Super Battle Droid - TVC - Basic (VC37)

OK, we are a tad disappointed. Just like the adage “don’t count your chickens before they hatch,” so should collectors not expect Hasbro to repaint the incredible and updated Super Battle Droid (from the Geonosis Arena Showdown set) with the ball-jointed ankles for The Vintage Collection release. We aren’t furious, but why did they update the 2008 TLC Super Battle Droid Saga Legends figure, the one without the holes in its chest, to include ball-jointed ankles for the 2010 LC Obi-Wan Kenobi/Super Battle Droid (1 of 6) Geonosis Arena Showdown set and not bring that enhanced version over to the premium realistic styled line known as The Vintage Collection? We are at a loss for an answer. And what makes this notably worse is that the Geonosis Arena Showdown version is oddly colored and not genuinely authentic to its appearance in Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. As a result, we technically still need a “super-articulated” B2 battle droid that’s movie accurate to Attack Of The Clones. If you recall, we posted an article where we surmised that the Geonosis Arena Showdown figure was a “pre-paint” to The Vintage Collection version, but alas, we were wrong. It’s not that the Super Battle Droid isn’t a great figure because it is.

It has a stunning paint job. However, including ball-jointed ankles on the TARGET exclusive version set our expectations high for the TVC release. For unknown reasons, Hasbro chose the older Saga Legends Super Battle Droid from 2008’s The Legacy Collection lineup and repainted it for The Vintage Collection. But the figure dates back further. We first received the Super Battle Droid with its chest holes filled in 2008’s TAC Battle On Mygeeto Battle Packs set.) This version of the figure is undoubtedly gorgeous. Hasbro, first and foremost, gave the Super Battle Droid a stunning base coat of metallic gray and silver. And then they added details like the Geonosis dirt on its feet and carbon-scoring throughout courtesy of the Grand Army of the Republic. Overall, the Super Battle Droid is better than decent, which you may appreciate over time. We give the figure high scores for its deco. And something about its presence in The Vintage Collection makes this release of the Super Battle Droid more enjoyable. Thankfully, Hasbro noted the historical reference correctly on the back of the figure’s card. The first issue of the Super Battle Droid, which pales compared to The Vintage Collection version, is the 2002’s SW [P1] Super Battle Droid (’02 #06) figure. Hasbro took the basic figure line far from those early days, so we must be mindful of their progress.

Bizarrely, the figure comes with a small blaster pistol and is eclipsed by the heavy artillery naturally present in its right-arm design. You may find that the Super Battle Droid looks silly holding it. Perhaps somewhere in the very far background, droids are holding these blasters. We don’t know, but it is an odd way to accessorize this figure. Hasbro should have saved the plastic in the gun and applied it to the ball-jointed ankles instead. Still, extra weapons are always fun, and you can give this one to another figure if you choose to pose your Super Battle Droid without it. We appreciate this figure a great deal, but remember that this tooling has the legs prepositioned in different angles, and you need to situate the droid in a “walking” or “stepping forward” pose so it doesn’t fall over. It may be a minor flaw inherent in the design, but we will not knock this figure unnecessarily. It will undoubtedly be interesting to see where that enhanced version of the Super Battle Droid ends up. Could Hasbro have made a mistake, and there will be a running change? Did they lose that updated tooling? We don’t know, but we’d like to see it get out in heavier numbers. While we wait to see its fate, the The Vintage Collection Super Battle Droid is the best for now. It would be best if you made it a mandatory purchase for you.