R5-D4 - 1:6 Scale Figures

"Come on, Red, let's go!"

Sideshow Collectibles presents the R5-D4 Sixth Scale Figure from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

He may be worn and faulty, but who could resist this loveable little astro droid? Slightly larger than his more famous successor R2-D2, Sideshow’s R5-D4 Sixth Scale Figure measures roughly 8.6 inches tall from antenna to treads. Appearing just as Uncle Owen purchased him from the Jawas on Tatooine, every detail of the R5 unit is faithfully replicated, from his desert-worn deco to advanced articulation. Nicknamed for his bright crimson accents, Red’s distinctive trapezoid-shaped head features authentic holographic details, and can swivel nearly 360 degrees, while a magnetic restraining bolt grants access to a variety of compartments and hinged panels. Notoriously plagued with malfunctions, he also suffers a pop-up “bad motivator,” a feature Star Wars fans are sure to enjoy. Destined to play a key role in a moment that sets the events of the original Star Wars trilogy in motion, R5-D4 is a must-have addition for any Star Wars collection!

After a partially disappointing first effort on the R2-D2 (Deluxe) figure (it is beautiful but is just shoddily assembled), Sideshow Collectibles decided to go to task to make some of the other standout astromech droids from the Star Wars universe in their popular 1:6 Scale Figure collection. Up next is R5-D4 (which always seems to be second billing across most licenses), the bright red paneled R5-series astromech droid who almost took the place of R2-D2 were it not for his bad motivator changing destiny forever. The droid has been attempted a few times already in one-sixth scale, but we believe that Sideshow Collectibles may have nailed the droid’s likeness and features perfectly for the first time ever. While the Real Action Heroes R5-D4 figure was splendid, the 1:6 Scale Figure from Sideshow Collectibles takes that design to a whole new level and gives collectors a truly remarkable high-end collectible. R5-D4 didn’t really have a main role in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, but the droid helped populate the Star Wars universe in a way that showed that mechanical characters were just as plentiful and important as the more organic ones.

You’d think that Sideshow Collectibles would have just taken the R2-D2 (Deluxe) sculpt, give it a new R5 unit dome, repaint it and call it a day, but that’s not what happened here at all. R5-D4, for all intents and purposes, is an all-new figure that may on paper borrow from the designs of R2-D2 (Deluxe) but is in fact all-new from dome to third leg. Different panels open up. The two colored front arms no longer open up. The legs have been assembled backwards (which is really more unfortunate than different – thankfully they assembled the feet correctly despite the backwards legs). And the new dome is beautiful and screen accurate. We’re royally impressed with what Sideshow Collectibles has done with the bad motivator and the complexity of its detail. And when so few licensees are able to correctly decorate the back of R5-D4’s panels across multiple scales, it’s wonderful to see that Sideshow Collectibles didn’t fall asleep at the wheel and ensured that every last paint application was appropriately applied. R5-D4 showcases just how strongly adept the artists at Sideshow Collectibles are at giving us authentic Star Wars collectibles. There is no doubt that they can make them look impressive, but how can the impressiveness be comingled with superior quality?

Just like the R2-D2 (Deluxe) figure, R5-D4 is simply stunning. Again, we mean this visually. There are still some issues we take with this figure. For example, the figure falls short is in its quality and functionality. The plastic is still uncomfortably thin and brittle, but now the doors open and close nicely (for the most part). Obviously they’re tweaking things to make them as functional as possible. There are so many 1:6 Scale Figure droids we would love to see produced in this line. But at $149.99 each, you have to wonder how many would actually be feasible. Hopefully we will get a whole bunch of them to flesh out our 1:6 Scale Figure collections. The paint operations on R5-D4 are nothing short of amazing either. But let's be honest and reiterate once again that Sideshow has very little problems with this. Sideshow Collectibles gave the entire figure a dirty wash. You really couldn’t ask for a better final application of paint then what they have done here. We love the black wheels on each of R5-D4’s “feet,” or as Sideshow calls them, “treads.” And the copper wiring at the base of these treads are just beautiful. When completely opened up and with every panel extended, you can see the level of detail that has been etched into this figure’s sculpt. But in all honesty we cannot wait for more astromechs to come forth from Sideshow Collectibles, as long as they continue the upward trend of bettering them.