K-2SO - SW [S] - Basic

It’s hard to believe that when Hasbro makes a satisfactory 5POA action figure that they’d reuse that same figure if they decided a re-release was warranted. In the case of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’s K-2SO, they did just that. 2016’s RO K-2SO wasn’t a perfect action figure by any means, but it did become a collector favorite in the entire Rogue One basic figure line. Now with the advent of Force Link 2.0 technology, Hasbro feels that this character would make the perfect addition to the line utilizing this technology. And they’re completely right about that. What borders on shocking, however, is that K-2SO is an all-new figure from the ground up. The torso has the most dramatic differences, but we also inspected the arms and legs and discovered that this figure is a completely all-new sculpt. The changes are impressive, and in all honesty, K-2SO hasn’t looked better. With the Star Wars [Solo] release, Hasbro may get away with not producing a super-articulated version of this popular new Disney Star Wars protocol droid. It’s that good. Sure, K-2SO lacks the movement needed to create some impressive and dynamic poses, but the clarity of this sculpt, the screen-accurate color and the enhanced paint operations set this K-2SO figure into the realm of collector quality.

Although Force Link 2.0 didn’t work at the time of K-2SO’s release, we strongly believe that Hasbro could not have picked a better character to add to this gimmick. The whole Force Link 2.0 idea focuses on technology, robotics, and artificial intelligence, so what better characters than talking droids like K-2SO are there to incorporate into this pack-in premium? This new 3.75” version of K-2SO truly looks like a shrunken down The Black Series 6” figure visually. Of course, once you play with the figure in your hands, you’ll realize how limited its articulation is. Regardless, we have grown to love K-2SO because of how much effort is visible in this new action figure. Compare your old figure to this new one. Look at the amount of new detail that has been etched into the sculpt. Look how the lighter color of the dark gray plastic appears more authentic and screen-accurate than ever before. And look at how the beautiful paint operation brings the figure to life. The white Imperial symbol on his shoulders and the yellow highlighting rings around his joints show what painstaking detail is applied to this figure. What’s more, Hasbro employed the same reverse ball-socket neck joint and ball-socket head joint to give this action figure the most optimal head movement possible. It’s almost a perfect specimen.

Interestingly, Hasbro forwent the red pupil that they added to the 6” version a while back. We’re thankful that they kept K-2SO’s photoreceptors white. A figure on the smaller 3.75” often looks better when things are kept as simple as possible in the face/head. K-2SO comes with a blaster that the heroes from Rogue One were often seen holding. Due to his widened and cupped hands, the blaster doesn’t stay put as we’d hoped, but it isn’t impossible to have him hold it as needed. It isn’t a tight fit is all. No other accessories are included with K-2SO. What you see is what you get. Many have asked why Hasbro included K-2SO in the Solo: A Star Wars Story product launch. We feel that there is still pressure from Disney to included characters from the newest and latest Star Wars Entertainment. We assume that Hasbro has checked their sales records and have deemed K-2SO a worthwhile re-release. Admittedly, we’re glad to see this character rereleased into the basic figure line once more. These feelings are not because we wanted to see the figure again, but because of how much Hasbro improved upon the past release. We’re not exaggerating when we claim how much better this version is. Sure, this version is based on the same digital files, the attention to detail this time is incredible.