C-3PO & Salacious Crumb - TAC - Basic (30 30)

The unfortunate C-3PO is constantly faced with indignities that rattle the worry-prone droid. He is horrified when Luke "gives" him to Jabba the Hutt, not realizing it is part of Luke's plan to rescue Han. In the palace, C-3PO is tormented mercilessly by Salacious Crumb and slathered with revolting slime by Jabba.

Hasbro has developed quite a skill for finding new ways to bring core Star Wars characters into the basic figure line. And let’s be honest folks. How many possible ways can Hasbro release C-3PO? Throughout the years they have really brought to us a variety of looks and features to their C-3PO action figures and when it came to celebrate 30 years of Star Wars in 2007, they found yet another way to breathe new life into our favorite protocol droid. Not only do we get C-3PO with a new gimmick, we also get a second all-new action figure with him. The C-3PO & Salacious Crumb figures were released together as a two-pack and may just be the surprise group of figures released in the basic figure line in years. It’s true that C-3PO is mostly rehashed from previous versions, but Hasbro has made him new enough to warrant another purchase and he is also multiple scene-specific as has the ability to flesh out or complete your aching dioramas as you have always wanted. The 30 (77-07) line was positively aggressive in many ways and Hasbro really brought collectors some special treats ranging from extra large characters to extra large accessories. C-3PO & Salacious Crumb falls somewhere in between, but there is no denying that you get some quality action figures for a very fair and reasonable price.

We will get to C-3PO’s action feature in a moment, but we are perhaps a little more enthralled with the green slime that has been splashed on him. This concept comes from the scene in Return Of The Jedi when Jabba knocks him off of his throne when he finds out how many credits Boushh wants for Chewbacca. The green paint isn’t too dramatic and it’s subtly painted on the figure, but it does look pretty cool in our own opinion. C-3PO is made from the legs and arms of 2005’s ROTS C-3PO (III 18) and the body of 2006’s TSC C-3PO With Ewok Throne (SAGA 042) and then given an all-new head. The new head was included because his right eye is attached via a post to the panel on the back of his head so you can replicate Salacious Crumb’s attack on him. What’s more, Salacious Crumb’s hand has been sculpted flawlessly to wrap around the “eye cord” so you can simulate his attempt to disfigure C-3PO. Salacious Crumb is an all-new figure as well. He looks a little too bulky in the limbs but otherwise is very much likes by us. Not only are his hands functional, but he has been poised in a way that gives the collector multiple option from wrapping himself around C-3PO’s head by sitting on his shoulders or lying atop C-3PO while he goes for his photoreceptors. Because of C-3PO’s “action feature” the eyes have some issues looking identical to each other (and this is something we could have to expect). As a result, we think that this version of C-3PO works much better in a battle-damaged state, with his eye hanging out.

This was an awesome concept for an action figure two-pack and Hasbro made them excellently despite the unavoidable drawbacks resulting from the action feature. C-3PO is vacuum metalized and we think his golden color is a little too pale in comparison to some of the other versions we have received so far to date. Because his legs are from the ROTS figure, he doesn’t have knee joints, but interestingly, that is more than fine here. C-3P0 needs a static and centered stance to hold Salacious Crumb on his shoulders and the ROTS version ensures that this is possible. That 2005 figure provided C-3PO with one of the best stances we have seen to date even if he only has six points of articulation. And if you’re interested, C-3PO’s arms are removable if you need some extra play value. Salacious Crumb only has five points of articulation, but it is much more than his predecessor from the 2001 Deluxe Amanaman & Salacious Crumb which had no articulation points at all. C-3PO & Salacious Crumb will be wonderful enhancement to any Jabba The Hutt display and we can’t wait for more Jabba’s Palace scene-specific figures Hasbro will release in the future. This is definitely a gimmicky set of figures, but Hasbro has cleverly included the play features in a respectful manner to collectors who think “purely” about the aesthetics of their action figures. We suggest checking out C-3PO & Salacious Crumb. They are pretty cool even if they aren’t the greatest action figures we have ever seen.