Battle Droid - S.H. Figuarts

S.H. Figuarts is a new standard figure series that incorporates the Bandai action figure "Art" under the theme "Pursuing Character Expression through Humanoid Action."

Wow. In an era where quality is questionable with Hasbro’s products, it’s refreshing to see a line like S.H. Figuarts knock out some pretty impressive collectibles. You all know what’s happening in this new era of collecting. 3.75” figures are considered novelty now. They’re no longer the focus of Hasbro’s agenda. The five-points-of-articulation figures certainly aren’t satiating the needs of collectors who have been supporting the basic figure line since the beginning. Sure, there are some pretty great figures in the 5POA lineup, but as good as they are, collectors are aching for super-articulated versions of them. Ever since The Force Awakens was released to theaters, Hasbro thinks they’re keeping the SA 3.75” figures alive through the Walmart exclusive The Black Series [Phase III] line. But it’s perplexing to us that they believe they can keep our attention with only five figures from the new film in this format when we’re used to getting 75, 60 and even as low as 24 figures in a product year. Five figures barely even interest us, and these same feelings are affecting collectors all over the world. It’s very sad to see the line go downhill so fast. But thankfully there are other licensees out there making some pretty impressive stuff. Whether you’re into 6” scale or not, one thing is true. The Bandai S.H. Figuarts line will pique your interest like no other line. The amount of detail and articulation that has been added to these figures are nothing short of astounding, and even despite the few issues they have, they are quickly becoming the standard for so many collectors.

And yes, they’re putting Hasbro’s The Black Series 6” line to shame. Now, it’s easy to criticize Hasbro. We want to be clear that they’re making toys. S.H. Figuarts are making collectibles. There is a huge difference between the two. But once you compare these 6” scaled figures next to each other, we think it’s better to save the 20+ dollars on the Hasbro figure and apply it to the S.H. Figuarts version instead. The level of detail, the complex construction and the interactive accessories these figures come with will blow your mind. There isn’t anything they cannot do. And dare we say this, but the MSRP that they demand is well worth it. We’ve had no buyer’s remorse on any of the figures we’ve picked up to date. We have had PLENTY of buyer’s remorse with The Black Series 6” line. Anyway, we’re a bit off-course here. The S.H. Figuarts Battle Droid isn’t a figure that was at the top of our list, but we’re thrilled to have picked it up nonetheless. In fact, we’re so impressed with the figure that we’re a bit ticked we weren’t gaga over it when it was announced. Think Sideshow Collectibles’ 2012 Battle Droids (Infantry) 1:6 Scale Figures reduced down to 6”. That’s what the S.H. Figuarts Battle Droid figure is. It has an amazing amount of functional articulation which gives the Battle Droid a range of movement that we haven’t seen on any action figure from Hasbro. And to think that a 6” figure has almost the same articulation system of a 1:6 Scale Figure just completely impresses us beyond belief.

We even love the triple areas of articulation worked into the head and neck of the Battle Droid. (Its neck doesn’t go down into the body which makes us very happy.) For us, the Battle Droid’s articulation is simply perfect. That is evident. But on top of impressive articulation, the Battle Droid has a distinctly beautiful paint job. It looks clean for the most part, but if you carefully inspect the body, you will see very subtle staining and battle-damage. It’s gorgeous. The Battle Droid comes with just a couple accessories, but two of them impress us. There are two parts which we will refer to as plugs. One has the antennae collapsed, while the other plug has the antennae extended. It’s easily removable, and we’re so happy this area of the figure is interchangeable instead of articulated. Articulated antennae at this scale might have been disastrous. Another feature we love is the backpack. Sadly, it isn’t removable, but it does have a clip that folds out that allows the droid blaster to attach to it when not in use. Oh, and that droid blaster? The Battle Droid can hold it with both hands just like in The Phantom Menace thanks to the exquisite articulation worked into the delicate hands and wrists. There is no way a collector could want more from this figure. We guarantee that. This is how awesome the Battle Droid is. The best part, however, is that the Battle Droid can fold up just like it did in the film. Again, it’s really impressive how they approached this figure, and we couldn’t want anything more from it.