C-3PO - TBS [P2] - Basic (#16)

It’s a figure you have to have in hand to appreciate. It’s a figure that you have to analyze as a “one off” attempt (that is successful in its functionality and play features beyond measure). Because if you do, you will realize how groundbreaking and borderline earth shattering this C-3PO figure is. A close friend of ours once claimed that had this C-3PO figure been made in the 80s that it would have had its own television commercial. We have to concur. But since Hasbro mostly relies on rabid fans to get the word of mouth out about their products, there is very little they do to promote such masterpieces like this one. Originally released as 2010’s TVC See-Threepio (C-3PO) (VC06), many collectors were instantly dismissive of the figure. They bought him anyhow to prevent as many gaps in The Vintage Collection numbering system as possible. But between the lack of vac-metallization, the heavy Episode I influence in the parts underneath the plating (as well as the heavy Expanded Universe concentration generally speaking) and the incorrect removable leg, critics didn’t even bother to give this action figure an unbiased glance. Shame on them. It really doesn’t matter because there are enough collectors embracing this figure now where it is finally getting the reckoning it deserves. There are actually some wonderful enhancements made to The Black Series [Phase II] which corrects some of the detractors (our opinion really) of The Vintage Collection version. There are also a couple of small setbacks. We will go into detail for all. If you have an “attitude” against this figure we suggest you check it in at the door. You’re only hurting yourself by not giving this figure a chance. We have been successful in changing the minds of some of this figure’s harshest critics. Will you be next?

Let’s get the negatives out of the way. It’s obvious that the tooling on this figure is tired. If you compare 2015’s figure versus 2010’s figure (has it really been a half of a decade in between these two releases?), you will notice that the lines aren’t as straight, the circles are more oblong, and the finer details like in the hands are somewhat muddled now and not crisp. It’s not significant, but it is present. Most collectors who don’t have the TVC version will not be able to tell the differences. Hasbro has been made aware multiple times that the wrong leg is removable. It would have been SUBLIME if they fixed the tooling on this figure to change which leg has the ability to come off of the figure. (We’ll still let this one slide.) The attempt to improve the paint job on the components of the face (especially the photoreceptors is evident, but ultimately they don’t meet our expectations because of the sloppy applications. If you are able to find a C-3PO with excellent paint operations, the eyes are really going to pop through the face plate. We hope we are able to secure one such sample one day. The enhancements to this figure this time around are much more notable however. Hasbro ensured that they decorated his silver leg properly which means that they have included the knee joint this time around to be colored silver (just like in the films). They also removed the odd brown, “battle-damage we assume, color from C-3PO’s plating. This leaves him looking much cleaner and sharper. The color of C-3PO is also a different color. The TVC version is brighter (or what we like to call yellower) while the TBS [P2] version is clearly more golden in color. We think the latter works much more effectively.

As intended, C-3PO can break down into eight separate pieces. These include removable head, removable face plate, detachable upper body, removable chest plate, removable back plate, detachable lower body with full left leg, removable right thigh plate and removable right lower leg. This in and of itself makes C-3PO one of the greatest action figures of all time to appeal to both kids and collectors without sacrificing the integrity and aesthetics of the sculpt. Sure, not all of the parts are 100% perfect here, but they’re pretty darn close to perfection and we love how this figure looks, either assembled or unassembled. You can’t deny it. C-3PO has a screen accurate silhouette and looks exactly like the onscreen character. And because the figure is super-articulated, he can be posed in nearly any pose you desire. Check out our photo gallery for just some of the examples we were able to achieve. Despite C-3POs heavy Prequel Trilogy/Clone Wars style underneath the plating, Hasbro did include many features which source him to The Empire Strikes Back. Therefore, we face a conundrum on the best way to source this action figure. We believe the fairest assessment is to place him “during the events of Clone Wars Volume 2”. This is where he received his gold plating for the very first time. We didn’t see his inner workings in The Empire Strikes Back, despite being well aware that he was full of wiring. Anyhow, his head is removable (just like Episode V), his torso is removable (just like Episode V), his back plate is removable (just like Episode V), and his “wrong leg” is removable (almost just like Episode V). We say all this to say: please have fun with this action figure. Maybe you shouldn’t take it too seriously as a collector. Just know that it is a fine toy as well as a highly regarded plastic collectible.