Boba Fett/BL-17 - LC - Droid Factory (3 of 5)

In the animated television series Star Wars: Droids – The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO, Boba Fett acquires BL-17, a Battle Legionnaire battle droid creted to serve Mandalorian Protectors during the Clone Wars. The bounty hunter uses the droid on espionage missions while hunting fugitives.

It is extremely exciting to get something finally from Hasbro that is based upon the Droids television series, especially since those lines died (may they rest in peace) all the way back in 1985. After years of getting consistent “no” responses from Hasbro about receiving possible action figures based on the Droids and Ewoks cartoons, Hasbro finally decides to cave in and come through for fans to make our wishes true. Appearing in an episode called “A Race To The Finish” (its one and only appearance), Hasbro decides that their first character in mind is a relatively unknown droid named BL-17 (obviously chosen since they could use parts from other figures to make this one). You may be surprised to find out that BL-17 doesn’t have a great likeness to his animated counterpart, but we have to remember that the action figure is “realism” based, so some artistic license applies. But in particular, we think it is the character’s eyes that throws off the ideal likeness of the droid in the cartoon. BL-17 appears in the cartoon with almost human eyes and it is a quality that we don’t see often in droids. But Hasbro approached the action figure to look more like a distant cousin of C-3PO more than anything else. We guess you could say that the animated version of BL-17 almost looks like a human with a droid suit on. Hmm, isn’t that what C-3PO is now that we think about it? We’re confused a little bit by this, but despite the ambiguity, the Boba Fett/BL-17 Droid Factory two-pack is a very welcomed addition to the action figure line and we also think it is a great nod to the vintage Expanded Universe lines. It is our hope that this set opens the door for additional Droids characters. (And hopefully Ewoks action figures aren’t too far behind either….)

The two figures complement each other excellently and the colors between them interact very well. Boba Fett is essentially a repack of 2007’s TAC Animated Debut: Boba Fett (30 24) basic figure but with weapons from the Boba Fett figure which was part of 2008's TAC The Fett Legacy Evolutions set. We were shown during 2009's San Diego Comic Con that Boba Fett was going to be repainted dramatically from the original, but alas, we were simply given a repack of an old figure, albeit far from the worst they could have chosen for us. We are not sure the reason of this sudden change but the choice of this Boba Fett figure does look very faithful to his appearance in the Droids series. If Boba Fett was to be repainted as was shown, he would look a great deal more like his comic book or movie appearances. So we commend Hasbro on at least getting “most” of the colors right for this release. Of course, BL-17 is the reason to get worked up (in a good way) over this set. This droid utilizes the arms and legs from 2007’s TAC 4-LOM (30 41) figure, but has been given a whole new torso and head. What’s more, this figure has an “optical illusion” so to speak. If you look at the torso as a whole (from the neck down to his groin disregarding limbs and head) you will see a pattern that looks a lot like the visage of Boba Fett (his trademark helmet). Was this intentional? It is visible to a much lesser degree in the animated cartoon, but clearly present on the action figure. Is this some sort of Boba Fett branding to advertise ownership? We don’t know, but it is very cool and we are not so sure if Hasbro is even aware of what they’ve done. (Actually, we believe they are well aware of this.) The coloring on BL-17 is fantastic and looks right in place with all the other Droids characters out there. Hasbro went the distance and gave this droid the perfect balance of wear and tear to show that he has seen some action. He is bright and if you look closely at his paint job, you will see that the paint used is full of metallic elements that make it gleam and glisten.

Rivaling C-3PO for the same level of intellect, BL-17 was able to successfully befriend Boba Fett. But BL-17 has a tenacious attitude and ended up being an adamant and opposing foe. While the action figure doesn’t possess this duality with the expression on his face, there is something that gives you a wary feeling when appreciating this action figure. BL-17 is still a finely sculpted work and an excellent start to hopefully reignite interest in Droids action figures. It is barely a door opener, but we think anything can serve as a catalyst to spark new interest in these classically vintage lines. This particular Droid Factory set only contains the jetpack of the Dark Trooper (Phase III) Build A Droid figure. So, you’ve guessed it, if you’re looking to build him, then you are going to need this set too, otherwise you are going to have a big hole on your figure’s back. Coupled with poor distribution and fans clamoring “no way” to the sets' MSRP, we doubt that there will be much hope for another Droid Factory exclusive any time soon. Hasbro should have found ways to make this set much more affordable because we understand how $17.00 for each set will alienate collectors. Anything can happen, but these have not been warmly embraced by many collectors. And this is quite a shame because the sets are fantastic. Not getting the retail space they needed either, this Droid Factory series just didn’t get a fair chance in any fashion. Clearance reports will ensure sell through of this set, but we don’t think any price will wow collectors into buying another Boba Fett figure they already have. Dare we say here, “you snooze, you lose” with this collection of figures? We encourage you to support the exclusive Droid Factory line. We all want Hasbro to give us the most bag for our buck, and we think that the Droid Factory and Build A Droid premium is the best one yet. Let’s ensure its success, even if we don’t like all of the pieces in the assortment.