Ten years after the fight to save the Naboo from invasion, the galaxy is on the brink of civil war. Under the leadership of a renegade Jedi, thousands of solar systems threaten to secede from the Galactic Republic. A courageous Jedi Knight, his impulsive and headstrong apprentice, and a queen-turned-senator are drawn into the heart of the conflict... and the beginning of war.
Undoubtedly, the beginning of the Battle of Geonosis, in the Geonosian Arena, was the most exciting aspect of Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. The film was slow-paced until its climax, and this final skirmish sped things up to near hyperdrive levels. George Lucas introduced fans to a bevy of Separatist and Jedi characters. One of the most notable, however, was the maroon-colored B1 Battle Droid characters. Manufactured at the droid factory on Geonosis, barely a spit's distance from the arena, hoards of them swarmed the small band of about 200 Jedi struggling to free the film's three main heroes from Separatist threat. As we've mentioned, the Battle of Geonosis setting in the film provides the corresponding Hasbro Star Wars toy line with the most play scenarios for kids (and collectors). So Hasbro developed most of their toys that focused on these events and created a nice collection of action figures and supporting toys to complement the film.
As we all know, the first Battle Droid in the Star Wars "Saga" line was incorrectly colored tan, relegating it to Episode I. So Hasbro had to play catch-up to get the screen accurate "maroon" droids out to kids and collectors. They helped to do this with the Arena Conflict Accessory Set (With Battle Droid), one of four Target exclusives that focused on significant battles throughout the Star Wars universe. These sets helped army-build, accessorize, and provide alternate options for the ever-growing Star Wars toy line. The Arena Conflict Accessory Set (With Battle Droid) provided all this and more. Interestingly, the action figure included here helps to army build during the Battle of Geonosis and is more than "another accessory" here. Thankfully, we get a tremendous amount of newness here, as well as a new Episode II specific Battle Droid. The red-colored B1 Battle Droids isn't much different than the basic figure release but is an essential addition to the line. But there are still some extras here to make this worthwhile as well.
The Arena Conflict Accessory Set (With Battle Droid) exclusive comes with a plethora of extra stuff. Included are a Battle Droid action figure (which is based on the fantastic 2000 POTJ Battle Droid (Security) figure). Hasbro also included a Jedi cloak (we bet you never thought you would see a Jedi Battle Droid, did you?). To help outfit other ranks in the Battle of Geonosis, Hasbro added a Clone Trooper DC-15 blaster rifle, an Expanded Universe backpack launcher (which looks incredible but is far from screen accurate), two projectiles (for the backpack launcher), Jango Fett's helmet, one of Jango Fett's Westra-34 blaster pistols, two lightsaber hilts, a green lightsaber blade, and a blue lightsaber blade. For extra play value, they included three handcuffs: one each for Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Padmé Amidala. As you can see, there are a significant number of things included in this set. The real reason to buy it, however, is for the awesome sculpt of the Battle Droid. While overall, the multipack may disappoint, if you chew the meat and spit out the bones, you'll find a decent amount of extras here that you'll find helpful.
Collector Notes
Arena Conflict Accessory Set (With Battle Droid)
Status: Battle Droid is a rework of 2000's POTJ Battle Droid (Security) figure.
Articulation Count: 10 points (10 areas of articulation)
Articulation Details: ball-socket head (1), hinge-jointed lever (1), hinge-jointed left shoulder (1), hinge-jointed right shoulder (1), hinge-jointed left elbow (1), hing-jointed right elbow (1), hinge-jointed left hip (1), hinge-jointed right hip (1), hinge-jointed left knee (1), hinge-jointed right knee (1)
Accessory Count: 15
Accessory Details: droid blaster, rocket backpack launcher, 2 projectiles, DC-15 blaster rifle, Jango Fett helmet, 2 Westar-34 blaster pistols, 2 hilts, green lightsaber blade, blue lightsaber blade, 3 binders, Jedi robe
Date Stamp: 2000
Assortment Number: 32534/32532
UPC: 076930325346
Retail: $9.99 USD
Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on listings.