Disney Parks 2015 Collection - Droid Factory

Whether they are merchandise to the Jawas of Tatooine, servants of the Evil Galactic Empire or friends of the Rebel Alliance, droids of all different types populate the Star Wars galaxy. From Astromechs, to Protocol or even Assassin Droids, there are many different colors and styles of each droid class. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality. At the Star Wars Droid Factory, Guests can build and name a Star Wars droid that is uniquely their own.

May the Force be with You.... and your Droids!

3,273,984. No, that’s not the number of hits in our Research Droids Reviews database. We’re just shy of 12 million hits as we reach our seven (7) year anniversary (which is today by the way). That first number actually represents the total permutations of astromech droids you can make with Disney’s unbelievably fun Droid Factory collection of droid parts, which has now moved away from the Hasbro supported STAR TOURS branding into the revised Disney Parks Droid Factory banner now. There are actually many new changes that have taken place with this shift, some for the better and some for the worse. We’ll get to them all very shortly. With so many options provided with the Disney Parks 2015 Droid Factory collection, it seems like this could offer endless play value. And for the adult collector, they’re testifying that this is the greatest “thing” since sliced bread as far as Star Wars collecting is concerned. It’s no secret really. The Legacy Collection and Legacy Collection basic figure lines brought collectors the absolute best pack-in of all time: the Droid Factory sub-line: Build A Droid parts that when complete gave collectors all-new astromech or protocol type droids. Aside from The Vintage Collection (which wins first place ranking just on packaging alone), Build A Droid is the next Star Wars collector favorite add-on to the basic figure line period. Disney however decided to take over the reigns instead this time and wanted to approach this theme park excusive in a slightly more practical way. Although based on the Hasbro parts, Disney has now retooled the bodies of the astromech droids and filled in the supplementary lower leg holes. They also removed the foot wirings from the legs (yes, certainly a major setback) because people partaking in the Droid Factory souvenir program were just grabbing legs and left and right legs weren’t being evenly dispersed amongst the take-home droids. To remedy this, Disney removed the foot wirings altogether and now left and right legs are identical. Just grab two and you’re good to go! From what it appears, all domes have remained the same. Aside from the obvious repaints, the styles of the domes, complete with hole for hat accessory, are identical to the 2012 collection. There are some colorful options for kids and collectors in the 2015 Disney Parks Collection.

Disney surprised everyone when they announced that Droid Factory would be coming to Disney parks in FL and CA in May of 2012. Much to the elation of locals and chagrin of the remaining collecting community who can’t get to the theme parks, the Disney Droid Factory continues to build upon what Hasbro had already offered in the basic figure line between 2008 and 2010, and continues to bring more. Maybe these droid parts don't make screen accurate astromechs, but who really cares? Never have we seen a more concise way to get plenty of droids and even design unique ones based on our own tastes. It truly is the perfect theme park memento. The 2015 Disney Parks Droid Factory set up includes a plethora of parts for you to build nearly endless droids ranging from R2-series astromechs all the way up R9-series astromechs. In all honesty, it's a little bit intimidating. Available heads include nine (9) unique R2-series domes, two (2) unique R3-series domes, three (3) unique R4-series domes, four (4) unique R5-series domes, four (4) unique R6-series domes, two (2) unique R7-series domes, two (2) unique R8-series domes and two (2) unique R9-series domes for a total of 29 possible droid dome options. Available bodies include ten (10) standard droid bodies (all ranges) and four (4) R7-specific bodies for a total of 14 possible droid body options. There are twelve (12) unique legs, but you’ll two of each style to complete a droid. Or, if your adventurous you can give each droid two uniquely styled legs instead. There are eight (8) unique third legs. And lastly, available hats include seven (7) unique styles as well. Choose between a sombrero, top hat, baseball cap, Oswald cap, Imperial officer cap, sorcerer hat or Santa hat. Clearly, all of these parts together will allow for more options than you will know what to do with and it would be almost impossible to photograph all of the options and not miss some. When all is said and done, 3,273,984 total astromech droid combinations can be counted. It is amazing how just a few extra domes and bodies add so many more options as compared to the 2012 Disney Parks Collection. While it will be more likely than not that kids and collectors will be less apt to make a droid out of a hodgepodge of parts, it’s still amazing to us that those many options exist.

There is also something major that sets apart the 2015 collection from the 2012 collection. Disney has recreated, albeit not perfectly, key and background astromech droids from the Star Wars saga. Droids like R7-B8, R5-K6, R7-A7, R3-S6 (Goldie), R2-Q5, R2-Q2 and R2-D2, within just a few minor deco differences, can be made from parts in the new collection. You can “sort of” make other characters from the Star Wars film with less accurate results, but the fun is still there nonetheless. You can even take this further and cull together “close enough looking” droids. We’re so impressed that Disney took the time to prepare droids from the actual Star Wars saga. They sort of left off where Hasbro did in the Legacy Collection lineup. It’s nice to see a return of “screen accurate” droids. These droids are now only sold singly for $12.99 each. Disney didn’t offer two-packs for this round of parts. If you’re a completist collector you’re going to have to shell out $376.71 (nearly $125 more expensive than the 2012 lineup) just to get 29 completed droids (representing the 29 unique domes that make up the 2015 collection. This is no small change and it’s no wonder why there is such outrage that so many collectors can’t get these parts. You do get some cool packaging to complete your Build A Droid. You’ll receive a plastic clamshell and well as a cardboard insert that briskly highlights the Droid Factory as well as provides quick art to the “handmade” figures. You also will receive an A through Z and numbers decal sheet so that allows you to personalize your droids and give them a unique name and/or identification number. As you can see, you do get a nice amount of stuff for the money and it really is a great affordable way for kids and collectors to take home a souvenir from Disney Parks. Thankfully many eBay sellers are making these available to eager and hungry collectors. We suggest getting some of the 2015 Build A Droid figures. We didn’t expect to love them as much as w do. They’re really impressing us and we’re so glad to get realistic versions of some of The Clone Wars characters. That’s just the tip of the iceberg though. At least get some of the parts. You won't be sorry.