R5-013/R2-C2/R5-S9/R5-P8 - Droid Factory

All different types of Astromech droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their [sic] own unique personality and colors. These four new Astromech figures are featured in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

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

Disney Parks is hitting it out of the park, no pun intended. The Droid Factory line is taking off by leaps and bounds and in just one month they have released more exciting products for 3.75” collectors than Hasbro had in years. Many were released as de facto Star Wars Celebration Orlando exclusives (where they made their debut), but most if not all will be available at the theme parks eventually so that a larger audience can add these wonderful figures into their own collections at home. It’s becoming a tradition now, but Disney Parks has once again released a unique four-pack of astromech droid figures, this time curiously sourced to The Clone Wars first season and film. It makes us ponder if we can expect a Season 2, Season 3, Season 4 and Season 5 boxed set eventually. Without rushing things, the R5-013/R2-C2/R5-S9/R5-P8 four-pack is brilliantly done with the previously existing sculpts that collectors of the line have come to know all too well. Sure, the droids come without those much-needed foot wires, but the deco they’ve been given is stunning and it is fantastic to get more astromech droids from The Clone Wars. Because in all honesty we can never get enough. Some collectors are weary of astromech droids now, but for us the sky is the limit. We hope they keep coming. Let’s go through all of the additions here.

R5-013 is actually misnamed. This was the droid’s original designation, but it has since been updated to R5-U8 (which we actually prefer). R5-013 is from the Malevolence story arc from Season 1. This droid is green and white and has a distinct alternating pattern that we don’t see all that often on astromech droids. The paint operations are extraordinarily applied and aside from the obvious missing parts (the foot wires), this is another fine release in the Droid Factory lineup. R2-C2 is a very interesting choice here. Hasbro just released this character in The Black Series [Phase III] 3.75” super-articulated line (via an Entertainment Earth exclusive) when it was part of the Astromech Droid Pack. Although the Entertainment Earth exclusive version was based on the 2010 TVC R2-D2 (VC25) sculpt, the Disney Parks version utilizes the standard R2-series astromech droid Build A Droid sculpt. Disney Parks even tooled a new bar and glasses. And we think that Disney Parks have also nailed the paint operations beating out Hasbro as well. Sure, this version of R2-C2 comes with less features, but it fits in so well with the other figures in this line that we have to say we prefer it over the Hasbro version. Briefly seen in The Clone Wars film, it's so cool to see another bartender droid in the toy line again.

R5-S9 is an astromech droid that stood out brilliantly in The Clone Wars television show to us, and it is a figure we have always wanted. Now we have it thankfully. This mostly blue R5 unit is probably the simplest of all four droids in this four-pack. It comes with a light blue R5 unit head and a dark blue body and legs with accents of white and black. This droid is seen in the episode entitled Hostage Crisis. In that episode it really looked like R5-S9 had a white dome, not a light blue one. But it probably is safe to assume that Disney Parks had access to reference materials to give us the most accurate droid possible. The final droid, R5-P8, looks like something you’d see in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (just look at its face). This is a sentry droid and Disney Parks tooled a special gun accessory which fits into the hole of top of this R5 unit’s head and was first seen in The Gungan General episode (and then three more after that). R5-P8 is stunningly decorated. We’re thoroughly impressed with what Disney has done to make this droid screen accurate. We’re genuinely pleased with all of these droids. What’s more, the R5-013/R2-C2/R5-S9/R5-P8 has been modestly priced at $29.99 which breaks down to $7.50 per droid. You can’t do better than that in this collecting day and age.