Power Droid - TSC - Basic (SAGA 014)

For the most part, The Saga Collection basic figures presented us with a lot of fun accessories, perhaps more than in previous action figure lines. And if the figures didn’t really come with a lot, they likely didn’t need to be heavily accessorized. And then once in a while, instead of heavily accessorizing a figure, Hasbro would release two-packs. They tried their best to include a second figure where it made the most sense. One of the best best uses of making a basic figure a two-pack was in the case of the Power Droid figure in the Battle Of Hoth wave. Before you get all enraged and start yelling at us, yes, we are also upset that Hasbro did not remove the action feature from the Power Droid, but we have to say that all things considered, the upgrades to the figure have made us look the other way as far as that is concerned. Between a brilliant paint job and movie accurate details, the Power Droid basic figure is one of the finest accomplishments in the basic figure line. This unofficial two-pack also includes a Treadwell droid that has also been repainted beautifully. Both droids can be clearly seen in Echo Base and Hasbro did an incredible job painted them and updating them to make them new enough to deserve a place in the much more modern The Saga Collection. Interestingly, both droids come from not too distant time periods of The Power Of The Force era as the Power Droid came from the Comm Tech phase and the Treadwell Droid came from the Flashback series.

We are particularly fond of the Power Droid. Hasbro developed extra “head” attachments which look fantastic and they have also created a “cable/wire” accessories that wraps around the body of the droid. This is a lot of effort put forth for a character that is lurking in the background of a scene in The Empire Strikes Back, but we have to say we wouldn’t want it any other way. The POTF2 version was very bleak and dull and essentially all one color. Hasbro took a completely opposite approach when deciding how to paint this figure. The droid is painted in a metallic droid (a gorgeous color) and the “E” on the right side of the body has been painted a sterling metallic baby blue. It’s stunning. On the left side, the rectangle is now a metallic tan and it too brings a lot of character to the droid. The Power Droid also has silver feet and black ribbed legs and if you have the patience, it is slightly possible to line them up without being in a blatant “walking” position. But be forewarned, it’s quite tasking. Its front is still metallic brown, but it appears darker almost as if some extra dirt has collected in the ridges of the “face”. You’ll also find a few scrapes and scratches on the figure’s body. Hasbro has certainly given this figure a very complicated paint job. Even if this was a little outside there budget, it was worthy every penny because the final results are that remarkable.

The included Treadwell Droid is a great addition to the Power Droid and nicely complements it. The Treadwell Droid is based off of the one that tried to communicate with Han Solo and he and Chewbacca attempted to repair the Millennium Falcon at Echo Base. It looks to be flawlessly colored to the one seen in the film and although the sculpt looks a little outdated by today’s standards, the paint job brings it back to a revived state. It of course comes without the blue accessories it did when it came with 2000’s Aunt Beru figure, but that only makes sense. Why would you want blue milk for an Echo Base droid? Instead of each droid having a separate action figure stand, Hasbro has labeled their stand as “GNK & Treadwell Droids”. You can fit both of them on the stand, so it works. The Power Droid basic figure set is one of the highlights of the second wave in The Saga Collection. Hasbro is really finding ways to breathe new life in their older figures and if they can manage to keep doing it as well as they did on these droids, then we encourage them to keep doing so. Our recommendation however is that they slightly retool any figures that come with action features and eliminate them. Has they done this to the Power Droid, we would have gone out on the limb to say that it probably would never need an update again. Even if they don’t revisit it, this one will look fantastic in your collection nonetheless.