Destroyer Droid (Geonosis Battle) - SW [S - P1] - Basic (’02 #48)

The droideka, or more commonly known in the toy line as a Destroyer Droid, was a Star Wars character from Episode I that immediately grasped Star Wars collectors’ attention everywhere. When Hasbro released their first Destroyer Droid action figure, it looked fantastic. Unfortunately, it didn’t possess the functionality to “ball-up” and “roll” how the on-screen characters did in The Phantom Menace. When it came time to revisit this character during the Battle of Geonosis for Attack Of The Clones, Hasbro decided to tool an all-new action figure with action features. They didn’t break that much new ground for the 2002 figure, and, unfortunately, the action figure cannot recreate the “balling-up” feature realistically. However, it looks excellent for straight-ahead battle and fits into the line rather seamlessly. However, we find it odd that it took Hasbro many waves to get this character out into the basic figure line, so long after the Battle Droid (Arena Battle) ('02 #11) and Super Battle Droid ('02 #06) action figures. When it comes to non-humanoid characters, it’s hard to refer to their parts as “arms” and “legs,” so bear with us as we make anatomic comparisons and parallels here. Destroyer Droid (Geonosis Battle) may not wow you.

Hasbro did an admirable job breathing new life into this existing Star Wars character and making it something that both kids and collectors enjoy. Destroyer Droid (Geonosis Battle) comes with 11 points of articulation. Its articulation includes a hinge-jointed “head,” two swivel “shoulders,” two hinge-jointed “elbows,” three hinge-jointed “hips,” and three hinge-jointed “knees.” Hasbro performed their due diligence as far as articulation is concerned, and they did a fine job on the sculpting and tooling. The paint job looks gorgeous too. The figure is proportionate and is to scale with the other figures in the line. Functionally, Hasbro worked in a couple of play features into the tooling. Hasbro designed the figure with spring-loaded missile-firing “arms.” They launch with a simple press. The projectiles have red blast tips on the ends of them, and this attention to detail is unnecessary but appreciated. You can do your best to “ball-up” Destroyer Droid (Geonosis Battle), but you’ll find that you are quite limited in how rounded you can get it. It would take some impressive engineering to get this functionality to work believably, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not impressed with the measures Hasbro has taken here.

We’re probably most surprised by the lack of Clone Troopers in the Star Wars “Saga” line. There has been more of a focus with the Separatist Army than with the Grand Army of The Republic. And it’s difficult to recreate battles when the two sides aren’t equally balanced. Collectors have to use the various Jedi instead of Clone Troopers in their setups and displays. Since the Clone Troopers are the Prequel Trilogy equivalent of the Stormtroopers in the Original Trilogy, it seems as if Hasbro missed the boat by not getting more figures into the basic figure line. We do like how the new members of the Separatist Droid Army entered the line. Destroyer Droid (Geonosis Battle) has a significant role in the final scenes of Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones, so it’s nice to see that this all-new sculpt rises to the challenge of appealing to both kids and collectors. If you’re not into Episode II characters, this action figure won’t be for you. Remember that they will have a significant presence in the Prequel Trilogy. We’re happy to see the sculpts looking better and better. If Hasbro can find a way to meld the Episode I and Episode II versions of these action figures together, we believe the best is yet to come.