TC-14 (Electronic) - EI - Action Collection (Exclusive)

A generation before Star Wars: A New Hope...

In a galaxy far, far away, an evil force is gaining strength and threatens an entire civilization. Two courageous Jedi, a young queen, a Gungan outcast, and a slave boy named Anakin, band together to save a planet under attack as the fate of the galaxy hangs in the balance.

When the viceroys inform Darth Sidious of Queen Amidala's escape from Naboo, the Sith Lord dispatches his apprentice, Darth Maul, to investigate. Darth Maul tracks his prey to the desert planet of Tatooine, and like an anxious predator, awaits word of the Jedi's whereabouts from his Sith probe droids. After pinpointing the enemy on the outskirts of Mos Espa, Darth Maul slices over the terrain fast and low, and swoops upon his unsuspecting prey with a display of swordsmanship like no other.

After pinpointing the enemy on the outskirts of Mos Espa, Darth Maul slices over the terrain fast and low, and swoops upon his unsuspecting prey with a display of swordsmanship like no other.

The adventure continues with this exciting introduction of exclusive figures from Star Wars: Episode I! Authentically styled with incredible detail, each fully poseable figure features a realistic costume and accessories to recreate all the excitement of the movie.

COLLECT THEM ALL!

Seconds before the Jedi confront the Trade Federation's droid troops, a surprised TC-14 emerges with a serving tray.

The great thing about adding characters that share the same body style is that it helps to save on tooling costs while adding something new into the collection. For the Episode I line, Hasbro squeezed in TC-14 (Electronic) into the Action Collection line as a KB Toys exclusive, thanks to a previously existing electronic version of C-3PO produced for The Power Of The Force “2” [Green/Freeze Frame] line. With enhanced electronics, new dialogue and a beautiful sterling chromed finish, the TC-14 (Electronic) Action Collection figure is a highlight of the Episode I lineup. If you’re familiar with the original C-3PO figure, you know that Hasbro doesn’t work in a great deal of articulation when it comes to the 12” protocol droids. As you imagine, TC-14 (Electronic) lacks in this area as well. A droid with feminine programming, TC-14 (Electronic) swivels at the neck, elbows, and hips. And she also comes with movable waist and hinge-jointed knees and ankles. It’s not an enormous amount of movement given to her, but it works for the purposes of this Action Collection figure. It’s odd to get a character with such a small role updated for the Action Collection line, but we appreciate the randomness of her entry into the line. The unexpected always enhance a toy line.

Electronics must be expensive for Hasbro. For no other explained reason, TC-14 (Electronic) costs a whopping $29.99. This MRSP is $10 more than the average Action Collection figure, and we don’t feel that the electronics nor the accessories make the extra cost more palatable. Speaking of accessories, TC-14 (Electronic) comes with four of them. She comes with the serving tray, carafe and two cups that she had in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Hasbro cleverly added handles to the tray that allow them to clip onto her hands. The handles also have articulation so you can turn them as needed to pose the serving tray as a flat surface for the other accessories. Once set up, TC-14 (Electronic) looks screen-accurate and ripped right from the big screen. There are some aesthetic issues with the tooling of her body, but overall you’ll have a nice representation of the character’s brief role in The Phantom Menace. The chromed finish turned out beautifully as well. You’ll find a couple of imperfections of how the vac-metallization was applied, but we believe that you will have more appreciation for this figure than criticism. She honestly turned out quite beautiful. And it makes us wish Hasbro would make other protocol droids in this scale.

TC-14 (Electronic) says the following phrases: "I'm TC-14, at your service." "My master will be with you shortly." "We are greatly honored by your visit." "Make yourself comfortable." "This way, Ambassador." She also comes with light-up photoreceptors when she speaks. All of these gimmicky features are a nice added bonus, but do we need them? We’re not crazy about electronics added into Star Wars toys, especially the figures. But when it comes to a synthetic character like TC-14, maybe it’s alright to look the other way when it comes to these types of novel additions. For us, it’s all about articulation, and the Action Collection line can be great about this, or lack. And although we feel Hasbro did a decent job with TC-14 (Electronic), we still feel that there were places on this figure where the articulation could have been better enhanced. Exclusive to KB Toys, TC-14 (Electronic) is another Action Collection figure that has been relegated as a store exclusive. These types of 12 Inch Figures are becoming more and more common. She might have done well as a general marketplace item, but with the extra sound effects and higher MSRP, maybe keeping her as an exclusive is the greatest outcome for this figure.