Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) (With Extension Arm) - OTC - Vintage

Celebrate the legendary Star Wars trilogy that changed the universe forever, with The Original Trilogy Collection. This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. The finest recreations of the iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are back with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Original Trilogy: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. And, as a tribute to the dedication of Star Wars fans everywhere, we are re-releasing elements of the original packaging that harken back to the creation of Star Wars action figures, which began over 25 years ago with the Original Trilogy. May the Force be with you!

It’s common knowledge that R2-D2 is the Swiss army knife of astromech droids. Because of this, Hasbro doesn’t know how to properly approach the character when it comes to developing a new action figure for the toy line. Or, they attempt to squeeze too many things into the tooling where the figure loses functionality. Sometimes multiple features do not work that well with each other either. By the time The “Vintage” Original Trilogy Collection came around in 2004, Hasbro decidedly included R2-D2 to the lineup. They wanted to make it a version of the character not attempted beforehand. As one of the twelve action figures that would receive premium treatment, Hasbro opted to introduce Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) (With Extension Arm) based on the character’s appearance from Return Of The Jedi. The sourcing is evidenced by the buzzsaw attachment arm (when R2-D2 cuts the Rebel strike team out of the Ewok trap right after Chewbacca was only thinking about his stomach). They also included the datalink extension arm that the character used for all three Original Trilogy films. As you know, Hasbro needed to split the twelve figures from the VOTC line across three films evenly. A few of the candidates had to go in packaging that didn’t necessarily match their source. As much as it would have been fantastic to get R2-D2 on a Star Wars card back, Hasbro relegated the figure to the Return Of The Jedi packaging for the third wave. At least we have an Episode IV-specific accessory included here. It’s fantastic Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) (With Extension Arm) can convert to a character from Star Wars. But technically, 2004’s VOTC Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) (With Extension Arm) is sourced from Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi. One included accessory seals this deal.

Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) (With Extension Arm) comes with four accessories total, five if you count the removable third leg. These accessories include two removable panels and two utility tools. One panel gives Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) (With Extension Arm) a smooth contour, the latter of which you’ll want to utilize for an R2-D2 figure from A New Hope. The other has an open door with a hole to attach the extension arms, the datalink, and the buzzsaw. The second removable panel (with open doors) doesn’t want to stay in place and falls out frequently. But it’s necessary to display the figure with the attachments. If you’re adventurous, you can show both utility attachments together at once, thanks to two available holes in the door attachment. And as we’ve mentioned, the third leg is removable so that you can show R2-D2 standing on two legs or in a more relaxed state rolling on all three. There are three rolling wheels, one on each foot, that allows the figure to move along any hard surface with relative ease. The sculpt of Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) (With Extension Arm) is exceptionally accurate and looks remarkable. We feel that Hasbro brought the character of R2-D2 far in the basic figure line, to an all-new level of authenticity. The panels have never looked better, and the blue and silver details that accent the primarily white body has been done so expertly. A final wash would have done a great deal good for the figure, but Hasbro decided otherwise. Perhaps the most significant enhancement is hydraulic wires added to the outer feet. Instead of sculpted ones on the feet and then painted, Hasbro separately sculpted the cables and then glued them into place. They give Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) (With Extension Arm) extra depth and texture and, more importantly, improved authenticity.

One area of R2-D2 that Hasbro painfully avoids like the plague is the vac-metalized/silver alloy dome. They’re hell-bent on decorating the dome this way when in the films it’s more of a brushed nickel (and not shiny). It’s not like they haven’t gone with the correct brushed nickel look in the past. If you recall, 1999’s POTF2 [FB/CT] R2-D2 (With "Holographic" Princess Leia) came with a duller “brushed nickel” silver/gray colored dome. Why so many years later did they return to the vac-metalized process, especially for a premium action figure like this one? Had Hasbro decorated Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) (With Extension Arm) with an adequately colored dome, this release would be a remarkably impressive update to the astromech droid. So, we’re not there yet when it comes to this character. Collectors should not be able to see their reflections in R2-D2’s dome, generally speaking. On a more positive note, Hasbro has an excellent base sculpt to produce new and better future versions of R2-D2. Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) (With Extension Arm) is a remarkable update to Star Wars fans’ favorite astromech droid, but you need to know that it’s falling in the realm of a definitive update for us. As with any of the figures in The “Vintage” Original Trilogy Collection, the packaging does a significant amount of work at making collectors forget about the figure’s setbacks. The same is valid here. Hasbro replicated the beautiful card art that we first saw on 1982’s ESB ARTOO-DETOO (R2-D2) figure for this release, and it is gorgeous. This time, however, the logo is Return Of The Jedi. This Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) (With Extension Arm) action figure looks fantastic in this packaging. And besides, the Return Of The Jedi source is accurate.