C-3PO - SW [TLJ] - Basic

As the simply-articulated 5POA line continues to divide collectors, Hasbro is continually looking for ways to make the line more interesting for everyone involved. Whether they include a Build A Weapon part of add a sound chip into the body of the figure, Hasbro is driven to include some extra interactive play to make their toys more appealing to younger audiences. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t . After a failed attempt at the CommTech technology of the late nineties and the early 2000s, most collectors believed that we would never see “talking” 3.75” action figures again. But we were all wrong. Hasbro has updated the approach by leaps and bounds and now have created something with better clarity, more functionality and intense interactivity thanks to a well thought out pack-in premium. There are over 30 items in the Star Wars [The Last Jedi] line that incorporates this technology. And it already appears to be a hit with young fans. Even the figures themselves seem to be upgraded with great sculpts and bettered paint operations, although it’s not perfect just yet. C-3PO is a figure that makes up the basic figure line and we see him being another hit.

C-3PO needs vac-metallization. That’s a given. But Hasbro says they won’t be doing this process for environmental reasons (although many of their other products are decorated with this much-needed approach). However, Hasbro did the next best thing and found a golden metallic paint that seems to capture the look and feel of C-3PO’s actual finish quite well. You still don’t get that mirrored effect that you do from vac-metallization, but the action figure of C-3PO turned out pretty good in our opinion and for us he really just lacks in articulation. We’ll accept his paint job for the time being. This all-new figure, although he definitely seems to be retooled from previously existing sculpts here and there, comes with the standard five points of articulation. His arms are slightly bent at the elbow inward to recreate his infamous posture. The sculpt is pretty good and all the details are here. Fans of this character should find him more than acceptable from a sculpting standpoint. His articulation is another bowl of wax. C-3PO comes without any accessories, although this is nothing new with this character. generally speaking he rarely comes with anything else besides himself.

The pack-in premium here is Force Link technology. With the Force Link Starter Set you can bring this Star Wars galaxy of toys to life. (Well, that’s what the packaging says at least. Do you think we can hold Hasbro accountable to that claim?) You actually wear a Force Link wristband and hold it to the center of the action figure or toy that you’re trying to activate and then the figures talk. The clarity is significantly better than what we were given in the CommTech era obviously, and we get weapon sound effects and yells/screams and more appropriate dialogue this time around. The technology is so advanced that it can even fire up the lights and sounds on vehicles in this line. Anyhow, C-3PO benefits from this new technology. He’s been give a mark, like all the other figures that are include the Force Link technology, on the bottom of his left foot to identify him as a “talking” action figure. We have received plenty of 5POA C-3PO action figures since 2013 and they are really starting to looks like one another. The differences aren’t prevalent and Hasbro hasn’t gone above and beyond to make the sculpts blatantly unique. They all seem to have the same pose. So, C-3PO might be guilty of creating boredom. He still looks good in our opinion.