C2-B5/R2-BHD/R3-M2/R5-SK1 - Droid Factory

All different types of Astromech droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their [sic] own unique personality and colors. These four new Astromech figures are featured in the new film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

May the Force be with you... and your Droids!

Well, Disney Parks seems to be setting a trend. They’re on a roll to produce a four-pack of Build A Droid/Droid factory figures based on the media event at hand on the Friday the product line goes on sale. OK, so maybe it’s only twice so far, but all of us can certainly expect that this is what’s going to happen from here on out for every Star Wars film. No matter what, lovers of astromech droids have great reason to rejoice because these four-packs bring them four unique droids to add to their collections. But casual action figure collectors should have reason to celebrate as well. All of these Droid factory figures have interchangeable parts, and the hours of play that they offer would make a kid of any age content and happy. Plus, they look fantastic. These color astromech droids seem to be getting better and better with each successive release, but that has to be because of the deco. After all, these are the same parts over and over again. Let’s look at each character in this set one by one.

Hasbro is releasing a couple of C2-B5 figures in their own Rogue One toy line, but the most articulated version you’ll be able to find is right here in this set. Sure, the droid comes without foot wires, but the added hinge-jointed “ankles” make posing the Droid factory version that much better. The deco on C2-B5 is fantastic. There are shades of flat and shiny black paint, and then Disney utilized some colorful ornamentation for the droid’s lights and ports. Simply put, C2-B5 is delicious. This Imperial droid from Rogue One may or may not have a major role in the film, but if it does, collectors have a great action figure right now for their collections. R2-BHD is a unique astromech droid. We haven’t seen a droid in this color before. Looking like a miniature metallic monster, R2-BHD means “big, happy dude” and will also have a role in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. We thoroughly enjoy its color scheme and hope that more solid droids become part of the Star Wars universe in the future.

R3-M2 is another fine addition. At first glance, we swore his name was reused from a droid somewhere in the first six Star Wars films, but we were incorrect about that. This droid may sound familiar, but it is another unique take of an R3-series astromech droid and includes an all-new tooled R3 dome exclusive for this release (at the moment). R3-M2 has a strong Original Trilogy vibe to it and feels like it was somewhere in a Rebel briefing room. As a result, it feels like a believable character for the Rogue One film. We can’t wait to see if it has any notable involvement in the film. R5-SK1 has us mildly concerned. This droid looks exactly like R5-D4 from the Original Trilogy. Is this another way for Disney to overwrite the classic history we hold dear? Is this a way for Disney to write in that whispered rumor that R2-D2 was indeed somehow involved in the sabotage of R5-D4? Is this supposed to be Skippy? Who knows, but R5-SK1 might as well be another R5-D4 re-release. Of particular note, Disney is the only licensee to decorate the three red vertical panels correctly on the back of its body. We’re impressed. This is a wonderful set, and the value couldn’t be better for us.