R2-D2 - TCW [R] - Basic (CW25)

The feisty little astromech droid R2-D2 is along for a perilous mission that takes Anakin to the B'omarr monk monastery on the planet Teth to rescue Jabba's young son. When Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka are hemmed in by battle droids and hunted by the vengeful Asajj Ventress, Artoo locates a backdoor landing platform that may help them escape from their enemies.

The most successful figures in The Clone Wars line tend to be those characters that have seen significanr screen time in the live action movies. That’s really not a revelation. Obviously the characters we’re all familiar with will resonate the loudest with us. Not necessarily a rule of thumb, familiarity is responsible for playing a significant role in the translation of main Star Wars characters into animated form being successful in the toy line as well. Clearly this makes sense. Would the animated version of R2-D2 be so cool if it weren't for his presence in Episode IV? The Clone Wars R2-D2 is an awesome action figure and a perfect example of why collectors love him. He has been a strong seller throughout the many iterations of The Clone Wars lines and formats. And here he is again in The Clone Wars [Red] line as a basic figure once again. With a slightly alternate paint job (mostly the final wash and how it was applied which appears to be lighter this time), R2-D2 brings his plucky self back into the hands of collectors of all ages. And quite frankly it’s great to see him again. Whether you’re a fan of the The Clone Wars television series or not, there is no denying how awesome so many of the action figures based on this TV show look realized in plastic. And specifically, The Clone Wars [Red] line is proving to perform quite well to date. Although previously released, R2-D2 is no exception and fits in well with the rest of the new figures. He’s clearly one of the best. We don't use the word "best" lightly either, so it is a compliment to this figure getting so much praise from us.

R2-D2 actually comes with more bells and whistles than most of what Hasbro has included in various collectors' lines. That’s a good things. Kids need to play with their figures, and R2-D2 comes with a modest arsenal of interactivity to keep everyone busy. R2-D2 has an action feature, but it has been cleverly worked into a natural aesthetic of the character which allows the action figure to excel at every level. Likely not to frustrate collectors, the bells and whistles on this figure can be looked at more like features than specifically action features. You may not see too much of a difference in these terms, but we think there is a distinct difference. In short, everything looks in place here. Action features tend to encumber the natural look of a figure, while features (bells and whistles) are merely what a figure can or can't do or perform. The front panels on his body open up to reveal two extension arms that are housed within his frame. Additionally, there is a back panel that opens up and has a grappling hook and rope (with significant length may we add). This cable has the capability to be wound and unwound by which way you decide to turn the figure's head. Everything fits well inside the figure's interior and all panels can be closed at once without looking as if something is trying to poke through and it is such a fantastic bonus feature. R2-D2 looks great and exactly as he does in The Clone Wars television show and feature film. The blues are beautiful and he has an amazing finishing wash (which is much lighter this time around) which captures some of the dirt and damage he obviously sustained during his many adventures in space.

R2-D2 has been finished off with removable jet rockets on his arms in exactly the same way we saw in Episode II and Episode III and they complete him very well. But let’s not forget he utilized these utilities in The Clone Wars film too. As a whole, R2-D2 easily and quickly ranks as one of the better figures in Hasbro's illustrious cast of awesome action figures from The Clone Wars line. While significantly looking a whole lot better in the action figure line than his close friend C-3PO, R2-D2 is so good because he is in perfect scale and faithful to his look in the multimedia event (more so than C-3PO in our opinion). While C-3PO is good (especially in the articulation department), he is lacking in a few areas that take away from him getting a perfect score. R2-D2 on the other hand is nearly flawless in all areas and we give him a grade that will easily put him at the top of the class. Because of how well he was designed, it is evident that he will make both kids and collectors very happy. A great seller, R2-D2 didn't have much success being a peg-warmer. In fact, we expect to see him released in many ways throughout the duration of The Clone Wars television show. If you haven't picked this figure up yet than you are missing out on a wonderful product. The tooling costs we assume were not cheap for him. R2-D2 will be the perfect template for future R2 units in the line (and dare we say R5 units, we only can hope). We know that R2-D2 will impress you in many ways. Even if you're not a fan of the animated line, we believe that you will be able to admit just how cool this version of R2-D2 is!