Death Star Droid - POTF2 [FF/TKC] - Basic (Exclusive)

A Death Star Droid approaches what appears to be a routine prisoner relocation. The two stormtroopers are actually Han Solo and Luke Skywalker conspiring to rescue the imprisoned Princess Leia..

1998 may have been one of the greatest years for Star Wars collectors. After a nonstop 1997, Kenner/Hasbro found a way to make collecting even more exciting by adding stills from the Original Trilogy as Freeze Frame action slides to accompany the new and repackaged basic figures. There was a feverish mission to collect them all. There were just as many reasons to collect the figures as there were to collect the action slides. But Kenner/Hasbro was sure to add one new figure after the next to keep the line running at an intensely brisk pace. The Power Of The Force “2” Freeze Frame line proved to collectors that some of their best work was worthy of re-release along with all-new sculpts. They managed to release a whole new hive of first time offered and modern redoes of so many of our favorite Star Wars characters. But as time has shown, sometimes things get backed up and not every figure can make it out in general release format. To prevent their cancellation, Kenner/Hasbro offered the final four POTF2 Freeze Frame figures to the Star Wars Fan Club for exclusive release. Death Star Droid (along with the Mouse Droid pack-in figure) was one of these figures. We wish that this figure had wider availability because it’s easily one of the best in the line. We’ll explain why.

Arguments abound pretty much in every forum whether or not the 1979 vintage Kenner Star Wars Death Star Droid is actually the one in the Jawa sandcrawler, or the droid that walks by Han Solo and Luke Skywalker (both in stormtrooper disguise) in an elevator corridor of the Death Star. Although technically impossible to do, our opinion lies somewhere within the middle. Yes, the 1979 figure is meant to represent one or the other, but we feel strong arguments exist for both. Obviously the color of the 1979 Death Star Droid more closely matches the RA-7 droid in the sandcrawler. But many fans have argued that it is the RA-7 droid on the Death Star and that reference materials weren’t good enough to accurately decorate the vintage Kenner figure. We’re leaving that debate here, but one thing no one can argue is we have our first modern dark colored Death Star Droid, also known as 5D6-RA-7, in the basic figure line. The even better news is the droid is very well done and one of the absolute best figures in The Power Of The Force “2” lineup. As a bonus, collectors not only get a corresponding Freeze Frame action slide, Death Star Droid comes with another “figure”, the Mouse Droid. It’s really more a simple accessory, but it’s nice to get this character in scale to the 3.75” figure line.

Thankfully, Death Star Droid is vac-metallized in a pearly and metallic dark purplish black color. It’s truly an impressive paint job. It’s so shiny in fact that it will leave fingerprints if you’re not careful to hold it appropriately. What’s more, the Death Star Droid has sterling silver eyes, technically photoreceptors, that bring out an intense and bug like appearance we fondly remember from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Granted, we only saw the dark Death Star Droid from far-away and then up close for only a brief moment, but it was enough to make it a standout character from the Star Wars universe. As with any figure we suppose, Death Star Droid isn’t without faults. For example, the belly section seems a little bit too simple and the limbs could be a little more streamlined. Although an attempt was made, there is no long antenna coming out from the droid’s head. Most of these complaints are obviously nitpicks. Perhaps they’re not even worth mentioning because generally speaking this is a well made and fun action figure. More articulation and finely tuned details would be welcomed for future attempts, but for now Death Star Droid will be a premiere choice for your own Death Star dioramas and display shelves. It really is an excellent action figure.