Holographic R2-D2 - Droid Factory

Whether he is delivering a secret message to Obi-Wan Kenobi or saving the classic heroes of the Rebel Alliance from the trash compactor on the Death Star, R2-D2 is always ready for any mission. For the first time, R2-D2 is portrayed as his own holographic transmission action figure. What secret information does R2 carry this time? Join R2-D2 on his adventure throughout the galaxy.

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

It’s hard to believe since the birth of Star Wars in 1977 that there has been no appearance of R2-D2 in hologram form whatsoever. Interesting however is how many characters this plucky astromech droid has projected instead. Perhaps for this reason alone Disney Theme Parks decided to make a truly unique version of R2-D2 as a collectible item in their various gift shops. The Droid Factory/Build A Droid concept is huge and it has gone over well not just with collectors, but Star Wars fans of every age. For the 2015 calendar year, an all-new assortment of droid parts (new sculpts this time around) have been tooled and offered to patrons of the parks. But along with the generic parts available to all, Disney wanted to make one that stands out from the rest. We think they succeeded. Holographic R2-D2, although not really a Hasbro idea, is available for the first time ever thanks to Disney. It almost feels like this was a missed opportunity for Hasbro all of these years, Who knows? Maybe they were avoiding it. No matter however, because Holographic R2-D2 is a figure that will likely be sought after by astromech droid lovers and aficionados of “out of the box” action figure concepts.

Holographic R2-D2 is an all-new Droid Factory/Build A Droid action figure that utilizes the R2-series astromech sculpt. The figure breaks down into five separate pieces. These include dome, body, left leg, right leg and third leg. As you know, the droid parts for 2015 are all new sculpts. Most notable is the missing leg wires. This makes all the legs interchangeable and saves time in line while building droids. That being said, it is a disappointment to longtime action figure collectors because it took Hasbro until 2004 to start adding these three dimensional enhancements to the legs of astromech droids. It’s a bit defeating to see Disney take steps backwards to simplify things here. That being said, these droids are still enjoyable to build and they offer kids and collectors countless hours of enjoyment as the combinations you can make are nearly endless. Holographic R2-D2 doesn’t come with anything special aside from its packaging, but you won’t be able to find any of the clear/translucent blue parts anywhere else but for this special edition action figure. Although the parts are all-new, Holographic R2-D2 fits in nicely with the rest of the Hasbro action figures. And if you’ve collected all the other “holographic” action figures produced by Hasbro, this figure adds to that interesting sub-collection.

Keep in mind that Holographic R2-D2 won’t be the easiest figure to locate. It is only available through Disney and has a premium MSRP right out of the gate. Provided you’re already at a Disney theme park, for almost $13 you can secure this figure for your collection. For those of us not fortunate enough to live around those areas, you can access this figure on the aftermarket. Until the figure begins drying up, expect to pay about $10 more than its MSRP. This is probably a fair price since you don’t have to pay for an airline ticket to secure this action figure. Is this the neatest concept for an exclusive figure? Probably not. But we have to admit that there is something likeable about a holographic version of R2-D2. It’s its own irony. It’s its own meta concept. And it’s a fun action figure for those who like to think outside of the box when it comes to Star Wars action figures. Sur, some will criticize that it’s a lazy excuse for an action figure. They’re only partially right about that however. We all know that most exclusives come from existing parts by now. This was a great and unique way to utilize a sculpt that is used so many other ways already. You actually have to credit Disney for being so sly with Holographic R2-D2. Now if we can just get C-3PO in his holographic form we will be all set.