Kit Fisto/R4-H5 - TAC - Droid Factory (4 of 6)

Jedi Master Kit Fisto is equally comfortable in air or water. R4-H5 flies in Fisto's starfighter to help navigate to help navigate and repair the ship.

Very few can argue against the opinion that Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars micro-series was one of the best multimedia events ever in the entire Star Wars saga. Bridging gaps, connecting the dots and answering questions, the series also provided a quasi-anime styled approach with incredible action and poignant story lines. Yes, the action that may have been slightly exaggerated but it was nonetheless entertaining and powerful. And the action in the show was merely a vehicle to introduce new stories and develop characters in new and profound ways. One of the Prequel Trilogy characters that received significant small screen time was Kit Fisto. And to a much, much lesser extent, fans caught a glimpse of his astromech R4-H5. While R4-H5 can only been seen (don’t blink or you’ll miss it) only in the opening battle sequence in Chapter 1 of Volume 1, Kit Fisto took center stage during the underwater battle of Mon Calamari. Hasbro felt it was time to get Kit Fistos’ astromech out to the public since we already received the underwater version of him as 2003’s CW Kit Fisto ('03 #49) figure and then repackaged again as 2006's TSC Kit Fisto (SAGA 055) basic figure. Even his Jedi Starfighter was also released in 2006’s The Saga Collection (but as a TARGET exclusive). The droid is one of our favorites in Walmart’s exclusive Droid Factory sets, but we have to hand it to Hasbro for enhancing Kit Fisto as well. Every set in the Droid Factory series has been redone or enhanced and we cannot express how thankful we are that we just didn’t simply get repacks, but that Hasbro stepped up to the plate and delivered a premium exclusive product for us.

Kit Fisto shares the same sculpt as 2003’s CW Kit Fisto ('03 #49) figure. This time however, Hasbro decided to give the figure a new soft-goods robe (with a wired bottom) that comes off to show his swim attire (exactly how he appeared in Chapter 5 of Volume 1 in the Clone Wars). Hasbro enhanced his skin color and made him the more accurate green his skin is instead of the greenish brown/tan that both the 2003 and 2006 figures have. While there is no denying that this is an action figure made from older technology, it still is worthy of re-release because it looks pretty good as is. For those wishing to pose Kit Fisto is a manner as if he is swimming, you can. He has articulated ankles that assist the collector in posing him in this action. The newly enhanced cloak is fantastic. Because the wire allows it to stay in almost any configuration you wish, you are able to display Kit in some very exciting and action-oriented ways which happen to be some of out favorite moments we remember him. Also, Kit’s eyes and the tips of his head tresses have been painted darker and the new look is much more authentic to his character. Enhancements in his belt and pants and forearms have also been updated and these changes absolutely make the older Kit Fisto action figures outdated. Kit Fisto’s updates are really something to smile about because it is amazing how much better they make him look.

And if getting an updated Jedi Knight isn’t enough for you, you will likely get eager about the new R4-H5 astromech droid packaged with him. R4-H5 is without a doubt a very striking droid. The green and orange contrasts not only complement each other beautifully on the figure itself, but the color scheme also complements Kit Fisto and his Jedi starfighter too. R4-H5 is a repaint of the 2005 TSC Early Bird Figures R2-D2 figure. It is one of the more favorite molds by collectors because it has the detachable panel permanently glued in place. While it may slightly interrupt the smooth contour of the droid’s body, it is still a fine base sculpt to use to repaint and make new figures. R4-H5 has a beautiful paint job and is full of yellowing and dirt accumulation. The center body also appears to be cast in a very light tan color which is peculiar for an astromech droid but it however makes him stand out from the rest. R4-H5 is probably the one astromech droid with the best paint job in the Droid Factory series but most importantly, we are more thrilled that we can complete the trio of Jedi, Jedi starfighter and Jedi astromech for Kit Fisto now. And they look splendid together. An incredible value in the ever rising figure price hikes, the Droid Factory series from the 30 (77-07) gave the collector a lot of “figure” for his dollar. Getting so many droids as well as enhanced figures at one shot is no small feat and we have to say that the TAC Droid Factory series will go down as one of the best exclusives of all time. Oh, and if you’re a Tartakovsky lover, this set is an absolute buy!