Remote Control R2-Q5 - TLC - Exclusives

Sometimes the Star Wars characters that have the shortest onscreen appearances tend to be the coolest action figures. Remote Control R2-Q5 fits this bill nicely. We first got this astromech droid as 2001's Power Of The Jedi R2-Q5 (Imperial Astromech Droid). It was a great figure and came with a cool accessory which was a hologram of the second Death Star. Then during the major event of the release of the final Star Wars film in 2005, Revenge Of The Sith, Japan decided to make a series of Remote Control astromech droids. They were so popular that StarWarsShop.com picked them up. But they were expensive and collectors wanted to know if these would ever be more affordable in some other way. There desires were addresses and Hasbro released four of them in new packaging in The Legacy Collection in the spring of 2009 as TARGET exclusives. They are the same droids, but they come is completely different packaging. (And not all of the droids got rereleased specifically R4-P17.)

Remote Control R2-Q5 has been made very well and it fits in with the basic figure line excellently. The droid is very shiny black with bronze panel details. And the droid has a light-up eye port. The remote control device is designed in the shape of a lightsaber hilt. The figure is on frequency known as “BAND 2” which is also used for some of the other droids in this assortment. We have tested it and have successfully been able to control more than one droid with the same remote control. The figure’s head rotates back and forth (not 360 degrees) and can spin completely around thanks to the turning of the third wheel on the third leg. The R5 units like Remote Control R5-X2 don't come with any light-up features, so the red/orange eye on R2-Q5 is really cool. It burns brightly and beautifully complements the bronze details in the paint job. And it’s not too often that we get Imperial droids in the line, so we think that makes it that much cooler!

While Remote Control R2-Q5 is a repack, it is not exactly the same as the Japanese version. For example, differences including a new copyright date (2008 instead of 2006) on the bottom of the feet as well as the battery cover. So it will be easy to tell which is the true Japanese import or not. R2-Q5 has yet to be made “definitive” in the basic figure line. And as much as we love the electronics in this figure, it still lacks because the hoses in the feet are painted on and are not made from separate pieces of plastic. But until Hasbro includes a more updated version in the basic figure line, this is better than the 2001's POTJ R2-Q5 (Imperial Astromech Droid) version. The lines are crisper and cleaner and a lot more detail has been included on the Remote Control R2-Q5 figure. We think you should consider these electronic figures for your own collection. They are definitely a lot of fun and if you decide just to display them, they work just as well doing that.