Super Battle Droid - SW [S - P1] - Basic (’02 #06)

Ten years after the fight to save Naboo from invasion, the galaxy is on the brink of civil war. Under the leadership of a renegade Jedi, thousands of solar systems threaten to secede from the Galactic Republic. A courageous Jedi Knight, his impulsive and headstrong apprentice, and a queen-turned-senator are drawn into the heart of the conflict... and the beginning of war.

Deadly and efficient fighters, these enhanced battle droids are programmed with the capacity for independent fighting. They make a formidable threat to opposing armies with their hulking frame and built-in firepower.

All right! Here is the perfect action figure for kids and collectors alike! The Super Battle Droid from the Star Wars “Saga” line, the de facto Episode II basic figure lineup, is an action figure that is equally fun as it is awesome. It certainly isn’t the perfect representation of the character we saw during the Battle of Geonosis in Attack Of The Clones, but there is enough play value (without sacrificing every last aesthetic) here that will make it a worthwhile purchase for collectors of all ages. Hasbro had a lot on their plate. All of their Collection 1 figures needed to be geared towards kids and come inundated with action features that often plagued any decent sculpt and rendered it collector “unfriendly” generally. But in this case Hasbro balanced the intent quite well and made an action figure toy that seamlessly will fit into a child’s toy box, or an adult’s shelf under pretty much any circumstance. The Super Battle Droid represents the Separatist’s need to create an even more powerful warrior for use in the Clone Wars, and while they appeared to to function like bulls in a china shop, they could do serious damage with one blast of their cannons or one swing of their powerful arms.

It’s not secret. Super Battle Droid is a toy. And we feel it’s a good one. You may think it has simple mechanics, but we’re thoroughly impressed with how the parts interlock in some phases of the action figure, while they are also used to be debris in “battle-damaged mode”. The Super Battle Droid comes with two interchangeable chest plates, but whichever one you decide to add to the figure acts as a locking mechanism for the arms which then allows the “shoulders” of them to function via swivel articulation. And they won’t fall out again until you enact the “explosion feature”. Color us impressed. If that wasn’t enough, Hasbro also added an exaggerated interchangeable right arm which can function like a missile launcher cannon. it comes with a projectile that can be slid inside of the cannon arm and locked in place. With the flick of a button the projectile shoots so you can take down its target. Although not all of the Super Battle Droids can with this detail, what’s nice is that Hasbro actually sculpted some detail underneath where the chest armor locks into place. It’s simple scoring in the plastic, but it makes the figure look extra mechanical and we appreciate the efforts.

Super Battle Droid comes with nine points of articulation. The aforementioned two swivel shoulders are joined by two hinge-jointed elbows, a sliding “action feature” torso, two swivel hips and two hinge-jointed knees. While there are only technically five accessories included with the Super Battle Droid, it should be noted that the figure itself breaks down into nine total separate pieces (accessories included). Even if you get bored with playing with it as a while action figure, there is plenty more play value with building and rebuilding the Super Battle Droid battle after battle. Clearly the play value hours are potentially endless. The paint job of the Super Battle Droid looks a bit off to us. It’s much too metallic blue in general. The film depicts them to be a more gray color. But the details painted to recreate battle-damage markings and blast points are really impressive and it will likely only be a collector’s eye to notice these stunning details. If you decide to use the battle-damaged chest armor piece, a hole has been added to attach a blast effect. It is honestly a bit silly, but it’s likely been added for the kids to play with and not you. Overall, we’re quite impressed with this. Obviously a future Super Battle Droid without all of these play features would be ideal, but this one will hold everyone over quite well.