R2-D2 (Naboo Escape) - POTJ - Basic

R2-D2 is a heroic, tenacious and extremely well-built astromech droid. Owned by the Royal House of Naboo, R2-D2 has been assigned to the Queen's Royal Starship because of his outstanding performance record.

R2-D2 (Naboo Escape) didn’t get released the way Hasbro had first intended, but that may have all been for the better. Original showing up on Hasbro product lists as “R2-D2 (Name Reveal)”, this figure was originally meant to recreate the scene where Queen Amidala congratulates R2 for his bravery when the Royal Starship was blasted by the Separatists and required astromech intervention to temporarily repair the vehicle until they could land and fix the hyperdrive. Hasbro decided to change things up last minute. There is no evidence or name emblazoned on the action figure identifying R2-D2 as “R2-D2”, but they instead kept the dirty and dusty paint operation and renamed the action figure as R2-D2 (Naboo Escape) which is just as fitting as any other name. So this an update of R2-D2 based on his appearance in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. A great base figure for future updates (or new droids in general), this will become the “go to” figure for multiple R2-D2 action figures from across the entire Star Wars saga. It’s a tremendous upgrade from The Power Of The Force “2” versions and we’re fond of it, but it still needs further enhancements before we’re totally onboard with it.

R2-D2 (Naboo Escape) has some significant limitations. It’s legs are permanently positioned at an angle that makes the droid lean back. Obviously R2-D2’s third leg is also angled in a similar fashion to accompany the outer legs. It’s not possible to articulate his “feet” as there are no joints there, so you’re basically left with one position for the droid period. This certainly limits how functional the action figure is and may prevent it from being used in some of your dioramas. What’s worse, R2-D2 (Naboo Escape) won’t fit nicely into a droid socket in various vehicles that interact with figures in the basic figure line. So “limited functionality” may be the best way to describe the usefulness of this action figure. You should not however interpret its limitations as an overall assessment of the action figure because R2-D2 (Naboo Escape) looks great regardless. Hasbro really ensured that they produced a new astromech body with screen accurate details, a well planned scale and a fantastic paint job. Although R2-D2 (Naboo Escape) provides one useful pose, it’s very difficult to fault how good he looks in the basic figure line. What’s more, he is so generic looking that he will provide a great basis for Hasbro to use this mold across different versions of R2-D2 across the Star Wars saga.

Because R2-D2 (Naboo Escape) was meant to replicate the look of R2-D2 as he made engine repairs to the Royal Starship, Hasbro has given him a slightly dirty look. There are multiple spots of dirt collection on his body and other than that he is quite clean. Hasbro may have taken it a bit safe with the deco on this action figure, but we think it ended up becoming a wise decision as this figure can be used across multiple display scenarios. One very important detail of R2-D2 (Naboo Escape) is his rolling wheels. They actually function quite nicely and allow him to roll along the body of the Royal Starship quite smoothly if you’re so inclined. They become cumbersome when posing R2-D2 (Naboo Escape) on inclines or declines. The wheels function as they’re intended in these instances and keeping him in place can be quite difficult. If Hasbro can find a way to design a stunning R2-D2 basic figure that has the body (including the brushed nickel dome) like this and create fully articulated legs, we may have a definitive R2-D2 action figure for us. Aside from opening panels and extension arms, there isn’t much more Hasbro can do to give us an impressive R2-D2 action figure. But they should start here because this one is done very nicely.