Luke Skywalker/R2-D2 - TAC - Droid Factory (6 of 6)

Luke is a young Jedi who helps defeat the Empire. His Astromech droid R2-D2 is damaged during the attack on the first Death Star.

Hasbro really did their best to give us “new” figures in 2007’s TAC Walmart exclusive Droid Factory sets. Even if we saw the figures before, there was definitely enough changed on each (for the most part) to warrant “another” purchase of these action figures and define them as “new enough”. These upgrades coupled with a great price point and cool packaging nearly ensured healthy success of these store exclusives and they really did sell very well. The last set in the bunch was based on two characters who took part in the climax of the Rebel Alliance’s assault on the first Death Star. Both Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 get another release as action figures, but they are new interpretations of the classic characters. In fact, we never got this version of R2-D2 before this set. R2-D2 was damaged by Imperial blasts and Luke had to rely on the Force to aim the proton torpedoes in the Death Star’s exhaust system. They triumphed, but R2-D2 came out of it almost destroyed. Although C-3PO was not needed as a donor, R2-D2 was made whole before the conclusion of the film. Hasbro thought the time was right to release this battle-damaged version of R2-D2 and we think it was the perfect time too. R2-D2 came out great. After more than a decade of action figures, it would make sense that Hasbro needs to delve a bit deeper in their approach into specific versions of characters to make the line fresh and exciting and not stagnant and boring. Hasbro thought hard about it and came out with a new and fresh approach to our favorite astromech droid.

For the first time ever, we get an awesomely articulated R2-D2 action figure as he appeared after being nearly obliterated during the assault on the first Death Star. R2-D2 is a retool of 2005's ROTS R4-G9 (4 of 4) Sneak Preview figure but you can basically consider him an all-new figure because Hasbro has significantly retooled him and made it their mission to craft the most unbelievable battle-damage you will ever find on a droid. It has been done so well we couldn’t expect them to do a better job on another figure. Hands down, R2-D2 looks great and he is the highlight of the set. R2-D2 is covered in dirt and filth and looks exactly as he did when the Rebel technicians pulled him out of Luke’s X-wing “injured” after Luke successfully blew up the Death Star. We needed this version of R2-D2 for years and it finally has come to pass. When you turn R2’s dome, his third leg pulls up inside of his body cavity. And while you can move his main legs back and forth, the newly sculpted “opened” front panels encumber the full range of motion of the legs. You can use some force to articulate the legs past the panels, but the way this figure was designed, it doesn’t seem as if Hasbro thought this entirely through as well as they could have. This is not detrimental to the aesthetic of the figure but rather just an observation we made. R2-D2 is essentially disabled at this point in the film, so there won’t be much need to pose him in “walking or rolling” mode. We can’t stop raving about how well R2-D2 has been designed. He is awesome and we would love to see this version individually carded at some point down the road.

Luke Skywalker on the other hand is a repaint of 2006’s VTSC Luke Skywalker: X-wing Pilot figure. While you may think that there isn’t much different from the VTSC figure, you would be wrong in that sentiment. There have been significant changes made for this release but probably the most notable one are his flight straps now colored in silver instead of dark gray. We were initially taken aback by this update but when we referenced the sources of this uniform, we were surprised to learn that silver is actually the correct color. (Maybe it isn’t as bright, but the VTSC figure was definitely incorrect.) Also, the VTSC Luke figure had very bizarre face color, almost looking as if he was jaundiced. That issue has been remedied for this release and he now has a more healthy looking skin tone. The orange color used for the flight suit is a more correct shade and Luke’s helmet has gone through an amazing upgrade including much more dirt and fine lines to bring out the new details. The chest plate has been cast in a lighter gray color and the white blocks have been mute and repainted in silver. (Editor's Note: The Droid Factory Luke Skywalker is absolutely the definitive figure for now and he has even been released in the blue TLC and red LC Saga Legends line as well.) While we hope for a slightly improved head sculpt somewhere down the road, all the other details make this version of Luke superior to the others. Despite all of his enhancements, Luke still comes with the incorrect lightsaber hilt. We suppose this detail will never be corrected at this point and remain incorrect. But as a whole, this set rocks and one of the highlights of the first Droid Factory exclusive sets!