battles to fight for galactic peace. Brave, stubborn and inventive, R2-D2 is one of the heroes of the galaxy.

Does Hasbro really need to qualify the source on any standard R2-D2 figure? Would it make more sense to choose “Star Wars” as the definitive source? Very few characters look identical throughout the course of the films. And with very few scene-specific exceptions, the same is true for R2-D2, the world’s most favorite astromech droid. R2’s evolution in the basic figure line has been aggressive. He always looked “pretty good” in most toy lines ranging from the beginnings of the modern The Power Of The Force “2” line through today, but Hasbro made a few significant strides forward with the release of 2000’s POTJ R2-D2 (Naboo Escape). This particular sculpt brought a new level of authenticity and while not completely perfect, most collectors were thrilled to add this new flavor of R2-D2 into their collections. The sculpt was so embraced by the collecting community that Hasbro reissued it in a much cleaner paint job as part of 2004’s SW Hall Of Fame series and changing the figure’s source from Episode I to Episode IV.

The 2004 SW R2-D2 (Tatooine Mission) from the Hall Of Fame “greatest hits” series proved to us once again that R2-D2’s presence in the Prequel Trilogy and Original Trilogy is seamless (for the most part) and that any sculpt of R2-D2, without any qualifiers, is a universal character. While working behind the scenes at an all-new Artoo-Detoo figure for the well embraced “vintage-styled” dozen action figures in The Original Trilogy Collection, Hasbro knew they needed to include an R2-D2 action figure in the modestly priced five dollar basic figure assortment. They chosen the Hall Of Fame figure, tweaked the paint job just a tad, and released it in The Original Trilogy Collection lineup. Looking better than ever on a very nice card back surrounding with the classic silver and black logo and borders, R2-D2 was warmly welcomed by collectors. R2-D2 comes without any accessories and with a gray action figure display stand instead of the clear one that came with the Hall Of Fame version.

R2-D2 succeeds as an action figure much more by its appearance and aesthetics rather than its articulation. The bonus here is that R2-D2 comes with a “brushed nickel” dome instead of the completely inaccurate vac-metalized silver type. Another major detail that has lacked on previous versions but corrected here is his main center “eye”. It’s black and not blue or any other funky color. There are other details that set this version of R2-D2 apart from the rest including a perfect dome arc and other finer paint details. As we’ve mentioned, the only bone of contention you’re probably going to find with this version of R2-D2 is his lack of articulation. While his “shoulders” are able to swivel aback and forth, his “feet” are frozen in one position. This gives R2-D2 a reduced range of movement. Obviously collectors are into how much articulation Hasbro can squeeze into an action figure, so this one may not be for you. We can’t help but come back to the point however that R2-D2 looks rather fantastic as a display piece. Sometimes we need to look beyond articulation.