TC-70 (Jabba the Hutt's Protocol Droid) (Build A Droid) - Hasbro - Legacy Collection [2] (2013)
Star Wars Collectible News, Photos, and Reviews

A Message To You From Me: May The 24th Be With You!

Posted by Paul | May 24, 2014 at 12:01 AM ET

Please click through to read a special message from me to all the readers of Jedi Temple Archives.

Droid Factory

May 24, 2009. That was the day it all began. (I'll get back to that in a moment.) A short while before that, I clearly recall being overjoyed about finding wave 6 of The Legacy Collection at retail. It was a bugger of a wave and most collectors didn’t find it until months later. But I found them before most others and I felt renewed as a collector because of the impressive array of figures that made up the wave. As you probably know, in general it doesn’t take much to wow me or tick me off when it comes to Star Wars toys. I am on a perpetual roller coaster ride of emotions when it comes to these things. But when I opened up 2009’s TLC Ugnaught (BD 43) figure, I was completely stunned. While The Legacy Collection gave us some very impressive figures throughout the first five waves, it seemed to me that out of the blue Hasbro had decided to create a new caliber of figures with details, articulation and paint jobs that would continually impress me. And that they did. Hasbro had an uncanny ability to make retooled and kit-bashed parts seem fresh again, and the new sculpts had a precision that I just had not seen until this point. While I don’t discount ANYTHING they made beforehand because I adore The Saga Collection and the 30 (77-07) lines more than you could possibly imagine, it was The Legacy Collection that made me realize that it would be wise if I fastened my seatbelt tightly because Hasbro would be releasing some of the greatest goods they’ve ever released to date. It's been a ride that has never really stopped despite some roadblocks (like distribution issues) along the way.

Oh. The Ugnaught. Yeah. That was the figure that inspired me to say to myself “Self: you have to let JTA’s audience know how incredible this figure is. It would be a crime if anyone passed on it not knowing how great it is. Even if they know it's great figure, remind them of that.” And it was that simplicity to how Research Droids Reviews started up in 2009. It had a very short run years earlier, but I was naively confident it could be bettered. So I took the initiative to make my claims a reality. Maybe I was in over my head. But in a simple and amateur blog style I wrote about why I loved the figures I was buying. Amazingly, it resonated with readers. Of course I write about some figures I disliked and peppered them into the mix, but overall, Research Droids Reviews blossomed into an overtly positive review database that was quickly garnering readers at a pace I wasn’t so sure I could keep up with despite a seemingly bottomless passion I believed was inside of me. Over the years, our Research Droids Reviews database has grown as much I as have I suppose. Like me, it has gone through its own evolution and metamorphosis too. We have changed the appearance of the module multiple times, changed what information we decide to archive inside of it and added more categories than I can count. And thanks to Chuck Paskovics, he got me up to speed to become at the very least an average photographer, a skill that was instrumental in landing me my most proud professional accomplishment of my career in Star Wars collecting.

Research Droids Reviews has kicked into high gear and it's a machine that we just can't contain anymore. It nearly has a mind of its own. Thanks to our readers, it has become our most popular feature. Without fail, we have anywhere from 3,000 to 4,000 unique daily visits in the database, which is totally mind-blowing to us. What’s more, unbelievably, today on our 5 Year Anniversary, we have amassed exactly 6 million hits, and there are no signs of the interaction stopping. Readers add their memories to the comments in the reviews, and they even correct my errors when I goof. And they echo many of my own sentiments. I love that engagement and I am honored that JTA has become a place where others share this passion with me. Thank you to the readers who check in daily to see what craziness will spew from my head on any given day. Thank you for voicing your agreements, disagreements, anger, frustration, joy, elation and general happiness with me on the many Star Wars products made for us by so many different licensees. Whether we’re checking out the latest releases or revisiting some gems of the past, our readers provide steadfast interaction on our site and we don't take it for granted. It's not too often to have a faithful following like that. So we’re extremely thankful to you. This all couldn’t have been accomplished without you. In case you're curious, you have received from JTA a new review every single day since May 24, 2009 (if you've been reading that long). That longevity of over 1800 RDRs sometimes makes me want to retire, but the energy felt from all of you in response to them helps keep me going strong.

We have been working behind the scenes to enhance a few things inside out Research Droids Reviews for our 5 year anniversary and going forward. Some are subtle and you may have missed them. But eagle-eyed readers may have already noticed some of these updates. We have increased the gallery images to 1200 pixels from 925 pixels (thanks to a new camera), we have added some links on the gallery pages for better and easier navigation, we have created a new watermark and we have updated the module graphics here and there to make it pop a little more. Research Droids Reviews would also not be possible without the help from the camaraderie of good friends and colleagues. Whether it be from guest appearances, contributing or vital behind the scenes assistance and help, I would personally like to thank the following for helping to make the first 5 years run so smoothly: Dan Curto (formerly of Rebelscum.com), Jayson Krebsbach (Yakface.com), Adam Pawlus (GalacticHunter.com), Chris Swanski (BanthaSkull.com), James Burns (JediNews.co.uk), Rich Alot, Arnold Corso, David Delgado and Chad Cobain. It would not be possible without all of you. I am totally indebted. Thank you for frequently assisting me to maintain the steam in my engine. Whether helping me to verify if a figure is a retool or repaint, to verifying the source of a character I am stuck on, your help has been incredible. It’s amazing to have bonds with colleagues like this that have ethics and honesty and who truly love this hobby and are passionate about it. Not those trying to market it as their own and falsify stats and get rewarded for it.

And most importantly, thank you to Chuck Paskovics, my partner at JTA, for bringing so many of my wishes and suggestions to life. From the design, to the graphics and banners, database functionality, module development, customization and even assistance with photography as well as an occasional review or two, none of this would have been possible without you. Thank you for allowing me to act like the fourth child you never wanted.

With that being said, we are proud to present our 5 Year Anniversary Research Droids Reviews entry. It’s not a new product, but it has a ton of parts and worthy of this landmark event. We have been sitting on this review for almost two years. The time never seemed right and we partly were curious to see how others would execute their own analyses. With the cancellation of Hasbro's 2013 Legacy Collection line, there is a big void for Droid Factory that needs to be filled. Hopefully this will help. Today we look at the Droid Factory (2012 Collection) from the Disney STAR TOURS line. We are quite confident that Jedi Temple Archives now has provided you with the only complete look at this collection from dome to third leg on the entire web. Every last part is available for you to ogle individually front and back. We also provide you with a complete look of all 25 unique domes and the various droids you can build with them. For fun, we also provided you a section where we compare side by side the newly assembled Disney Droid Factory astromechs against the MANY Build A Droid figures Hasbro has released throughout the years, from The Legacy Collection, Legacy Collection and various multipacks and other basic figure releases.. We hope you enjoy the review and the image gallery containing over 200 IMAGES! Plus, we also have our complementary Visual Guide ready to show even more details. Again, thank you for the years of enjoyment. Hopefully this train can keep running for as long as possible. Click the banner to check out our 5 Year Anniversary RDR!

May the 24th be with you,

Paul Harrison

Droid Factory

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