STAP Attack - TAC - Battle Packs (Exclusive)

Obi-Wan arrives on Geonosis just as the Separatists pledge their support to Count Dooku. The Jedi is there as part of his investigation into the clone army's creation, and accidentally uncovers the movement's existence. He also discovers the huge droid manufacturing facilities on the planet and their dark purpose: to build a massive army for the Separatists to use in their quest to overthrow the Republic. Kenobi manages to relay this information before he is captured. The Jedi Council launches a rescue, which triggers a series of events that culminate in the first battle of the Clone Wars.

With all of the wonderful actual scenes in the Star Wars films, why does Hasbro take it upon themselves to develop their own concepts in the toy line? We really don't mind when this is periodic, but it's happening way too much as of late. Take for instance the STAP Attack Toys R Us exclusive Battle Packs set. STAPs were not even seen in Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. While it’s certainly more than believable that somewhere off screen during the Battle of Geonosis that Battle Droids were indeed steering STAPs around, it certainly wasn’t the Battle Droid pilots with the blue markings doing it. (By the way, OOM pilot batle droids can be seen in Episode II, but not on STAPs.) Hasbro would have been much better off creating an Episode I themed Battle Packs set here instead and maybe throw in a generic Gungan Warrior for good measure. Or they should have focused purely on Episode II. But they didn’t. So while the packaging clearly sources this set to Attack Of The Clones, it isn’t entirely accurate. Battle Packs can be really good or really bad. This one is a bit of a conundrum for us. We’re happy the get two Battle Droid pilots here, but even they aren’t accurate as is. You see, OOM pilot battle droids do not wear backpacks. Obviously Hasbro didn’t want to pack in two Battle Droid action figures with huge holes in their backs without a remedy to hide it, so we understand why they’re included. We just think it’s a little unfortunate that they could have made a great screen accurate set had they just thought about it a little more.

On the bright side, Hasbro has made some great enhancements to the STAP/Battle Droid interaction and it honestly makes this set a worthwhile purchase, from a certain point of view! We have to give credit to Hasbro for sprucing up 1998 sculpting the way they did. First, Hasbro has given the STAP vehicles brilliant new paint jobs. There are signs of wear and tear and the metal parts glisten in silver metallic paint. Yes, the STAPs are still too big and still have the silly missile firing action by pressing down on the platform, but we have to admit they look pretty good with a fresh coat of paint. Each comes with a clear display stand that holds them up at the perfect angle so you can set them up in a believable manner in your collection. And the paint jobs on the Battle Droids are truly splendid. They are covered in a dirty wash and the blue color flashes on their bodies is neatly applied. We’ve already explained that the backpack in inaccurate to include with this level of Battle Droid (the OOM pilot), but for reasons unknown Hasbro painted the “antenna” portions in bright silver. It definitely looks a little odd to us. But the best part of the figure isn't even the enhanced deco. The best part about these pilot Battle Droids is the tight hinge-jointed articulation. This sculpt can actually stand unassisted and the hinge-joints work flawlessly. They move, yet can hold their position. (One of our Battle Droid figure had one loose arm, but overall the updates are very positive.)

We are perhaps most impressed with the updated B2 Super Battle Droid. It’s been painted in a beautiful nickel/silver color and the final result is a very bright yet very naturally looking action figure. Very few people are aware of this, but early shipments of the STAP Attack Battle Packs set came with a Super Battle Droid figure with holes in its chest. Because the figure is a repaint of 2007’s TAC Super Battle Droid (30 08) figure, the holes were drilled in the chest to accept the “flames” attachments that were ignited by R2-D2 to escape the droids’ clutches in the early part of Episode III. But later shipments of this Toys R Us exclusive came with a Super Battle Droid that had these holes filled in to create a nice, smooth and unadulterated contour. This “retooled” version of the Super Battle Droid was also used for 2008’s TAC Battle On Mygeeto Battle Packs set in case you're interested. It will likely be the “go to” figure for future Super Battle Droid releases. So, if you need a reason to pick up the STAP Attack Battle Packs, the Super Battle Droid is it. This set shipped alongside the Hoth Patrol set and both didn’t move very briskly off of store shelves. Then like so many other TRU exclusives, they just disappeared overnight. It’s hard to say which set is better, but we can tell you if you’re a “one of everything” collector, you’re going to need it since these figures are unique.