Destroyer Droid - SW [TPM 3D] - Discover The Force (3 of 12)

Destroyer droids charge into battle on Naboo. Also known as droidekas, these deadly droids roll into position then spring open to reveal weapon-lader arms. The Gungans and the Jedi fight them during the Invasion of Naboo.

Wow. Either Hasbro has a fantastic memory or they actually do listen to us and take copious notes from the Q&A sessions! If you’re a relatively new Star Wars collector and didn’t collect the 2007 30 (77-07) line (you poor, poor child), you probably don’t remember the Destroyer Droid (No. 59) figure from it. It was the first time Hasbro developed an energy shield for the droideka and it actually had great potential. The problem was that the shield was too opaque and should have been more translucent to show the figure underneath of it. Now that we think about it, the included accessory actually aggravated collectors more than made them happy. You see, only half of the energy shield was included, so you had to purchase two Destroyer Droid figures to compete the sphere. The same is true for the 2012 version of the Destroyer Droid, part of the Walmart exclusive Discover The Force promotion. We’re actually just fine with having to buy two of the figures to complete the energy field sphere. We think that would be expecting way too much from Hasbro to include both halves. That’s a lot of plastic for the cost of a basic figure.

Hasbro did make some of the requested enhancements to the energy shield. It took a half of a decade to get a revised version of it, but now it’s translucent and crystal clear in comparison to the one that came with the 2007 TAC Destroyer Droid (No. 59) figure. The Destroyer Droid itself has also been repainted. The paint jobs are very similar, but there are obvious differences and you’ll find it very easy to tell them apart. This figure actually has an earlier history than the 2007 release. Originallu released as 1999’s EI Destroyer Droid figure, it was one of the finest figures of that lineup. It’s a surprisingly solid sculpt and has stood the test of time extremely well. Obviously an all-new sculpt would be very different and much more accurate (we’re sure), but until that happens, you’ll have no problem including this figure with the other super-articulated and incredible modern sculpts released in The Vintage Collection for example. The Destroyer Droid also comes with two blasts effects that attach to the cannons on his arms (just like the 2007 figure did too) but they appear to be cast in a clearer red plastic. (It’s noticeable to us at least and you may not care at all about this detail.)

It’s evident that a great deal of thought and planning went into the Discover The Force basic figures. There is a perfect balance of heroes and villains in it and Hasbro did their job to update (no matter how insignificant) the figures to make them the best representations of the characters from The Phantom Menace. If we ever were to get an updated energy shield for the Destroyer Droid, this is going to be the only way something like that could have happened. Hasbro isn’t going to waste their time adding this figure and its accessory to the basic figure line again. It’s had its time in the sun. But they new it needed an upgrade and they found the perfect medium to.... well, perfect it! (You might want to know that for reasons unknown, two halves of the energy shield from the 2012 “clearer” energy shield do not clasp/snap together as well as two halves from the 2007 line do. We don’t know why this is so, but it’s true.) Consider adding a newly updated Destroyer Droid for your collection. It’s been out of circulation for a while and it still holds up incredibly well today.