R5-D4 - Elite Series

Added: November 18th 2018
Category: Elite Series
Reviewer: Paul Harrison
Score:

Name: R5-D4
Collection: Elite Series
Number: N/A
Source: A New Hope
Availability: November 2018
License: Disney

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A red astromech droid, R5-D4 thought he'd found a home when the Jawas sold him to Owen Lars, along with the protocol droid C-3PO. But R5's motivator blew as he rolled away from the sandcrawler, forcing the Jawas to take him back in exchange for R2-D2.

Everyone who collects the Disney’s Elite Series line was stunned by the quality that was put forth into 2016’s R2-D2 figure. Not necessarily to scale with other 6” figures, R2-D2 brought to the format what Hasbro did not, and the metal texture drives the authenticity of the character all the way home. Now, Disney is reusing the tooling of R2-D2 to bring new characters and new versions of R2-D2 to the Elite Series line. R5-D4, always a collector favorite astromech droid is the next in what we anticipate a long line of various astromech droids. Utilizing the body of R2-D2 with an all-new dome designed for an R5 unit, the brightly colored R5-D4 enters the line with eager anticipation and collectors once again have something new to cherish in their collections. R5-D4 came out very well. It has a small share of issues, but mostly meets expectations. Disney appears to be inconsistent with the characters they choose for the Elite Series line, but R5-D4 is a perfect example that they know what collectors want to see.

Disney’s strongpoint is droids when it comes to the Elite Series line, and this is once again evidenced by R5-D4. R2-D2 is too large. R5-D4 is also too large. However, the size doesn’t detract the beauty of the figure, and as a standalone piece, it looks fantastic. This die-cast metal sculpt is beautiful, and the best Disney has done yet. More importantly, the paint operations are nicer. They’ve applied them cleanly and evenly, and they’ve also added a final wash which gives R5-D4 its “lived-in universe” look in a very believable way. R5-D4 also received the same enhancement as the Elite Series R2-D2. The “holes” that are left from screwing the two halves of these figures together, which have aesthetically destroyed almost all of these figures in the past, are once again covered by the inclusion of plugs. We saw this first applied to R2-D2, and now R5-D4 receives the same treatment. You know something is “covered up,” but the hole-covering allows your eyes to flow across the figure's body almost uninterrupted.

The articulation of R5-D4 is simple but offers up what a character like this needs. The dome swivels. Both legs swivel. And all three feet are attached with hinge-joints. And once again the third leg feature is applied. R5-D4’s third leg is spring-loaded, and the figure can stow it inside of its body so the figure can stand on two legs alone. The third leg remains completely hidden until you press it in again which will eject it out for a three-leg pose. We’re gracious to Disney for including a seamless and believable feature to a figure that functions more like a collector’s item than anything else. Like all Elite Series figures, R5-D4 comes with a black Star Wars display base, and the figure looks beautiful when standing on top of it. Between the excellent sculpt and stunning paint operations, R5-D4 is another fantastic figure in the Elite Series line. We look forward to what other astromech droids Disney will add to the Elite Series line. They’re the strongest contenders for this format, and if they make wise choices by releasing recognizable characters, it will be a win for them.

Collector Notes

R5-D4

Status: R5-D4 is a retool and repaint of 2016's R2-D2 Elite Series figure. This time the figure has an all-new R% unit dome and has been completely repainted.

Articulation Count: 7 points (7 areas of articulation)

Articulation Details: swivel dome (1), swivel left leg (1), swivel right leg (1), hinge-jointed left foot (1), hinge-jointed right foot (1), spring-loaded third leg (1), hinge-jointed third foor (1)

Accessory Count: None

Accessory Details: None

Date Stamp: N/A

Assortment Number: N/A

UPC: NB1846101901114061

Retail: $24.99 USD

Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on Click here to check the market value on eBay! listings.

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