R5-C7 - LC - Build A Droid

Before we begin with the review, let us note that R5-C7 is a background astromech droid from Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. While discussing the character here and NOT the action figure for a moment, it seems that R5-C7 looks a lot more like a repaint of R5-X2 than a repaint of R5-A2. The unfortunate thing about the Prequel Trilogy R5 units is that their ‘heads’ and ‘necks’ are so differently shaped than their Original Trilogy descendants (like R5-D4 for example). While we know Hasbro is not trying to pass off a second rate Build A Droid to us, it unfortunately does not look entirely authentic to the production photographs of the droids we have come across in our references research. The Prequel Trilogy R5 units should have been given a unique prefix, like R10 for example. We know this is an extreme idea or example, but it makes a point just how differently the Prequel Trilogy R5 units look from the Original Trilogy R5 units (and this is not just an opinion) Check out the differences below. For starters, the head is very pointed and the neck is thicker with fewer silver squares. Other differences abound and we are not sure why the two are getting lumped together and why Hasbro is using Original Trilogy R5 unit molds to sculpt or repaint Prequel Trilogy R5 units. So clearly R5-C7 will not look exactly like his onscreen counterpart. We wish there was a new head sculpt created, but believe it or not, the figure did not turn out that bad at all. It is actually a very beautifully painted R5 unit.

If you can get past this relative issue, R5-C7 is actually a very nice R5 unit. Having a paint job that should have been given to R5-A2 instead, R5-C7 has a nice dirty film which fits in with his role of trotting along the dirty streets of outer space. While not readily visible in the film, R5-C7 is a welcome addition to the Build A Droid series of pack-in figures. There are just some colors on Star Wars figures that look particularly interesting and make you curious to learn all you can about certain characters. R5-C7 is one of these characters and we must admit it has been a chore to come up with any information on this droid other than that it appeared in Episode II. This droid is primarily white with metallic purple painted panels. The sides of his legs also have a dark teal color and the two colors go together very well. And the droid has red eyes painted within the silver photoreceptors. The red stands out to the point of popping at you and it was a nice (and accurate) touch to this astromech. You all know by now how we love to get our figures all dirty from Hasbro and they have given this figure a fairly harmless and non-extreme dirty outer wash. In other words, it looks like he's been outside but he isn't filthy. It is very realistic and it dulls the bright white plastic to the perfect level. If we were to pick at this figure, we would have wished for a removable and sturdier antenna. (Interestingly, R5-A2's is removable.) The molded antenna (which is actually part of the head sculpt) is not removable and too soft. It tends to bend over time and lacks the authenticity of an R5 unit basic figure (like R5-D4 for example). Still, as we always say, we would rather have this figure as is than not at all.

It was only a matter of time before Hasbro dipped into their previously established R5 Build A Droid mold for the second time to bring us a new droid. We have pointed out before that Hasbro tends to utilize each Build A Droid sculpt at least twice. We could itemize all the matches here, but we are sure you are well aware of this fact yourselves. Astromechs honestly never get boring to us so we welcome any repaint Hasbro has in store for us. We are big fans of R5 units in particular and so far the basic figure line and Build A Droid pack-in figures have been very satisfying to us. We don’t know how much longer the Build A Droid pack-in will last, so we recommend enjoying it now while it is here. It is without a doubt the best pack-in we have ever received (no matter if you are a one of everything collector or not) and it would be our ultimate wish that Hasbro continue it for as long as possible. There are so many other R5 units that Hasbro could make utilizing this sculpt, from the Rebel base on Yavin in A New Hope, to the Rebel briefing in Return Of The Jedi. Hasbro clearly has multiple options to choose and this way they can continue with this pack-in. R5-C7 is a great droid, but it makes us want so more Build A Droid figures from the Original Trilogy that are readily visible. We will just have to wait in the meantime to see what Hasbro will eventually release in this premium platform. But no matter what Hasbro, please keep them coming!